Yamaha SS125

I’ve been searching for a good bike with the following features:

1. Budget around 60k

   
   




2. Reasonable mileage, decent looks and light weight.

   
   




3. Features like pilot lamp, tachometer, trip meter, disc brake, pass light etc

   
   




4. 5 speed gear box with 1-down 4-up(I’m more familiar with this type of shift)

   
   




5. I didn’t want 100cc segments as it does not have the above features.

   
   




6. Comfort. Around 40km per day I will drive.

   
   

Finally I shortlisted Honda and Yamaha. For my requirements I went onto stunner and SS125.

For almost all the same features, stunner has an on road price around 66k, so I fixed SS 125.

Pros:

1. It has all the above features except trip meter @ 60k on road with registration.

   
   




2. Somewhat unique looks becoz you wont see many SS 125 on the roads like passion pro.

   
   




3. Very good handling, it will stop whenever, wherever you want, also comfortable seats.

   
   




4. I filled the tank with 11.5 litres on the first day and till my first service( 560km) it hasn’t reached reserve(1.9 litre res) and that means I’m getting around 58km/litre before first service.

   
   




5. This is the modified version of old gladiator. I can still see those bikes without a problem even after 6 years(one of my friends have).

   
   




6. No need of frequent gear shifts. It can go smoothly @ 30kmph in 5th gear and it pulls steep uphills @ 3rd gear even with a pillion rider, which is not possible on my friends’ unicorn and fazer even with single rider.

   
   

Cons:

1. I’m concerned about aftersale services of Yamaha although till now I didn’t have any problems.

   
   




2. Front number plate is on the top of wind shield, it looks like a bit wiered but I think its somewhat useful to protect the front panels and visor from damages.

   
   




3. Yamaha bikes are not knowm for mileage, so its a concern.

   
   




4. Does not have a trip meter.

   
   

My friends took a test drive and all of them liked it very much saying its very smooth.The only thing they didn’t like was the position of the number plate.

Overall if you are looking for a good looking economy bike this is the best in its price range. If you have extra budget and need attractive looks go for stunner or 150cc bikes. If mileage is your main criteria I could still recommend this as only some bajaj and Honda twister are offering 70kmpl compared to 60kmpl offered by my bike before first service. Yamaha is promising 68kmpl for this bike, so I hope mileage will increase after the free services.