Yamaha YBR 110

The failure of bikes like Alba and Libero resulted into the invention of Yamaha YBR 110. This is a premium entry level bike from Yamaha which tries to find its spot in a segment which is completely dominated by Hero and Bajaj. Does this bike have the potential to challenge the already established players? Let's find out. If it's about appearance then you can say Yamaha YBR 110 is blended version of its discontinued predecessors, Alba and Libero. YBR 110 is pretty much inspired from these both bikes. The bike is almost an exact copy of Alba from sideways. It features the same side panels, up-swept silencer with chrome heat shield and stretched seat.

However, it features new fuel tank which is quite simple in terms of designing and sports new graphics. The bike also features a new Multi reflector headlight and small size orange colored side indicators. It comes with a standard tinted visor and body colored cowl which looks neither stylish nor boring. Its front fender has some noticeable lines on it and forms a good image with its silver finished alloy wheels and telescopic forks. At the back, it features a black finished carrier integrated grab rail which is not much attractive. Its rear fender has a reflector light, side indicators and number plate on it which is placed just below its bland tail light.

Yamaha YBR 110 has twin circular pods in its instrument console. It's completely analogue and carries a speedometer and odometer in one dial while the other one features an analogue fuel gauge and other indicators. Electric start is a standard feature in this bike and Yamaha has also incorporated this bike with a premium feature like an Engine kill switch. The same 106cc engine which can also be seen in Yamaha Crux has been used in YBR 110. This 4-stroke, SOHC engine generates a power output of 7.5 Bhp at 7500 rpm. The maximum torque output of this air-cooled engine is 7.8 Nm which is accessible at 6000 rpm. Similar to Crux, this bike is also equipped with a four speed manual gearbox.

Undoubtedly, this bike isn't better than its rivals in terms of acceleration and performance. Technically, this bike may have similar specifications to its rivals but its additional weight and delayed torque arrival makes the difference. Yamaha YBR 110 is noticeably slow initially and that's quite evident in its city performance. In city traffic, it needs frequent gear shifts to maintain the momentum. The throttle response is also not as instant as Bajaj Discover. In order to improve its fuel economy, Yamaha has kept its gear ratios taller which puts it on the slower side. It takes almost 9.5 seconds to reach the speed of 60km/hr from standstill. The performance of this bike improves only after the speed of 50km/hr. Its heavyweight contributes to its poor power to weight ratio which also restricts it from crossing the top speed of 90km/hr.

Gear transitions are certainly smoother than Discover. Its engine is also not much noisy but can't go pass the quality standard maintained by the Hero bikes. Looking at its weight, Yamaha should have enhanced the power output of this engine as in city as well as on highways, YBR 110 breathes hard for power. Mileage figures are not impressive either. It may give you a fuel economy of around 60 km/ltr in city conditions while on highways it can give you a mileage of around 62-66km/ltr. Yamaha YBR110 has been designed for commuters and it gets clear as soon as you get on to this bike. It's upward placed handle bar and front set foot pegs are perfect for daily usage. Your knees just fold around its fuel tank while your feet rest comfortably on its foot pegs. Its seat also offers nice under thigh support which is very useful on long journeys. The plastic quality of the buttons used on its handlebar is better than many of its competitor's. Its engine kill switch is really convenient to use as you don't have to turn off your keys every time on traffic signals.

The bike comes with under seat storage space and rear carrier. Saree guard is a standard part of this bike and its other safety features include pass button and powerful headlight. Suspension system of this bike has been specially tuned for our Indian road conditions. It comes fitted with telescopic forks at its front and coil spring with swing arm at the back. YBR 110 has drum brakes of 130mm on its both wheels. Yamaha YBR 110 has a wheelbase of 1285mm which is far better than many of its rivals. Thanks to its extended wheelbase and extra weight, this bike is more stable and grounded than others. The handling is also light and enjoyable but the suspension quality is not up to the mark. On our Indian roads, most of the potholes can easily make this bike unstable. With a pillion rider, things get worse. The suspension of this bike should have been better as it degrades its ride quality. However, the bike gets a good hold of roads around corners and at high speeds which is badly missed in most of the commuter bikes.