Scooter Review Yamaha Cygnus NXC125 Name, rank and serial number? $3999+orc
Words by PETE CALLAGHAN, photography by GREG SMITH This is the Yamaha Cygnus, aka the NXC125. It’s one of a few recent additions to Yamaha’s scooter range; which also includes 50 and 125cc versions of the retro Vino, the funky BW100 and the new XMax. Four-stroke-powered with contemporary styling, the Cygnus is a minimalist city scoot that’s being pushed on its fuel efficiency and value for money.
As for the name, if you look hard enough you’ll see the image of a swan in profile in the line of the upper half of the front bodywork and the way the headset is tilted slightly downwards. Go on, try it. You know you want to.
Mmm ... right. Explain the minimalist claim.
Okay. The Cygnus isn’t exactly bare-bones basic, but it does do without some of the niceties we’ve come to expect from contemporary scooters. The analogue instruments are simple in design and layout, there’s no clock or LCD screen, lots of clean lines and nothing much in the way of adornment.
It does have features though. Quite a few, and some are pretty good. Like the fuel filler, located behind a latched panel on the upper left side of the inner leg shield. It’s dead easy to stick the nozzle in, and there’s a nifty holder for the fuel cap. Just be careful when filling though, as it can be a little difficult to see into the filler neck to gauge the fuel level.
The mirrors give a good rearwards view and don’t shake. There’s a shopping hook, which proved robust enough to carry an evening meal plus drinks, and enough space for a helmet and more under the seat. I couldn’t squeeze my full-face in there, but it’s got bits hanging off it so another type may well fit. My open-face was fine, and there was space left over for bread and milk or some wet weather gear.
Up the back there’s a sturdy grab rail for pillions to hang on to, and a nice, flat seat for them to sit on, with footrests built into the ends of the foot well’s running boards. The pillion seat also provides a reasonable platform for carrying gear.
So how’s it go?
Not bad. There’s about 8kW available from the air-cooled, four-stroke, single cylinder engine, and that translates to enough grunt to beat the cars away from the traffic lights, stay ahead of them to the 60kmh and 80kmh limits, and then motor on to an eventual maximum comfortable cruising range of 90-100kmh. The Speedo only goes to 110kmh and I got within a coupla kays of that mark, but it was with the help of a passing semi. It was also impossible to maintain unless the road was flat or heading downhill.
Away from the freeways though, the Cygnus has plenty of power. It is perfectly at home in the tight confines of the city thanks to the responsive engine and agile handling, and it also has the legs to run very comfortably through the suburbs.
Actually it’s those legs that make the Cygnus such an attractive proposition for someone in the market for an urban commuter. Fifties may be fine in you live and work in the inner-city, but you’ll quickly find their limit if your daily journey takes you into the great Australian suburban sprawl.
The Cygnus, on the other hand, will cope easily with the higher speeds demanded on major arterial roads (from 70-90kmh, for example), so you won’t feel like you’re playing chicken with the traffic.
The twin rear shocks and front telescopic forks do a good job of keeping the Cygnus on the straight and narrow. The ride can be occasionally jarring over sharp bumps and deeper dips, but the scoot always remains on track so you can live with it. Twelve-inch wheels and decent rubber help the stability, and the front disc/rear drum braking combination pulls the Cygnus up sharp-like.
Any complaints?
Nothing major. If anything I found the riding position to be almost cramped. The bars would catch my knees on full lock and the space behind the leg shield was a fraction tight for my long legs. If you’re shorter than 180cm though, you’ll be laughing. I think my size also had something to do with me finding the seat, or at least the rider’s portion of it, a bit small. It ramps up to the pillion part at the back, so I couldn’t comfortably slide back and use it all when it came time to shift the weight on a longer ride. Again, smaller riders shouldn’t worry.
It’s worth mentioning too, that the size of the Cygnus strikes a good balance between the sometimes overly compact 50s and more roomy but heavier larger scooters. With its dry weight of just 114kg, most riders will find the Cygnus very easy to manage.
Is it as frugal as they claim?
The Cygnus’ fuel tank holds 7.1 litres of unleaded and you could reasonably expect that to take you at least 200km. That’s better than 3.5L/100km, and there’s nothing wrong with those sorts of figures. Actually there’s nothing wrong with the Cygnus overall, really. It’s well built by Yamaha’s Taiwan concern, nice and simple, and zippy enough for highway work. A versatile commuter for four grand.
The competition
There’s a wide selection of 125s, with an equally wide range of prices. VMoto has the $2990 Monaco and Montego, while Bug’s Agility is $2999. TGB’s 101R ($3290), 303RS ($3590) and F409 ($3990) are Taiwanese-made like the Cygnus and similarly specced, as are Bolwell’s $3980 Arriba and $4370 Bella. Daelim has the $4450 NSS 125 III or there’s the $4490 Piaggio Liberty. And Yamaha has the Vino for those with a taste for retro. The next step in price is a big one – to $5890 for the funky Honda @125. Around this mark you’ll also fi nd the Vespa LX 125s ($5990), Aprilia’s SportCity ($5990) and Mojito 125s ($6180) and a brace of Peugeots (Jetforce: $6995/Elystar 125: $6990).
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 31/01/2007
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