BIKE REVIEW: YAMAHA XT125
At the Risk of sounding like an advert or worse, a charlatan biking expert (which I am definitely not), I absolutely love the Yamaha XT125R – it is brilliant. I’ve had the bike a while now and am well and truly chewing up the miles. And whilst I’m still learning with every minute I spend riding, I’m also getting more enjoyment from the road as I discover the XT’s capabilities.
As per my previous blog, I chose the XT because of its ‘off-road’ characteristics. In truth, it’s more a road-bike with ‘off-road’ styling but it is this styling makes the little Yam a bundle of laughs to ride.
For a start, the oversized wheels give it ample grip over the tarmac, making turning (and the consequent lean) both pleasurable and rewarding.
The single cylinder 4-stroke block also gives enough grunt to keep up with the demands of most roads (bar the fastest ones) and its lightweight and abundant manoeuvrability also means it comes into its element in town traffic.
Yamaha designed the XT to give off the appearance of a bigger bike and it is these big bike features that make the XT more akin to its bulkier cousins than an average twist’n’go starter machine. For example, the high ride height and absorbing suspension means the dismal potholes that have plagued our roads since last winter are virtually non-existent. Likewise this goes for the increasing number of speed-humps that, as far as I’m concerned when I’m driving my car, are Beelzebub himself!
Furthermore, for a ‘basic’ bike, the XT’s digital dashboard has enough gizmos to keep even my Dad entertained - including the likes of a lap timer (to time my trips to the supermarket and back) and an average speed recording. As well as this it has a rev-counter which I’m told not all bikes have – even the big boys’ toys.
I’m also starting to discover the joys of riding; the other day I decided to take a book back to the library as my girlfriend had taken it out on my card and as usual, the fines were mounting. It was a Saturday afternoon and the shoppers were flocking to the town centre in their thousands – so much so that the traffic tailed back 3 miles from the centre’s main car park.
On a bike, this traffic didn’t exist - I simply filtered through in minutes. What's more, if I’d have driven I would of parked, paid the meter 30 pieces of silver for the privilege and then would still have had to walk the rest of the way to the library on the other side of town. The round trip would have been no less than an hour – and that’s being generous. Instead, I propped the XT up right outside the library and was back on its saddle a mere moment later – passing the same cars still queuing towards town.
I also beat the tailback of outgoing traffic from shoppers that had already given up and turned for home. Content with the knowledge that I would be parked in my driveway before most of these cars had even passed John Lewis I actually laughed out loud, inside my helmet of course.
I’m starting to really love this biking malarkey, and the XT for that matter too.
