[Aditya]

Yamaha has introduced a new variant of the Saluto motorcycle. This new variant is equipped with a disc brake at the front and is priced at Rs. 54,500 (ex-showroom, Delhi).



Yamaha has also introduced four new colours for the 125cc commuter bike - Glory Green, Bold Blue, Dashing White and Majestic Red.

The Saluto measures 2035 mm in length, 700 mm in width and 1080 mm in height with a wheelbase of 1265 mm, a ground clearance of 180 mm and a kerb weight of 113 kg.

The Saluto has a diamond frame, a telescopic front fork suspension and dual shocks at the rear. It has 18-inch black alloy wheels, a blackened engine, a black exhaust pipe, silver-coloured grab rail, a long contoured seat a headlamp cowl with a wind deflector. Other features include an electric starter and analogue instrumentation.

The Saluto is powered by a 125cc, air-cooled, 4-stroke, single cylinder engine that puts out 8.2 BHP @ 7000 rpm and 10.1 Nm of torque @ 4500 rpm. The engine is mated to a 4-speed gearbox.

[hellmet]

Hmm, finally something from Yamaha to compete with the popular Honda Shine. Doesn't look too bad either.

@Sohogator, the Shine is also mated to a 4-speed as well.

[Blow Horn Ok]

It looks good and its priced sensibly and I hope it fights well with the shine. The fit and finish looks good in the pictures. The engine would need to prove itself in terms of longevity and efficiency to grab a decent market share.

[amvj]

It is very hard to see an entry level (new) Yamaha these days. I find Yamaha is very good at premium 150s than the 100 / 125 cc segment. Quite lot of FZs and R15 in the road.

Also never seen a Saluto in Chennai / Pune (non disc variant). Also these indianized Yamahas are not that good looking either (SZ, Saluto, Crux to name a few).

[pedrolourenco]

After the RX series Yamaha launched the YBX, YD125, Libero, Fazer, Crux, Crux+, Gladiator, SZ etc in the 100/125 segment. None of them succeeded. Then they launched the FZ & R15 which did much better. Infact the FZ did really well. What does this say? I'm surprised Yamaha doesen't understand. In India only people who want performance buy a Yamaha. They should not waste time on the commuter segment. What is needed is a 350+ cc retro style bike (a modern RD350) to compete with the Enfield Continental GT, a bigger FZ to compete with the Dukes and a 750 cruiser to take on the Harley street 750. The R3 is already there to take on the RC390 and Ninja 300.

[greenhorn]

Does anybody have any experience with the saluto?

Dad was considering an FZ until we found out that the back seat is too high for mom.

The saluto is the next step down.

His requirements - Yamaha (no compromise ) low & comfortable seating, nothing too conspicuous, Disc brakes, self start, good low end torque.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

The saluto is the next step down.

His requirements - Yamaha (no compromise ) low & comfortable seating, nothing too conspicuous, Disc brakes, self start, good low end torque.

Has he considered this? It is a Yamaha, low and comfortable seating, not too conspicuous (), disc brakes (no less than 3 discs!), self start, and TORQUE, oh my God!!

On a more serious note, I think the Saluto disc brake variant fits the bill perfectly. Just don't expect to find the same model to be in production for more than 4 - 5 years, it does not do well in the market. Yamaha has never been reluctant to change / pull out models which did not meet their expectations. I am not sure how long your dad intends to keep it - but the problem with Yamahas is, due to the frequent model changes, body parts etc become a bit scarce sometimes. If the SZ-RR is still in production, I think it is a worthy contender though, as it is a 150cc, and may have a bit more low end torque (no first hand experience, so only a test ride will tell). By the way, ask your dad and mom together to go select a bike - I feel that works best in any happy marriage!