 Review of the Yamaha Zuma 125
September, 2011
If you live in a college town (and scooter use isn't
strictly limited to moped-legal machines) take a look at where the scooters
are parked. Odds are pretty good that you'll see a bunch of them with two large
headlights up front and a Yamaha logo. The Yamaha Zuma came out in 1989 as a
50cc 2-stroke and it rapidly became the "performance 50" of choice. Because the
Zuma was a good quality scooter to begin with, they tended to hold up well to
performance add-ons and modifications. Yamaha stopped bringing the Zuma 50 here
for a couple of years (2006-2007) and the new Zuma 50 is
emission-friendly, but lacks the performance of the old model. Yamaha kept the
Zuma name going with a 125cc 4-stroke model. The fat tires, dual headlights and
rugged looks continue in this model.
The model reviewed here is a Chinese-manufactured 2009 with
4,000 miles on it. It's well and truly broken in and in very good condition. It
does have additional accessories in the form of a windshield and rear luggage
rack. The stock scooter comes with a grab rail in back, but no rack.
Speedometer Reading/Speed/Fuel
Economy
 It
was very easy to mount my GPS holder on the Zuma 125 as it has an exposed (naked)
handlebar. The first day I had the Zuma it was quite blustery with a few strong
wind gusts. I focused on lower speed readings for that day. To get an accurate
reading, it's necessary to hold the scooter at a consistent speed long enough
for the GPS to get multiple signals. At 30 MPH indicated, the GPS was reading 28
or 29 MPH. When the winds died down and I could hold higher speeds I got
readings that indicated the speedometer was about 5% optimistic. At 50 MPH
indicated, the actual speed is 47 - 48 MPH. The odometer was VERY accurate
showing JUST over 10 miles (the tenths hadn't quite rolled over to .1) in
10 miles of actual riding. These are good numbers as most scooters read 10% to
15% optimistic with some models approaching 20% optimistic. The most I could get
out of the Zuma 125 was a GPS verified 54 MPH. Keep in mind that I weigh 220
pounds. Fuel economy overall was 75 MPG. Yamaha claims up to 89 MPG. Again, I'm
not a small load and I was running the scooter pretty hard. In normal city
riding with an average (160 pound) rider I would expect 80ish MPG. Good, but
not great for a fuel injected 125.
Features
The Yamaha Zuma 125 was all new in 2009. It has the same tough, off-road sort of
look as the Zuma 50. Exposed steel frame tubing, fat tires, those big
headlights, brush-deflectors by the handgrips, all contribute to a
non-traditional scooter look. This is about as far away from the
Vespa-influenced retro look as one can get in a scooter (except, maybe, for
the Honda Ruckus). The Zuma is powered by a 124cc 4-stroke engine that is
air-cooled, has a 4-valve head and 10:1 compression as well as ceramic-composite
cylinder plating. On top of all that, it's fuel injected.
 For
comparison, I selected the Honda Elite 110 which is also fuel injected and the
Paiggio Typhoon which is chasing a demographic similar to the Zuma, but is
carbureted. The Zuma is the priciest of the bunch. We recently reviewed the
Honda Elite 110 and hope to have a chance to spend
some time with the re-designed Piaggio Typhoon in the near future. I did not
include the Genuine Buddy 125 in this
comparison because I believe that scooter is intended for a different market
than the Zuma 125.
 The
twin headlights are one of the most distinctive features of the Yamaha Zuma 125.
The right side light is the high beam and the left side is the low beam. In
stock form, there is no switch
position that allows both to be lit up simultaneously, but if the aftermarket on
the Zuma 50 is any indication, a simple wiring harness modification will likely
make dual-at-the-same-time possible, if it isn't out there already. The
instrument pod is small but includes a speedometer in the center that is biased
to miles per hour, and an odometer but no trip meter. To the right is a fuel
gauge. To the left is an engine warning light, turn signal indicator and high
beam indicator. The engine light comes on during start-up, which is normal.
 The
ignition/multi-function switch includes an anti-theft security cover which is
released by the key. The key is hinged making it easier to open the security
cover. The
switch also opens the seat and locks the front end. The front end lock and
switch cover are nice additional security measures, but you are still better off
to secure your scooter to a fixed object with a good quality lock. The 1.6
gallon fuel tank is accessed by a filler at the front tip of the seat. The gas
cap is opened with the key and at a bit of an odd angle for filling. I had to be
careful
not to overflow the filler because the fill neck is cantered forward and very
difficult to get to with a conventional fuel pump nozzle.
