As an avid biker and owner of several bikes from different manufacturers, my first impression was why are we so excited about a 125CC bike, but for a Pakistani market dominated by bikes which look like box cutters this might be as big of breakthrough as Bajaj Pulsar for the Indian market. I sure hope so.
useless bike, I ride it twice, it is not near Honda 125 in performance, its just a good look
And that is the mindset that keeps a model over 40 years old still in production.
well can't defeat 125s legacy
So let us use the same old ugly design which havent been changed for decades going for another few because of legacy.
Performance:
Its really hard to compare the performance of both these bikes. Both have good acceleration and top speed but if you compare the performance of Ybr-125 and CG-125 on High Octance, Ybr-125 takes the lead plus there’s a difference in technology in both as well.
What exactly you meant by performance? 0-100 km/h in how many seconds? What is the actual top speed? What exact technology difference are you talking about?
Is the bike a 2 stroke or 4 stroke? What are KWa/BHP on this bike? Fuel Injection? Breaking options?
Comfort:
Even a very short test ride of Ybr-125 was enough to convince me of its comfort. The comfortable seat and good quality shocks makes its ride more smooth than the CG-125.
What exact was the shock configuration?
Sound:
The only disappointment in the Ybr-125 to some extent was its sound. Its dynamic look does not cater its sound from any aspect. On the other hand, CG-125 has a more lively and energetic sound even though it has aged now and the vibrations and loud exhaust is unable to match the speeds and we’ve met quite many people who moved in favor of Suzuki 150 and now, they’ll move to YBR-125.
Exhaust note can always be improved, there should be several after market options available. I do agree with one thing that 125 does have a very unique sound for a single cylinder, but sound is one of the last things when buying a bike.
Look:
The Ybr-125 looks like a 150cc or 200cc bike. It has more dynamic looks and impression. If you just change the original tires with wider ones and get it slightly modified, it will look like a heavy bike. Whereas, the CG-125 does not give that impression of heavy bike even after loads of modification. To be fair, Honda CG125 is 39 years (1976-present) old design still kept in play so obviously, it struggles against the YBR-125.
A 125 CC bike made to look like a 250, is simply not possible. Mind you this is a completely naked bike with engine visible all the time, how can you confuse that small motor for a 250 or higher capacity?
Putting a bigger tyre is no solution, not only will it make the acceleration slower but will alter the handling characteristics drastically. Its not a smart decision to make the bike look faster when it can't go very fast.
Fuel Economy:
Fuel economy of Ybr-125 is very impressive. Before its first tune up on 1000 km, it gave me 55 km/liter on hi-octane and 40 km/liter on supreme. After its first tune up it is giving me 48 km/liter on supreme and 60 km/liter on high octane. In short, CG-125 is not as fuel efficient as Ybr-125 and never has been.
Putting Hi-octane in such a low compression engine yields such drastic consumption differences is strange. An octane with a higher number in such low compression engine won't result in any performance gains.
Omar, your comparison does not hold up to an objective analysis, statements are being thrown left and right which does not add up.
Why does Honda and Yamaha still launches these old models?
I mean they have moved on to sporty looking bikes in India many years back.
So why not same in Pakistan?
Lack of demand ? or cost issue? what exactly ??
Because these manufacturers have no interest in innovation, the indifference displayed by the government towards the automotive sector further makes the lives of Pakistanis miserable.
Two versions? The red one seems to be an attempt at "tracker".
Why NO. Pakistani manufacturers are pushing sub-standard obsolete designs and by the looks of it they will gladly do the same for next 100 years. On the other hand Indian manufacturers are more focused towards innovation, such as Bajaj. The profit mafias in automotive sector operating in Pakistan will continue to sell such sub-standard products to us.
This is still low end. The Japanese are wreaking serious profit from the Pakistani market due to their dominance and not providing nicer, more upgraded bikes. As the economy gets better, more companies will enter Pakistan and Japan will be forced to show up with good models like 450's, 500's and 600's. But the economy has to grow steadily so people can afford them. Same for cars. But in cars, the Japanese are just fooling Pakistani public. Charging the same for a car like what you pay in the US. But minus 80% of the advanced features we get in the US. So they make a ton more due to their dominance.
Agreed 100%, its ironic that Pakistanis are getting excited for such a low capacity bike but I hope that this might break the monopoly of these local-japanese assembler mafia. These extortionists can depend on the inept GOP with no clear automotive policy to help them make more and more profits.
