YAMAHA YS125 (2017 - on) Review

The Yamaha YS125 is basic, but that’s its role in life and for a budget price you get a Yamaha-branded motorcycle that does all that is require of it. 

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The YS125 replaced YBR 125 as Yamaha's dependable plodder in 2017. The YB R125 has always fulfilled an important role. Consistently a bestseller with more than 150,000 taking to Europe’s streets, it offered basic riding with a recognised brand name to budget-conscious riders.

In creating the YS125, Yamaha treated the YBR to a major overhaul, to not only make it Euro4-compliant, but also give it a sportier look.

At the end of the day the YS125 is what the YBR 125 always was – a basic, no-frills, commuter that will run and run come rain or shine.

In town the YS125 makes perfect sense. At just 129kg, it is light, really agile and surprisingly good when it comes to flying around roundabouts.

The chassis and suspension are largely unaltered. Pleasingly for commuters, Yamaha have increased the tank’s capacity by a litre, improved comfort levels through a more relaxed riding position with a taller 795mm seat height and added a new braking system.

Euro4 regs require 125s to either have ABS or a linked brake system and, like most other budget bikes, Yamaha have opted for the latter. Called Unified Braking System (UBS), a cable connected to the rear brake’s foot pedal pulls on the front master cylinder, activating both brakes when you put pressure on the rear, while the front lever remains independent.

Is it better than ABS? Certainly not, and to use it is a bit odd at first as you can feel the front brake lever’s pressure change when you apply the rear, but the single-piston front caliper and drum rear are unlikely to lock the wheels anyway, so in practice its performance is fine.

Beneath the YS125’s sharper styling, which consists of a new light and bodywork, lurks what is effectively a tweaked YBR125. The engine is essentially the same SOHC two-valve air-cooled four-stroke, just with a new cylinder running a longer stroke and smaller bore with a redesigned head on top.

In town the engine is perfectly acceptable, but on a dual carriageway the YS125 feels so slow. You are basically limited to 60mph and unless you get a tow from a passing lorry 70mph is the stuff of dreams. The five-speed motor is a slug but Yamaha claim over 100mpg, giving a tank range of over 300 miles!

The YBR125’s motor is basically indestructible and the YS125 should be similarly robust. The finish appears god, but again, this is a bike built to a price so you can’t expect too much. Overall it has less of a feeling of being a disposable product that you can get on cheap Chinese bikes, but it’s not brilliant.

Priced at £2872 the YS is only £200 more than the YBR 125 was and that’s good value for a machine from a recognised Japanese brand. There are cheaper bikes out there, but it is worth paying a few quid more for the peace of mind that comes with owning a bike with a big name brand’s name on its tank. 

At £2872 the YS125 is only £200 more than the YBR 125 it replaces. Like its budget rivals it is also built in China, but the fact it has Yamaha on its tank not only helps resale values, but also adds a degree of trust as you know the spares and warranty back-up make it feel less of a disposable product. 

Small and dependable 125s like the YS125 aren’t as commonplace as they once were, with many manufacturers targeting young riders with sportier, monoshock nakeds. But there are still options available for those more practically-minded and thrifty among us.

For 2021, Honda updated their CB125F, giving it a facelift and putting it on a diet in the process. The new bike has claimed tank range of 497 miles as a result of the work.

There are lots of stylish 125 options imported from China these days that look much cooler than the YS and won’t break the bank either. Consider the Bullit Hero 125 (£2495) which uses a copy of a  Suzuki GN125 engine in a chic retro scrambler package, for example.

If economical city commuting is your game, you might even consider an electric alternative like the Super Soco TC Max (£4249). The outlay is a little more but then you can enjoy a claimed 1p per mile cost of motoring, and feel warm and fuzzy about polar bears at the same time.

You can’t expect much on a bike costing this little. It is a shame the YS125 doesn’t have ABS, but in all honesty it doesn’t really demand it and the UBS is acceptable in its performance. The fact the dash has a fuel gauge is a pleasant bonus and the shocks have adjustable spring preload, which is nice. It’s built to a price point.