All Tests – Young people can also have the R – Used YAMAHA

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Young people can also have the R

All Tests - Young people can also have the R - Used YAMAHA

Exhibited at the World Two-Wheeler, the Yamaha YZF-R125 shone with its R6 look and its sharp cycle part! Its new 4-stroke engine, on the other hand, left more perplexed as to its sporting status and its price remained unknown…. Responses.

In 1998 Yamaha launched the R1. A new benchmark in the world of hypersport, the 1000 was joined the following year by its little sister the R6 and by the exceptional R7! From then on, the prefix "R" became for many bikers the symbol of sport in its raw state..

It was at the same time that at the same time, the Japanese firm decided to stop production of its TZR 125, a small sports car powered by a Minarelli 2-stroke engine. The TZR therefore made its last turns in 2000. It left the Aprilia RS and Cagiva Mito to reign alone on the small niche of the 125 sports cars, Honda having also chosen to no longer produce its NSR in 2001..

Sister of R1 and R6

While in 2004, the winged brand reinvested the court of small sports with the CBR125R (and brilliantly, playing the CBR lineage, thanks to its floor price and despite a sluggish 4-stroke engine), it took four more years to see the tuning forks brand get started – to tuning forks … – and launch the YZF-R125 !

Unveiled a few weeks before the 2007 Mondial du deux-Roues in Paris (read), the little Yam occasionally delivered its main characteristics: slick design, sharp but not exuberant chassis and 4-stroke 4-valve injection engine…

While insisting on the worthy heritage of the R1 and R6 – especially in terms of looks – Yamaha then promised us "stable and lively handling at the same time"and"excellent performance in the 125 4-stroke category". Six months later, the Japanese manufacturer invited Site to its press presentation, just to let us verify its statements. !

Visually, visitors to the Mondial have already realized that the new Yam plays more in the backyard of the Italians (RS and Mito) than in that of the CBR125R, with the tank, fairing and tires – therefore charisma – desperately thin…

Nice little ass

Thus the new Yam perfectly plays the card of belonging to the "R Series", as evidenced in particular by its fairing – imposing for the displacement – with sharp lines similar to those of the R1, its aluminum swingarm painted in black, its dual optics at the front and its LED brake light at the rear.

The rear splashback looks like the one on the 2006 R6 (read), just like the short pot. Only the all-plastic license plate holder of the R125 is less "re-cleaning" than that mounted on the aluminum rod of the big sister, and breaks the line more.

"For use on open roads, we do not recommend that customers remove it, but on track, it is very easily detachable and offers a superb view of the rear of the motorcycle", points out to Site Toshiharu Shigeta, leader of the project..

Superb, the rear of the R125 is also superbly unsuitable for carrying a real lock, with which the light motorcycle is attached to a fixed point. Fans of long trips with friends will not be offended! But what will the kid who wanted to go to class with his R125 on Wednesday morning, before taking his girlfriend to the movies? ?

"Thank you MBK Industries !"

It is true that to flirt or flatter the ego, nothing like a beautiful "radical" motorcycle that does not care about the practicalities! The new Yam marks in terms of finishing big points: the adjustments of the parts in particular and the realization in general are of good quality.

"We must thank the MBK Industries plant in Saint Quentin, therefore the French, who assemble the R125", insists Arno Sunnotel of Yamaha Motor Europe quite skillfully, in front of the audience of … French journalists! Like Toyota and its Yaris manufactured in Valenciennes, Yamaha allows (via MBK) to buy Franco- Japanese.

"Inspired by a genius"(Yamaha nod to Valentino Rossi during the press presentation), the new Yam ‘was imagined, designed and developed in Europe – and" for "Europe -. The R125 therefore had to"look like a real motorcycle", underlines Yamaha, which also placed quality as an integral part of the concept. As for its ergonomics, it is intended to be adapted to"great European pilots"…

A desire which therefore explains the saddle perched at 816 mm high! Perfect for a 1.80m biker, it will undoubtedly be unsettling for little beginners. Fortunately for them, the dry weight of the 125 is limited to 126.5 kg and stationary maneuvers are greatly facilitated..

Once seated on the bike, you have to lean forward – down in fact – to grab the half-handlebars. The driving position is undeniably sporty, so much so that in town, the wrists end up tiring. "The job that comes in" or "suffer to be beautiful", will say in substance owners satisfied by this relative discomfort.

Sports R

Under the small bubble is a complete and perfectly readable table. At night, it has a beautiful orange-red tint. Only the engaged gear indicator is missing, too scared by the incessant gear changes of the apprentices-Valentino…

The time has finally come to switch on. The counters are initialized: the digital panel activates all its liquid crystal segments and the tachometer needle makes a quick round trip. Once the starter is actuated, however, the needle is much slower….

The revs are much less nervous than those of the R6 (see video …) and the sound of the pot less hairy than the R1. Nothing abnormal for a 125, remains that the engine is on, the motorcycle does not create any illusion that in front of young bambinos crossed in the streets of Valence.

From a performance point of view, the engine develops a maximum power of 15 horsepower at 9000 rpm and a maximum torque of 12.24 Nm, 1000 rpm earlier. The first value "should not be exceeded for legislative reasons", underlines the Yamaha staff, aware that 15 horses does not represent the cavalry expected for a" sport "…

But the second given "has been optimized from low revs", assures the manufacturer, particularly proud of its new single-cylinder engine"short run"(52×58.6 mm) and its 4-valve cylinder head, its Mikuni injection and its short exhaust equipped with a double catalyst and a forced air intake system.

