Sunday

Yamaha 135LC Review

Yamaha 135LC
It was long time ago in the August 2006, when i'm on the way to Kuala Lumpur. Suddenly I heard my lecturers conversation about the new Yamaha model, which published in the newspaper on that day. The 1st impression when I see the advertisement was... WHOA!!! It really come forward with enthusiastic, sporty and elegant attribute (except it's head Yamaha 135LC, also known as Yamaha Spark 135 in Thailand, Yamaha Sniper in Philippines and Yamaha Jupiter MX in Indonesia. It is a small underbone bodied motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha Motor Company which is also a moped or underbone model with the second-largest displacement behind Suzuki Raider 150. And I began to imagine how powerful it is to conquer all over Malaysian road. By the way, in 2008, the fuel-injected version of the Yamaha Spark 135 was launched for Thai market, making it the second underbone motorcycle using the fuel injection system after the Honda Wave 125i.
This is the specification and features of the Yamaha LC that I would like to present:

Specification

  • Model code: T135
  • Engine: SOHC 4-valve 4-stroke 135cc water-cooled engine
  • Cylinder arrangement: Forward-inclined single cylinder
  • Displacement: 134.9 cc
  • Max power: 8.45 kW (11.33 PS) @ 8,500 rpm
  • Max torque: 11.65 Nm @ 5,500 rpm
  • Max speed: 162 km/h
  • Bore x stroke: 54.0 x 58.7 mm
  • Compression ratio: 10.9 : 1
  • Transmission: Constant mesh 4-speed
  • Clutch: Wet, multiple-disk and centrifugal automatic (optional manual clutch model is also available)
  • Fuel system: Fuel injection (2008 Yamaha Spark 135i in Thailand only); Mikuni VM22 carburetor with throttle position sensor (other countries)
  • Frame Type: Diamond-shaped underbone steel tube
  • Suspension (Front): Telescopic
  • Suspension (Rear): Monoshock
  • Brake (Front): Single-piston disc, Dual-piston disc - 135LC Extreme Spirit (Malaysia)
  • Brake (Rear): Drum
  • Dry weight: 103 kg
  • Fuel tank capacity: 4.0 L

Features

  • DiASil (die-cast aluminum cylinder) which has better heat conductance to dissipate excessive heat easily.
  • Lighter forged piston
  • Roller bearing rocker arms with less friction than typical rocker arms.
  • 4-valve water-cooled engine - The 4-valve engine configuration provides better volumetric efficiency compared with other 4-stroke moped models which uses 2-valve engine design, enabling the engine to produce higher torque at high rpm. However, the engine displacement of 135cc limits the ability of air-cooling system while retaining the small kapchai design at the same time, therefore water-cooling system which has better cooling efficiency is used.
  • Fuel injection (2008 Yamaha Spark 135i in Thailand only) for cleaner emission and better efficiency than the carbureted version.
  • Carburetor with throttle position sensor and accelerator pump (other countries) - The Y135LC uses Mikuni VM22 carburetor equipped with throttle position sensor for more precise ignition timing, increasing the engine's efficiency, and also an accelerator pump for better acceleration and instant response during take-off.
  • Catalytic converter - Even though most 4-stroke kapchai models are capable to surpass strict emission standards without even using the catalytic converters, Yamaha has taken an initiative to install a catalytic converter to the Y135LC to surpass even stricter emission standards in the future.
  • Sport rims with tubeless tires (standard for Malaysian models only)