The Yamaha Ray was first seen at the Indian Auto Expo this January, and then showcased to the media again in Mumbai a few months later. It’s fresh out of the oven now, launched at a glitzy event in Hyderabad with suitable brand ambassador Deepika Padukone in tow, and we’ve just completed a brief first ride around a parking lot on this snazzy little scooter that has done all it can to become the next best thing that happened to women.

The Ray is a petite scooter with a low saddle height of 760mm and Yamaha has built it to woo young ladies with its sporty, youthful styling and angular form. The latest Yamaha uses dual colour panels to good effect. The Ray’s fascia faintly resembles the Honda Dio, a large and flush set headlight dominating the raked front apron, just above a space-age front mudguard.

This is a light, 104kg when ready-to-go scooter that is well-suited to urban Indian commuting duties. The new scooter has a smart, readable instrument bay with the speedometer and fuel gauge taking up prime real estate space. The switches and mirrors feel and work like the typical scooter fare offered with most rival Indian scooters, and the Ray provides good palm grips and comfortable brake levers. The safety of a rear brake locking clamp is sadly lacking, being such crucial kit on gearless scooters such as this and we sorely missed it during our stint astride the Ray. What did however impress us was the provision of ample storage cubbies and a secure bag-hook near the ignition switch pod and pull-operated choke knob, this in addition to the large underseat stowage bay that locked and opened with positive clicks. The fuel tank is filled from here, housing 5 liters of fuel when fully tanked-up.

While average to medium built individuals shall face no issues on the Ray, taller, well-built males with large feet could find its narrow floorboard a shade cramped for comfort. The Ray seat comes with a smartly textured fabric, and its pillion footrests tuck away into thoughtful recesses. Tail-end styling is just as smart as in front, the scooter’s silencer encased by a tasteful shroud, its tail-light including a set of clear lens turn signal indicators and there also being a broad alloy grab bar.

As with all Yamaha bikes in India, the Ray enjoys a really high level of all-round quality, and all its rubber and plastic components feel built-to-last.

Watch video review here