RAYZ of hope

Yamaha has tried its best to capitalise on the BS6 disruption with a new range of 125cc scooters that get a new motor with fuel injection and a lightweight approach that makes them the lightest in the class. We swing a leg over to see if this is a revelation or just the beginning

- Dipayan Dutta

In the same way that BS6 has been the great disruptor to the automotive sector, it has also been an unintentional equaliser. Both, those with a strong product in a segment and those looking to crack it, would have to start from what is essentially square one in the product cycle following the implementation of the new norms. Yamaha, who’ve been trying for a while now with patchy success at cracking the burgeoning Indian scooter market, has certainly been able to capitalise on the disruption with these two heavily updated 125ccs targeted squarely at the youth, the Yamaha Ray ZR and the Yamaha Ray ZR Street Rally. Like the Fascino, the Ray ZR has grown in terms of displacement but perhaps most importantly is based on Yamaha’s new scooter framework, but we’ll get to why a bit later.

This new generation of Yamaha scooters seem to have doubled down on the styling of their 110cc predecessors, each detail is now more prominent. The front fascia is divided into three sections, with a combination of gloss and matte panels, flanked by two faux air-vents that add to the scooter width and therein its presence. The Ray ZR’s second big eye grab is the small windscreen on the front that houses an LED DRL. The busy front end is not to everyone’s taste but it is undoubtedly an eye-grabber, and in the case of the Ray ZR’s key demographic, that is what matters. The rear section is relatively more sedate. The upward swept panel near the tail-lamp adds to the sporty appeal.