Alongside the regular variant, the sportier Yamaha Ray ZR 125 Street Rally was also unveiled. The company utilised the venue to launch the BS6 Yamaha Fascino at a starting price of Rs 66,430 ex-showroom, but the prices of the Ray ZR range are yet to be announced.
Compared to the outgoing BS6 models, the new Yamaha Ray ZR models feature significant changes in terms of styling, along with the introduction of fresh choices of colour. The two scooters offer more on the features department in the form of an all-new digital instrument, wider 110 section rear tyre and a quiet engine start/stop system.
The ‘quiet engine start’ system seems to be similar to Honda’s ‘silent start system’ which debuted in the BS6 Activa 125. In addition to this, a host of accessories will be available to suit different aesthetic and functional tastes.
As mentioned before, the main change comes to the engine department. The all-new 125cc air-cooled BS6 engine features a fuel-injection system and makes 8.2bhp and 9.7Nm of torque; decent figures for a conventional Indian CVT scooter. Despite the bump in output, Yamaha India also claims that the new-generation Ray series is 16 per cent more fuel-efficient (around 58km/l). The company has done extensive tests in accordance with WMTC (World Motorcycle Test Cycle) to attain this result.
The outgoing BS4-compliant Yamaha scooter range (including the Ray Z and Fascino) is powered by a 113cc air-cooled carburetted single-cylinder engine that makes 7.2bhp and 8.1Nm of torque. This obviously means that the new BS6 models will showcase better performance. However, in real-world day-to-day runs of an average Indian commuter, almost all scooters return the same riding feel.
From the current specifications, the Yamaha Ray ZR 125 and its Street Rally variant become direct rivals to the likes of the Aprilia Storm 125. However, the entry-level Aprilia scooter is still in its BS4 avatar and will soon undergo BS6-updation (with increased prices, as applicable to every new BS6 product on the market).
BS6 emission norms will become mandatory from the start of April 2020. For the same reason, major automakers operating in the country are busying updating their existing line-up to BS6 or introducing new models. In small-capacity vehicles such as scooters, the stringent norms can often be met by a new fuel-injection system, better ECU mapping and redesigned exhaust system.