Yamaha Mio i 125

Overview

Automatic scooters in the Philippines market have always been a success. And with this popularity to play with, Yamaha has managed to dig deep into the segment with quite a few options. Despite facing a fierce competition from Honda, Yamaha just managed to pull things around, especially with the help of campaigns like “We Are Mio”, a programme designed to promote Mio, the best-selling automatic scooter in the country.

Yamaha has always managed to raise the bar of performance in the motoring world a notch higher and the Mio i 125 is just a classic example of the same. It is a perfect combination of an ideally tuned performance and best-in-class fuel efficiency.

Design

The Yamaha Mio i 125 is designed on a very slim and compact frame to keep the weight to a bare minimum. The body is extremely well-crafted and sculpted at all ends. The stylishly shaped headlamp and turn indicators on the adjacent sides look amazing, especially with the base of a high front wheel guard. Moreover, the "MIO" graphics on the front makes things even more interesting.

The instrument console is extremely informative and attractive at the same time. Despite being a complete analogue panel with a speedometer, the illumination is quite on the eye-catchy side. It also has an Eco Indicator, that lights up to let the rider know whenever the speed and driving condition are optimum for the highest efficiency.

The seat is well contoured and cushioned and is comfortable for both the rider as well as the pillion. Added to that, the rear grab rail is an M-shaped bar unit which is one-of-a-kind and exudes style.

Ride & Handling

The Yamaha Mio i 125 is known for its smooth ride quality. Every bit of the components is designed to provide optimum comfort and favourable riding experience. As for the ignition system, the rider gets both kick as well as electric start systems.

This, paired with a smooth engine and transmission, makes for the perfect feedback for the rider. Plus, there is ample legroom for the rider in front. The seat height of 750 mm makes it suitable for people of any height. Even female riders wouldn’t have any problem riding it as the overall kerb weight (including a full fuel tank and engine oil) is just around 92 kilograms.

Bumpy or bad roads aren’t very difficult to manage for the two-wheeler as it has a pretty good suspension setup. The telescopic front fork and the swingarm at the rear make for smooth absorption of uneven roads.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

The Yamaha Mio i 125 has a very lively engine working under the hood. The 125-cc single-cylinder engine (with two-valves) is capable of making 9.5 PS of top power at 8,000 rpm along with a maximum torque of 9.5 Nm, which comes at 5,500 rpm. Power is sent down to the wheel via a V-Belt automatic unit.

The forced-air cooling system offers an optimum performance of the engine even on long rides, besides keeping its temperature down by a good margin. Moreover, the fuel injection system makes for a better fuel economy.

Braking & Safety

Considering that the Yamaha Mio is a 125-cc scooter, it has a single disc brake for the front wheel. However, the rear has a drum brake, which might increase the stopping distance a bit if you are going at a high speed.

However, the 14-inch wheels with 80- and 90-section tyres for the front and rear respectively, add more stability and keeps the vehicle firmly planted to the ground.

Verdict

The Yamaha Mio i 125 is a super refined automatic scooter and truly deserves the kind of response it gets from the customers. It is a direct competitor to the Honda Click 125i and is placed above the 110 cc Honda BeAT.

However, even as you consider the Honda Click to have a higher power production with the same displacement engine, it is equally important to take into account that the Yamaha Mio is around PHP5,000 more affordable, lighter in weight and has a lower seat height, all of which make it very versatile.