Dawn of a New Yamaha Ray

Introduction

Yamaha has finally jumped into the growing scooter market with the Ray, targeted at young working women and students. Here is our fi rst impression.

I am over 30, not all that pretty, and I, certainly don’t have a fetish for pink soft toys lining my bed. Clearly then, the scooter I am riding, isn’t targeted at me. It’s here to give 18- year-old pretty girls wings. Therefore, it’s light and has a low seat height, says its maker.

But, surprisingly, the Yamaha Ray doesn’t feel very girly to ride, or to look at for that matter, if one were to overlook the colour scheme. Actually, it’s a sharp looking scooter with youthfulness dripping from it. The front resembles the Honda Dio to a great degree, but that’s not such a bad thing. It’s also not small like the TVS Scooty; in fact, its length (1835mm) and wheelbase (1,270mm) are one of the longest among scooters in India, including some 125cc offerings.

The Ray, though, displaces 113cc. It's an undersquare engine coupled to a CVT and makes max power of just over 7bhp. The peak torque is rated at 8Nm and both these output fi gures are at par with other scooters in the category.

The Drive

Once astride, the Ray’s narrow and low seating becomes obvious. So much so, that for my size it actually feels a bit cramped. The fl oor board is pretty narrow too. Get it off the stand and the Ray’s lack of weight becomes clear too.

On the move, the Ray is tremendously flickable. One can drop it left or right with utmost ease and confidence which should make it a superb ride for filtering through traffi c. The braking again impresses; the 130mm drums at both ends and the grippy tyres bite into the tarmac with ferocity. The only issue is the brake feel, which the optional front disc would easily take care of.

As far as the powertrain goes, the 113cc engine is smooth and the CVT works without hassle. But, given the Ray’s light weight and 7bhp of max power, we expected the scooter to be peppier, at least the initial pickup. It’s not slow, but it can’t hold a candle to the likes of the Suzuki Swish either.

Verdict

At Rs 46,000, the Ray is priced well. It should appeal to young working women given how easy it’s to ride, thanks mainly to its light weight and narrow width. It’s also well put together, though the plastic bits in a few places could have been of better quality. The design is crisp and clean, but it isn’t a product that can be tagged as a game changer since it doesn’t bring anything new or outstanding.