Staff Bikes: Jeff’s 2022 Yamaha D’elight 125 Scooter Intro!

It’s been months since you read a current bike review by me. Many of you would be aware I had a mishap in March 2022, where I did damage to my hands when a jump landing went wrong. Thus, I’m currently limited to scooters, so Yamaha came to the rescue with a new D’elight.

Being limited to scooter due to serious hand injuries and surgery, I’ve had been getting concerned about my future riding career, and even whether I would stay a professional rider after so long off the bike. The D’elight has been a game changer in that regard… I’m now back on the road, it has been fantastic for my mental health as well…

I picked up the D’elight from Yamaha HQ just before Christmas and I brought it home in our family van. With 0km on the clock, I was really excited about this brand new set of wheels and could not wait to run it in around my local area. Pretty much as soon as it was out of the van and I could get the kids off it, I was in my riding gear and off to do a lap of the beaches and local suburbs that arvo…

Picking the BikeReview D’elight 125 up from Yamaha’s Sean Goldhawk. I’ll keep the scoot until the end of June…

It had been a really sh&tty time the previous eight months, with one or both hands either in splints or casts at any given time and me not being able to ride properly. I’m usually responsible for around 60 per cent of our reviews, which is up to 30 bikes per year just for me alone.

My first ride was memorable, it felt like that first ever ride when you get your licence.

The D’elight runs like a Swiss watch. It has been 100 per cent reliable, is quiet and smooth.

Yamaha thought it was a good concept, an experienced motorcycle rider and ex racer using a scooter to help stay sharp on the road and to rehabilitate.

The D’elight is not a classic styled scooter, or a sports styled scooter. It’s just a regular commuter but it has a nice pearl to the paint and some good features.

The financial impact of me not riding has been substantial, but the mental pressure of being injured for the third time in a row, with four kids and being self employed (with employees of BikeReview to also worry about) is also a thing, there have been plenty of times I really just need to go for a ride. Not being able to was driving me nuts, so the little ripper under four grand ride away Yamaha has been very much appreciated so far… I’ve been riding it pretty much daily, out early and home before the school run etc.

Brand new, 0km on the dial, straight from Yamaha.

The kids were stoked, they love it, Anthony wants to take it for a spin on the road, maybe in a few years!

Some of the features that made the D’elight appealing to me as a long termer included the storage under the seat, which is big for a 125. It fits a full face and loads of stuff. I use a half face Shoei J.O and that fits, plus my summer RJAYS jacket, DriRider gloves, and there is still room for more stuff, including my Kovix alarmed lock.

Check out the tech details and this video of the Yamaha D’elight 125 here…

I also liked the fact that the fuel filler is easy access at the front of the scooter. This means there is no glovebox, but that trade off is fine by me. I would like a USB charge point, so will be adding that under the seat, it’s no big deal to do… It is also light, at just 99kg, perfect for me at the moment, as I have not got full strength by any means.

I’ve really been enjoying early morning beach runs on the D’elight 125.

I’m 187cm and find that I fit the rider triangle well. I appreciate the large seat too, and will be putting the pillion seat and large grab rail to good use doubling Heather or the kids around over the rest of summer.

I’ve been using the D’elight for running around to the local post office, getting a few groceries and supplies, often from the local drive through. They are used to me coming in on some pretty awesome bikes, so they had a laugh at the D’elight. I told them, hey, even Yamaha say it is a ‘unisex’ design, and it has got a handbag hook on it! But it’s not just local use that makes a scooter a handy thing…

It’s seriously cheap to run…

4.80L got me 238km and that is during engine break in…

I’ve since done another few hundred and it’s going like a dream…

I use the D-Explorer 2 gloves on my scooter.

The 50km loop I do some mornings is purely for enjoyment. It takes me out along the coast, a bunch of beaches up past Terrigal and Avoca, NSW, then back through Erina, West Gosford, up Kariong Hill (no problems sitting on 80km/h all the way up), then back down Woy Woy Rd to home. There are many 70 and 80km/h zones and they are no issue for the Euro-5 engine, which I’ve topped out at 90km/h.

The little four-stroke is a bland engine that just gets the job done fuss free, but the gearing is great and even with the little 10in rear wheel the engine is not revving hard at 80km/h…

The little four-stroke is a bland engine that just gets the job done fuss free, but the gearing is great and even with the little 10in rear wheel the engine is not revving hard at 80km/h. The sweet spot is 50km/h to 80km/h, it goes really well! It is super quiet and even with the auto stop/start deactivated (drives me crazy to be honest), sometimes I can hardly tell it is running…

Morning 50km rides on the BikeReview D’elight 125 have been my only motorcycling fix for months, and I welcome them. I still have fun, it still feels good to be out on the road… and it is keeping me traffic sharp, which reduces the risks for me when I return to full riding fitness after what will be over 12-months.

It’s important to really keep an eye ahead for potholes, particularly now after the storms and floods recently, as hitting a big pothole would be a disaster on a scooter, so that is one of my biggest fears – I really can’t risk any big jolt on my freshly healed fractures and ligament surgery/pin etc.

Suspension is of course basic, the forks are proper ones but bottom out hard and the shock is on the limit with my fat ass on board (100kg), but that is to be expected and it handles everything OK considering… I will be looking at upgrading the tyres to a known brand though… That should help ride, and confidence.

The brakes are linked, which has been fantastic for me as I’m still only braking with one finger on each hand. The D’elight stops well, and the brakes have been getting better as they bed in more. There is no ABS, which worries me a bit with the cheaper tyres fitted, so I would like to see ABS on it in the future.

Fuel consumption is sensational. I got 238km from the first tank, which took 4.8L and that converts to around 49.5km/L. All-up, our little BikeReview D’elight 125 has brought sunshine on an otherwise cloudy day on more than one occasion, so pardon the pun but it has been delightful!

Next month I’ll update you on how it is running, costs, and some upgrades I have planned!