We spent some time with the latest iteration of the Yamaha Fascino 125 which has been given a more elegant look and upgraded with a BS6-compliant, 125-cc engine.
Story: Azaman Chothia
Photography: Apurva Ambep
The Yamaha Fascino was first launched in May 2015 and since then this scooter has become quite a popular offering in the Indian market. Originally, the scooter used a 113-cc motor and was designed to appeal to those looking for a retro-styled scooter. For 2020, Yamaha have upgraded their scooter line-up, including the RayZR, RayZR Street Rally, and the Fascino, with a BS6-compliant, 125-cc engine along with a few more changes. Let us take a look at what the Fascino 125 has to offer.
In terms of design, the Yamaha Fascino has been updated with a curvier design and a bunch of new colour options. Overall, this has given the Fascino quite a premium look with good levels of fit and finish. We received the Fascino 125 sporting a “Vivid Red” colour scheme that managed to catch a lot of attention on the street because of the new styling. Apart from the metal front fender, the bodywork is mostly plastic and highlighting the paint scheme is a small bit of chrome finishing around the headlight, front indicators, and side-panels. The dashboard gets a simple layout with an analogue speedometer and fuel-gauge.
The rear is unique with a V-shaped tail-light and the bodywork tapering towards the bottom. This reminded me of some custom bodywork jobs done on chopper motorcycles. The only flaw in this design is that a driver/rider behind will not be able to clearly see the scooter’s number-plate, depending on which angle they look at it from. The scooter is offered with the option of either a drum brake or a disc brake set-up at the front, where the bright red and yellow colour schemes which make the scooter really stand out are available with the disc brake variant only. This refreshed design will surely appeal to those looking for an elegant and classy scooter. The first thing I appreciated upon getting astride the Fascino was its convenient and relaxed riding position. Shorter riders will not have to move towards the front of the seat to get their legs down completely at stops.
Like the new RayZR models, the engine in the Fascino has been upped from 113 cc to 125 cc and is now a fuel-injected unit. It is now capable of a power output of 8.2 hp at 6,500 rpm and a peak torque of 9.7 Nm at 5,000 rpm. In comparison, the older model used to put out 7.1 hp at 7,500 rpm and a peak torque of 8.1 Nm at 5,000 rpm. Yamaha have eliminated the use of an electric starter and instead introduced a Smart Motor Generator (SMG) to give the scooter a quiet start when fired up. Another feature it gets is the idle start/stop system which does the job really well at stop lights and gets off the line quickly with a slight twist of the throttle.
The Fascino has a kerb-weight of 99 kilograms, thus making it a lightweight machine just like the RayZR models, but it does not feel as nimble as them. This has resulted in the scooter feeling more planted and secure on the ground. When it comes to tackling a corner, a rider will have to use a little bit of their body weight to accurately steer the scooter. Overall, this is quite a stable machine and makes for quite a peppy ride around town.
Our test run indicated that a speed of 20 km/h is achieved from standstill in 1.60 seconds and the run to 40 km/h is achieved in 4.10 seconds, giving it ample power to cruise around town and easy overtakes in city traffic. After 50 km/h, the scooter takes a while to crawl up to 95 km/h, which is the indicated top speed that we were able to achieve while testing. With this new engine, Yamaha also claim an improved fuel efficiency of 16 per cent as compared to the earlier model.
The scooter uses a telescopic fork at the front and a single shock-absorber at the rear. This set-up allows the Fascino to take on our roads in a very stable and comfortable manner while eliminating any vibrations a rider might feel while tackling bad sections of roads. In the variant we tested, braking duties were handled by a disc brake at the front and a drum brake at the rear with UBS (unified braking system). The brakes have good bite and bring the Fascino to a halt in an instant manner. Even under hard braking, there is no misbehaviour on the part of the scooter and this is also thanks to the Maxxis tyres it has been equipped with. In our braking test from 60 km/h to a standstill, the scooter required a distance of 20.27 metres and a time of 2.28 seconds, while braking from 80 km/h to a standstill was achieved in 30.49 metres and 2.98 seconds.
The disc brake variant of the scooter is priced at Rs 71,230 (ex-showroom) and the drum brake variant at Rs 68,730 (ex-showroom). This is a justifiable price for a 125-cc scooter that offers an elegant look, premium feel, reliability, and the joy of cruising around town with a smooth and refined engine. There are pretty much all of the basic features on the Fascino but a rider will have to pay an additional amount for certain accessories, including a USB charger in the under-seat storage space. This scooter will be a great alternative to the likes of the Vespa which costs more than Rs 1 lakh.
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