Yamaha’s triple joy for commuters

Japanese bike maker Yamaha recently launched three new bikes for the mass Indian market priced between Rs 47,000 and Rs 52,000. The three motorcycles named SZ, SZ-X and YBR 125 have 123cc and 153cc engines, and mark the companies first step to reach out to the middle-class India.

“We were lagging behind in this segment and there have been issues regarding mileage with our bikes. But here we are offering bikes that can give an average of 71.4 km per litre(YBR-125) and 62.6 km per litre(SZ series),” Yukimine Tsuji, chief executive, Yamaha Motor India said.

Point noted, the company’s previous offerings — Alba and the Gladiator — struggled to make a mark in the segment, and despite Yamaha’s efforts, commuters preferred the Hero Honda Splendor. The biggest drawback for Yamaha bikes were low mileage, and then the lacklustre designing.

Yamaha churns out around 50 million units every year, of which 10 million are sold in India, and the automaker sees the three bikes as the “game changers” in volume segment.

“India is the most important market for us and we realised we need to address the segment who commute everyday for their work and are looking for a vehicle that has comfortable seating and excellent mileage,” Tsuji said.

The SZ and SZ-X, it says, have been designed keeping performance and styling in mind and targets young bikers, looking for “something extra”. The YBR 125, on the other hand, Yamaha says, has been designed for daily commuting, keeping executive segment customers who want a commuter bike which also offers a comfortable ride.

But how attractive will these new offerings be remains to be seen, especially when the YBR looks at lot similar to the “failed” Alba motorcycle, and the SZ borrows its headlamps from the FZ-S. Their only standing ground will be the mileage, and how well the swing arm suspension and the drum brakes perform on the bumpy Indian roads.