Yamaha YZF-R 125

The R-series start here

With its R-series styling, sporty performance and handling, the YZF-R125 is the perfect introduction to supersport riding.

Its liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 4-valve, single cylinder, SOHC engine is tuned to deliver free-revving performance. Like all R-series bikes, it features a lightweight Deltabox frame; linked to a cast aluminium swinging-arm it gives the R125 class-leading handling.

Lightweight 5-spoke wheels help to minimise unsprung weight to give impressive roadholding, while effective stopping power comes from a large diameter 292mm front disc and 230mm diameter rear disc.

YZF-R125 - Inspired by genius

The YZF-R125 is the most advanced 125 production supersport machine that Yamaha has ever built. This radical, high-revving, fuel-injected 125 is the work of the same engineers who created our legendary YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 supersport bikes. And, as you’d expect, the YZF-R125 is packed with advanced MotoGP technology as well as a whole range of R-series type engine and chassis features. Its liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, 4-valve, single cylinder, SOHC engine is tuned to deliver free-revving performance right through to maximum power at 9,000rpm – and for instant response and efficient operation this remarkable 6-speed 125 is equipped with a compact fuel injection system. The race-inspired chassis features a Deltabox frame and aluminium swinging arm for outstanding handling performance, and lightweight 5-spoke wheels help to minimize unsprung weight to give impressive roadholding. A large diameter 292mm front disc with a 230mm diameter rear disc make for effective stopping power, and the aggressive R-series bodywork lets everybody know exactly where this bike’s DNA has come from!

• Inspired by genius

• R-series engine and chassis technology

• 6-speed gearbox

• Aluminium swinging arm

• Midship muffler

Review

Following the launch of the 2009 "big bang" R1, Yamaha has come up with a bike aimed squarely at every schoolboy who has a poster of its litre-class flagship plastered on his bedroom wall – the R15 (say it Are One-Five), a 149

.8cc single with all the edgy looks and lot of the technology that has put its big brother at the forefront of the Superbike wars.

It has a nickel-silicon plated barrel in place of an iron liner, a forged piston, a four-valve cylinder head, liquid cooling and electronic fuel-injection. The induction system uses only four sensors and a small 26-pin ECU to control a compact fuel pump and a six-hole injector, making it one of the most compact spritzer set-ups on the market.

Yamaha quotes 12.5kW at 8500rpm and 15Nm at 7500 for this hard-revving little single, all of which reaches the rear wheel through a wet clutch, six-speed gearbox and chain final drive. Top speed, it says, is about 140km/h (with a 60kg rider – don't expect a beefy SA schoolboy to get anywhere near that) and fuel consumption is quoted as 2  .8 liters /100km – although the same caveat applies.

The frame geometry follows Yamaha's proven Deltabox layout (although in steel rather than the more expensive machines' CF-cast alloy) and the engine has one top and two rear rigid mounts, making it a stressed member and adding materially to the rigidity of the chassis.

Front suspension is by conventional cartridge forks but the rear wheel boasts a rising-rate linkage (unusual at this level), which makes it possible to carry a passenger without bottoming the suspension on every ripple, while braking is by disc on each wheel.

The R15, says Yamaha, was styled in the same studio as the R1 and R6. It's not a scaled down version of these class-leading sportsters but carries a lot of the same DNA in the upper fairing and tank areas.

The centre section of the body, by contrast, was designed primarily to optimise air-flow through the compact aluminium radiator and styled afterwards to provide the bike with more presence on the road than most single-cylinder commuters.

In profile a strong straight line running from steering head to rear axle and the vertical surfaces of the side panels and fuel tank combine to throw the visual emphasis on to the front wheel, just as with Yamaha's M1 MotoGP machine.

Source Motoring.co.za