To lead, we must recognize in mono a certain flexibility and a fairly large range of use. It resumes from 3,000 rpm without flinching and pushes up to the switch which is triggered around 11,000 rpm. Difficult at first not to trigger it !

Damn bridle

Overtaking does not pose too much of a problem in town, on the other hand on national, it will be necessary to show anticipation, even patience! There is a limit to the clamping: would not a 140 kg motorcycle deserve a few extra horses to allow safer overtaking? ?

The gearbox is pleasant, flawless even for learning gear changes. We can even try – with success – to up the gears without touching the clutch, soft and progressive moreover..

It is therefore without any worries that we "knit" from the box to better "type" in the small 125, which needs to be maintained above 8000 rpm to be effective. In town, you have to play with the clutch to get ahead of the 125 scooters but generally starts in the middle of traffic are made easy by a relatively short 1st.

The rest of the reports are also well layered. We quickly get into the habit of engaging the gear above 10,500 rpm, especially between 5th and 6th, which fulfills its role of overdrive perfectly! Good point for consumption, it will still be necessary to bring down a report on the false dishes of the expressways…

Fast and Funnious

Conditions in which the R125 does not show itself, it is true, quite at ease … On the last report, the little Yam ‘gathers around 13 km / h per 1000 revolutions. Theoretically, it therefore simultaneously reaches 130 km / h and the red zone.

Concentrated on the comrade who is being vacuumed, it is difficult to note the speed actually reached. The presentation record was 134 km / h "counter". At this level, the size, morphology, weight but also the pilot’s outfit and his ability to carefully spin the right hares are all parameters to take into account. Some good laughs in perspective for those who will drive "between R125", while respecting the law !

The opportunity also to check that the bubble protects the rider if and only if the latter agrees to place his buttocks high on the saddle, to place his head as close as possible to the tank and to retract the shoulders as much as possible! With its special cutout, the fairing does not provide better leg protection. It’s not an "FJR 125" either !

In terms of comfort, at no time, from waiting at a red light to the maximum speed search sessions, the pilot does not notice any vibrations. However, by firmly squeezing the tank, we feel that the mono panics and mills but the internal balance seems to have its effect. !

Other important points for the "big riders", the comfort of the saddle and the vision in the mirrors … Satisfying both considering the Yam as being a sports car: the saddle is hard but well designed and the mirrors do not vibrate. They also offer a good view of the rear of the motorcycle, and not just of the rider’s elbows….

Side cycle, the R125 is also inspired by its predecessors R1 and R6 by equipping itself with a "Deltabox" type frame. However, if the architecture is the same, the materials differ: aluminum for the large ones, steel for the small ones. But what does it matter since we have already seen that the 125 was light enough like that?.

To attack

What appeals most to driving is the front axle, while aesthetically, the swingarm is much more flattering than the small front fork … Proof that the arms race is not necessarily necessary !

Lively and precise at the same time, the front axle of the R125 allows to keep a lot of speed in the turns and compensates in part for the lack of fishing of the engine. Almost imperturbable, it allows a good dose of improvisation and even on "the" brake, the bike remains neutral. It will therefore not trap new permits.

On the road with degraded surface or in town, the front suspension slightly better erases large imperfections – speed bumps or holes – than the rear shock absorber. But in the end, the two go well together and give confidence, just like the Pirelli Sport Demon tires on the test models (the Yam ‘can also be delivered with Michelin Pilot Power)..

The observation concerning the front axle is repeated with regard to braking. Admittedly, the front disc seems slim with its 292 mm wide and its direct attachment to the rim – cute incidentally – and not via a beautiful crown – gold is better -…

Nevertheless, the simple disc and its two pistons are more than enough to stop the impulses of the beauty, which is far from being a beast! We can just blame him for a lack of bite in the attack of the lever and a small lack of precision, due to a certain sluggishness of the control. Nothing, however, that may affect the safety or efficiency of the motorcycle on open roads !

Priced at € 3,990, the YZF-R125 therefore offers a very attractive price / quality ratio. A thousand euros more expensive than its compatriot the CBR, it is much less expensive than the Italian 2-stroke. Finally, the latest addition to the "R series" wishes to position itself as the alternative, the sporty 125 compiling the strengths of its competitors for an intermediate price. Which is not totally unfounded.

Replica R1, R6 or Roberts ?

First of all, its engine is tireless, and will tire much less quickly than its pilot! The excuse of 15 horses is timely here, both the sensations delivered by a 4-stroke mono and that of an "original" 2-stroke mono – and not so fragile as that – are incomparable….

Then, the cycle part of the R125 is efficient without overdoing it too much. It allows you to put on the glove in complete safety. Likewise, apart from perhaps the saddle height, its respectable size remains accessible to the majority. Finally, his presence and his look are foolproof !

In its red and white color, the little Yam likes to evoke the very first R1 of 1998. In blue, it is more like the R6 of 2008 and we like to imagine a 2009 model equipped with beautiful golden rims, for push the resemblance even further: "It’s a good idea !", confided Mr. Shigeta in person !

In yellow, a few stickers will be enough for young bikers to transform their mount into a real "Roberts" replica, or "MotoGP Laguna Seca" for those born after the 80s! It is only in black that the R125 is more discreet. But already young people are waiting for the livery "M1" n ° 46 … or n ° 48, depending on the results of the MotoGP season ?! To be continued !

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