Kymco Yager 125

By Kevin Ash

Pictures: Kevin Ash

Click on image for galleryFor anyone confused by the plethora of scooter brands there’s a basic rule to keep you out of trouble: buy Italian or buy Japanese and you’re on pretty safe ground in terms of reliability, spares, dealer support and so on. In addition there’s Peugeot, Sym or Kymco, and that’s it. Kymco has always impressed in the last few years for its combination of solidity with very keen prices, although it was generally a step behind the Japanese in terms of outright quality and design.

The new Yager 125 though shows how much the Taiwanese factory has improved even in the last five years. It’s an exceptionally good looking machine, far better suited to European tastes than the company’s previous overtly Oriental designs with its clean, angular lines and overall visual balance, but it’s also considerably better put together than before. That shows partly in the lack of rattles or squeaks, the decent panel fit and the general feel that it’s not going to fall to pieces after a few miles, but also in the sorts of things the Italians and Japanese do well, such as matching the colours of components made of different materials, for example the transmission casing and the kickstart lever; and by using mirrors which don’t distort the image at their edges or flop loose as soon as a fly hits them.

The sense of integrity is sustained during the ride, as the engine is strong and smooth while the automatic transmission picks up cleanly and progressively, making the Yager both easy and pleasurable to ride. Comfort’s not bad, helped by suspension which displays good damping rather than the old Kymco bounciness on bumpy surfaces, and the brakes are effective too, where on many scooters there’s little power or feel. Kymco claims an optimistic top speed of 70mph but realistically it’s a little over 60mph, enough for the occasional dual carriageway excursion but no more than that, and not as quick as Piaggio’s excellent X7 125. Around town however the Yager works well: it’s light and manoeuvrable and ideal for a typical urban commute, though the underseat storage is enough only for a helmet or light wet weather gear, so you’ll need an additional box for a briefcase or similar. No economy figures are claimed as inexcusably the motorcycle industry still hasn’t come up with any testing standards, but expect around 85 to 90mpg: scooters tend to use more fuel than equivalent motorcycles as the transmissions are less efficient.

Despite the quality improvements Kymco has still managed to keep its prices down – the Yager is usefully cheaper than all its main rivals, and that’s pretty much the only way it’s any less than them.

Other Scooters

• Gilera GP800
• Lambretta LN125
• Vespa LX125
• Honda SH125i
• Peugeot Satelis 500
• Kymco Yager 125
• Vespa 300 GTS
• Honda DN-01