Yamaha YBR 125

I've had this bike for five months, and have to tell people about it. This is a great 125. I set out to buy a new Honda CG125, but was won by the better styling, better equipment, and lower OTR price of Yamaha's YBR 125. I haven't regretted it. This is a great little 125. And it looks good! I think it's really important to be able to like your bike, and the styling of this one makes it easy to like! On top of that, it's a nice ride. There is NO vibration. Once the engine is broken in, everything is smooth and quiet. (The clocks include a rev counter, which is handy when riding the engine in, and getting to know it. The enging is air cooled, and prone to overheat during the breaking in period. After that, it stays cooler. There is no engine temperature gauge, but if you ride through a puddle and a cloud of steam puffs up at you, you know it's time to pull over for a break!) The handling is easy and predictable. The braking is good (disc on the front). The fuel economy, if you ride sensibly, is so good it's hard to believe. And this is a simple, low-maintenance machine. I've read complaints about the clutch, but these are bogus. (Hold it in while you warm the bike up, then when you move off it won't grab.) The only two quibbles I have are that there is no way with these electrics that your battery will stay charged. (The headlamp is always on.)You will need to recharge it at least four times a year. And my other quibble is that the choke lever is on the engine, not on the bars. In town you need to keep the choke open for quite a while before you can reliably stop without stalling, so it would be good to be able to adjust it while riding. The electric start is essential. Don't put too much faith in the kick start, and don't expect it to start your bike if you let the battery go flat! It works best when the battery is good, and the bike is warm. If you need to start the bike cold with a flat battery, put it into gear and paddle it forward, it will come to life beautifully. As to speed, the YBR gets up to 30mph in no time, and cruises easily between about 30 and 50mph. I've had it up to 60mph on London's North Circular, but that was not an enjoyable experience. (No more power in reserve, and very little pulling power - quite scary!) On the other hand, when I first had it I unerestimated it enough to find myself wheelying (unintentionally!) from a standing stop across a junction, and doing 30+ before my front wheel touched the ground on the other side! I'm 6'4" and weigh over 20 stone, and I make the bike look small. Its no BMW 1150, but it's not tiny, it's as physically big as many classic medium engined bikes. I find it comfortable to ride for about an hour at a time. I adjust my leg room and arm reach by sitting WAY back on the seat. The suspension is more than able to cope with this (even on the medium setting) but I do need to keep the back tire pumped to about 35psi instead of the minimum 29psi. This is a great little commuter for in-town use. It loves journeys of not less than twenty-minutes, and not more than an hour or so. It's ideal for the predominantly 30mph roads of urban Britain. If you'll regularly go further for longer on faster roads, you'll be getting something else. And f you just want to pop out to the shops without rumpling your clothes, you'll get a scooter! The engine is Yamaha trail-bike derived (that's why there's kick as well as electric start?). The frame is by MBK. The carburettor is a Mikuni. The bike was designed in Brazil, from the Brazilian experience, specifically for the Chinese market. I think these origins are the reasons it's so good. I love it.