Breaking: Yamaha’s RayZR Is Also A Hybrid Now

Three months after showcasing its range of mild-hybrid scooters, the Yamaha RayZR 125 Hybrid and the Street Rally 125 Hybrid finally join the Fascino 125 Hybrid. The two new scooters are the Japanese manufacturer's youth-centric scooters.

What's The Price? Who Are Its Rivals?

The Yamaha RayZR 125 has been priced at Rs 76,830 for the drum variant while the disc variant asks for an additional Rs 3,000. Compared to the outgoing variants, the price has shot up by Rs 3,500. The Street Rally 125 Hybrid, on the other hand, demands a premium of Rs 6,500 over the older model and is now priced at Rs 83,830. All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi.

The Yamaha RayZR 125 twins compete with the 125cc scooters from other brands like the TVS NTorq 125, Aprilia SR 125, Aprilia Storm 125 and the Suzuki Burgman Street 125.

How Many Variants Are There?

The Yamaha RayZR 125 Hybrid is available in disc and drum brake variants, available in six and two colours respectively. Meanwhile the Street Rally is offered only in disc variant with two colour options to choose from.

What's New?

The highlight of the new RayZR 125 and the Street Rally 125 is the new mild-hybrid powertrain adapted by Yamaha for its 125cc scooter range. While Yamaha claims that the scooter will have better off the line acceleration, thanks to the 125cc fuel-injected engine working in tandem with the Smart Motor Generator, our experience with the Fascino 125 was rather contradictory. To know how the system works in real-life situations, read our exclusive road test review of the Yamaha Fascino 125 Hybrid.

With the mild-hybrid tech, the motor now produces 8.2PS at 6500rpm and 10.3Nm at 5000rpm. Just like with the Fascino, there is no change in power but the torque has gone up from 9.7Nm.

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Another major change in the Yamaha RayZR 125 and the Street Rally 125 is the new digital instrument console which now comes with the Yamaha Motorcycle Connect X app that packs features like answer back, parking location and more.

Both the scooters now also get a new LED headlight, replacing the halogen unit, except for the drum brake variant of the RayZR. Interestingly, in spite of all the changes, the scooters continue to hold the title of being the lightest in the class with a kerb weight of 99kg, same as the non-hybrid and soon-to-be-discontinued model.

What's Unchanged?

While Yamaha has replaced the halogen headlight for the top variants, both the scooters continue to get halogen tail light and indicators. The bikemaker hasn’t tinkered with the underpinnings either, and it continues to use a telescopic fork and monoshock setup. Features like side-stand engine cut-off and silent starter are carried over too.

On the styling front too, nothing has changed for both the scooters. Yamaha has continued with its edgy, futuristic design for the RayZR 125 Hybrid and the Street Rally 125.

What Should Have Been Changed?

The micro-hybrid and the bluetooth connectivity are a welcome change, but the Yamaha RayZR 125 and the Street Rally 125 still lack basic features like a brake lock clamp. Even the digital instrument console feels a bit dated, and misses out on information like average fuel consumption or a clock. Another bit that the new models miss out is USB charging or even an underseat light. The former, however, is part of the accessories catalog.

 ZigSays

We have extensively tested the outgoing model of the RayZR 125 and it was the most fuel-efficient BS6 scooter we have tested. If the fuel-efficiency figures of the Yamaha Fascino 125 Hybrid are anything to go by, the RayZR 125 Hybrid and the Street Rally 125 Hybrid are likely to be more fuel-efficient than before.

When it comes to pricing, Yamaha’s decision is slightly questionable. While the Fascino Hybrid’s price didn’t witness any major change in pricing (in fact the drum variant was cheaper), these new scooters have witnessed a decent hike. Especially the Street Rally 125, which now ventures into the ballpark of the more powerful TVS NTorq 125 Race XP. However, the TVS scooter has a lot more to offer than the Yamaha.