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Written by Ketzal Sterling
Tuesday, 19 August 2008 15:17 |
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Yamaha BeeWee - Page 3
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Page 3 of 3 
The bad bits. There’s not really much wrong with the BeeWee, as I mentioned earlier the front brake could be stronger and the initial acceleration is a bit on the weak side. I’m certain both of these issues could be solved once you owned the bike. What can’t be fixed though is the riding position. It’s certainly a deal breaker for taller folk. If you’re under about five foot ten you’ll likely squeeze onto the BeeWee just fine. However, it you’re taller than that then certainly look at a different scooter. If not you’ll be riding on the pillion seat as your legs will hit the console if you don’t. The bike will take a pillion just fine, provided you’re both shortish. Sadly the two large headlights are a bit narrow beamed for my liking and don’t light up enough of road's edges especially while turning.
Summing up the BeeWee. If you’re looking for a small inner city scooter with style and a more exciting engine than the average dull four stroke then the BeeWee should be on top of your list. If you’re a tall lad/lass then move on to something like the Vespa S 125. Finally, the best part of the BeeWee is it’s price. In most markets the BeeWee is simply incredible value. It’s without doubt one of the best value for money scooters on the market. Try it.
Manufacturer Specifications| Max power at shaft | --- | | Max torque | ---
| | Engine Type | Single-cylinder 2-stroke | | Cylinder Capacity | 101 cc | | Seat height | 765mm | | Dry weight | 91kg | | Kerb weight | --- | | Fuel tank capacity | 5.7 liters
| | Starting | Electric | | Transmission | “Twist and Go†Automatic Transmission (CVT) | | Storage volume | n/a | | Cooling | Air cooled | | Bore X stroke | 52 x 47.6mm | | Compression ratio | 6.6:1 | | Chassis | Steel Tube | | Front suspension | Telescopic fork | | Rear suspension | Swingarm with hydraulic single shock | | Front brake | 150mm Disc
| | Rear brake | Drum
| | Front wheel/tyre | 120/90-10 | | Rear wheel/tyre | 130/90-10 | | Length | 1890 mm | | Width | 705 mm | | Wheelbase | 1270 mm | | Max speed (km/hr) | 90kph | | Type approval | ---
| | Consumption (ECE applicable text cycle) | --- | | Consumption @km/h - km/l | --- | | Audible Indicator | yes
| | Full helmet storage | yes | | Glove box | yes | | Fuel Guage | yes | | Trip Meter | no
| | Seat release (via remote control) | no | | Seat release (remote, ignition/switch) | yes | | Alarm | no |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 20 February 2009 11:30 )
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A lot of scooter riders go for the naked look of a Honda Ruckus, while others like a little bit of locking storage space that the Yamaha Zuma has to offer. I was discouraged from the Ruckus when I found out that many owners soup-up their Ruckus by engine swapping it with a Zuma's engine and calling them Zoomers.
I quickly fell in love with the Zuma's styling, the very comfortable seating, and the peppy speed of this little 50 cc. It's low maintenance, air-cooled, 2-stroke engine is unbelievably easy to work on and since it's a well established Yamaha product, it's very easy to find parts for it, both Yamaha, as well as OEM and third-party customized parts.
Outside of bicycles, I'm new to scooters and motorcycles. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get started in scooters by buying the Zuma. It's CVT automatic transmission makes it so easy to ride, and since it's an under 50cc engine, I don't need to have a motorcycle endorsement on my license (check your local DMV for rules in your area). If you're considering buying a Zuma, I recommend getting onto the Zuma Forums web site to learn more about it.
http://www.zumaforums.net/
The Zuma has an oil injection system so there's no mixing oil into the gasoline. It does it automatically. The Zuma also has front disc brakes that have unbelievable stopping power.
A reality check: I don't know where Yamaha get's it's mileage rating. I don't get anywhere near 123 miles per gallon. My actual mileage is closer to 72 MPG, which is still, pretty damn good. My maximum speed on the flats is 37 MPH with it's stock engine. There are ways of getting even more speed out of it, but right now I'm too new to scootering to be interested in that just yet.
The Zuma also comes in a 4-stroke 125 cc scooter if you really need to go faster but want to keep that same Zuma styling. But, for me, I'm really quite happy scooting around inner-city traffic with my Zuma 50 cc.