Yamaha R125 Performance

Hi friends,

The all-new four-valve, four-stroke motor has been designed with performance and reliability in equal measure. Large airbox, 52mm pistons and offset cranks were all mentioned in the press blurb to increase torque and improve power where possible, churning out 15bhp as a result.

The dry weight of 126kg makes it the lightest in its class and it showed, flicking between the heavy traffic of the city. The suspension is a bit on the soft side but coped well with changes in road conditions. The Disc brakes also get top marks with excellent feel and stopping power even from cold. Maybe there was something in the 'Organic' pads they were talking about. Out on the open roads I got to wondering if I would be happy with the performance of the bike if I were a lad.

It handles like a proper sports bike and is massively addictive but the engine felt weak. It has smooth, progressive power and enough torque to pull it along nicely from 3,000rpm in top without any jerkiness thanks to well-mapped fuel injection. I was hoping for a bit more top end to get to its 76mph top speed more quickly. The Yamaha techs said changing the ECU and the exhaust system will free up another 8bhp or so which would be a welcome improvement.

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