As mentioned earlier, the stock Zuma 125 comes with a grab rail in the back but
no luggage rack. A nice Yamaha rack was added to the test unit and it looks
perfect to accept a small topcase. There is a kind of small object tray on the
front legshield on the left side. I put my insulated coffee travel mug in there
and it DIDN'T bounce out on the way to the office. There is also reasonable
storage under the seat. My XXL 3/4 helmet fit and I was able to get a small full
face in there if I positioned the helmet just right.
There is not a luggage hook on the Zuma 125. This would allow one to carry a bag
or two between one's legs. The general idea is to have the hook secure the
handles and have the bottom of the bag resting on the floorboards with a foot on
either side of the bag. I suppose the hook to hold the handles is not, strictly
speaking, necessary, but it surprises me that it's absent on the Zuma.
Riding Impressions
 When
I first sat on the Zuma 125, I thought I had misread the specifications. It says
30.7 inches for seat height and I have a 30 inch inseam. At 220 pounds, I should
"squish" the scooter enough to touch flat footed at stops. I could barely
tip-toe this scooter. The seat height is accurate, but the seat is also fairly
wide. I found myself sitting a little too forward which made the leg room feel
like less than it actually is. The reach to the handlebars is good, not too low,
not too high. Something about the angle and configuration of the seat made the
riding position feel a little "off" to me, but not bad. On the plus side, the
seat is nearly a flat-top with no big hump between the rider and passenger
portions of the seat. The seat is firm, which I like. Others thought it was too
firm and complained of a sore backside in pretty short order when riding.
Turn the key to on, let the system cycle, hold a brake and press the starter
button - the Zuma 125 fires right up hot or cold and quickly settles into idle.
Good fuel injection rocks. A twist of the throttle and we're off. Acceleration
is only adequate. Looking at the specifications of the engine (4-valve head,
10:1 compression) I expected more. As sporty as this scooter looks, the
engine performance was a little disappointing. There are no real flat spots in
the power curve, but no real sweet spots either. Zipping around in traffic was
no problem and the Zuma 125 held 47 MPH hauling my considerable bulk up a pretty
steep hill.
The suspension is firm and combines with the fat tires to eat up some rough
roads. I certainly felt the rough bits, but
didn't bottom out. The single piston front disc and rear drum brakes did a good
job of stopping the scooter when and where I wanted. I thought the fronts would
a little weak, but they performed just fine. It's easy to modulate the brakes
and one has to hit the rear awfully hard to lock up the wheel. The Zuma 125
responded quickly to inputs and was easy to toss around. The fat tires and
overall look of the scooter say "off-road" and I felt obliged to try some riding
sans pavement. There are some gravel and sand roads not too far northeast of my
house and I took the Zuma there for a spin. Those fat tires provide some
confidence, but not much real traction. I certainly didn't "off-road" the Zuma,
and probably wouldn't given the limited suspension travel and tires, but a
little sand and gravel presented no troubles. Just don't push it and the Zuma
125 will get you over the meadows and through the woods as long as you're on
some kind of road.
Fit and Finish
My experience with
Honda's Elite 110 showed that very good quality stuff
can come out of China. The Yamaha Zuma 125 isn't quite there. I'd say good but
not very good. Some switches (turn signal and high beam)
didn't operate as crisply as the Elite's. The finish on the colored panels was
very good and manufacturing tolerances were tight. I'm not saying any of the
components were bad, they just didn't seem to be the kind of top tier pieces I'd
expect from Yamaha. The Zuma 125 is light years ahead of the low-end stuff out
of China. Put a Zuma next to a web-ordered Wildfire and you wouldn't think they
were made on the same planet. Everything functioned perfectly on the Zuma 125
and I'd expect that situation to continue for some time. Again, good, but not
great.
Conclusion
Looking at the Yamaha Zuma 125, one would expect most of its buyer to be young
males. Yamaha marketing tells me this is not the case. Well over half of all
Zuma 125 buyers are over 30. Something like 40% of the buyers are over 48?!? OK,
I guess I can see that. The engine performance is not what one would call
exhilarating. The Zuma 125 is not moped legal in any state. Maybe one has to be
a little more mature (sigh.... older) to understand the value of a really
good city scooter. As long as you don't expect highway riding and blistering
acceleration to be part of your daily regime, the Zuma 125 will get the job
done. If you like the look, it fits you, and want a solid scooter that will help
you face all those nasty bumps and potholes on University Avenue (those of
you
in St. Paul know what I mean) the Yamaha Zuma 125 is worth a look.
THANKS to Scooterville in
Minneapolis Minnesota for providing the scooter used in this review.
David
Harrington
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