A reader of our Tamil media associates Motor Vikatan, Shakthi Vijay, has spotted this new Yamaha scooter, on test in Chennai.
The scooter looks curvaceous and freshly styled, also unlike any present day offering from Yamaha in India. This is clearly a full size vehicle, visibly larger than available models from this factory, such as the Alpha and Ray, prompting us to think this may launch with a more powerful engine than already deployed on existing Yamahas. Attempts to draw information from the company have gone in vain, leaving us to speculate this could just be Yamaha’s first 125cc rival to face up to Suzuki’s Access and Swish duo, Honda’s top-of-the-line Activa 125, Vespa’s VX125 and Mahindra’s Rodeo.
A set of sleek front indicators fit flush into this Yamaha scooter’s raked front apron. There’s nifty chrome accents on the new Yamaha scooter, including on its rear view mirror housings. Palm grips and levers look a touch better than Yamaha today offer with existing Indian scooters, and the instruments bay is visibly large. Although we could be mistaken, the new Yamaha scooter could perhaps offer the convenience of a front fuel-filling pod, located below the handlebar, a convenience that doesn’t force riders to dismount for every fill-up.
The new Yamaha scooter will use a four-stroke, air-cooled engine, carburettor fed and with electric as well as kick-start options. We expect engine displacement to be somewhere in the region of 113-125cc.
Rider and pillion accommodation looks generous on this new Yamaha, with a roomy, flattish floorboard and broad, lengthy and lockable saddle in place over what promises to be a voluminous underseat stowage bin.
The new Yamaha offers telescopic front suspension, as is fast becoming an industry standard in this space, while the rear is supported in a traditional monoshock bolted to the engine, a stressed member of the frame. Drum brakes are seen on the scooters being tested here, spied in two colour options, maroon and a deep blue, while the scooter’s wheels are in the region of an Indian scooter typical 10-12inches.
Rishad Cooper