Yamaha Fascino 125 FI and RayZR 125 FI review

Yamaha India is ramping up its line-up to meet the BS6 norms and today the Japanese bikemaker revealed not only the BS6 compliant iterations of MT-15 and R15 but also all-new 125cc scooters. Christened Fascino 125 FI and RayZR 125 FI, both the scooters replace their 110cc iterations. There’s also a Street Rally edition of the RayZR 125 which gets MotoGP-ish livery along with knobbies and knuckle protectors. We had a go on each of the scooters at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai. No typos there; the ride out actually happened in the lobby of the lavish hotel which had paved pathways designed as a small track. Obviously, we couldn’t test the scooters to their maximum potential but here’s a quick review of what to expect from the scooters. Mind you, these are not the only fuel injected scooters in the market. Hero was the first manufacturer to rid the carburettor with the Maestro Edge 125 closely followed by Honda who not only equipped the Activa 125 fuel injection but BS6 trickery too. I digress. Let’s get back to the Yamahas again, beginning with the RayZR 125 FI Street Rally.

Is it really a rally scooter?

Nope. The Street Rally variant gets knobbies and a knuckle guard which add to the sporty quotient and that’s about it. The underpinnings are shared with the Fascino and the RayZR which means it actually behaves exactly like it’s siblings; which is no bad thing at all. To begin with, the 125s from Yamaha weigh substantially lesser than the other 125s in the market. Take the TVS NTorq 125 for example. The TVS is heavier than the Yamahas by a whole 17kg at 116kg while the Aprilia SR125 weighs an even heftier 122kg. The result is a very lightweight scooter which is easy to move around at parking speeds. Even the agility is very Scooty-ish rather than the big 125s. However, the same cannot be said about the performance.

Despite the weight advantage, the RayZR doesn’t feel as spirited as the Maestro Edge 125 FI. Mind you, the Hero is still BS4 compliant and not BS6 so we’ll have to wait and watch. The power is at par with the only other BS6 scooter on sale — the Activa 125 at 8bhp while the torque is lesser at 9.7Nm. We couldn’t VBOX test the scooter for obvious reasons but the performance seemed adequate till 60kmph which is going be the speed on daily commutes anyway.

The ride and handling setup, like all Yamahas, seemed to be spot on with not overtly cushy ride like on the Activa 125 or stiff as the SR 125 either. The lighter frame and components make it agile as aforementioned and it should be a fun activity to ride the scooters in traffic.

Last but not the least; the RayZR, like always, gets an extremely busy design. However, the Street Rally with its knobbies and knuckle protector looks extremely cool and desirable. We expect this variant to be the most popular among the new RayZR range.

Yamaha hasn’t announced the prices of the RayZR 125 BS6 lineup as of yet. Expect the prices be in the vicinity of 75-80000 rupees.

Can the Fascino 125 FI replace a Vespa?

At least the design elements suggest so. I even found it to resemble the soon to be launched Chetak. Unlike the RayZR, the Fascino 125 FI gets very understated and retro-ish elements which would appeal to the fairer sex. The smooth and curvy lines lend it an air of elegance unlike the on-your-face RayZR.

The Fascino gets the same engine and chassis which means it’s exactly same as the RayZR to ride. However, the seat has more cushioning which makes it more comfortable.

We rode the RayZR 125 FI’s disc equipped version while the Fascino 125 FI came with drums at both ends. Braking on both scooters is exceptional and the unified braking system worked really well, bringing them to a halt without causing any dramas whatsoever.

Yamaha has given out the prices of the Fascino 125 FI and the range starts at Rs 66,430 with the top of the line DLX variant with metallic paint and front disc setup costing Rs 69,930. This is exceptional value and we expect the Fascino to do really well; putting Yamaha up there in the burgeoning 125cc scooter segment.