What do you do when you really want a chopper, but can only afford a scooter? Well, you either customize your scooter to look like a chopper, or you get yourself a Zongshen Yomi 125. No, what you’re seeing in the image above isn’t some sort of backyard-built custom cruiser, but rather, a production motorcycle from Chinese manufacturer Zongshen.
Zongshen is one of the more popular Chinese brands out there, and indeed, we’ve talked about some of their bikes in the past. While for the most part Zongshen’s bikes conform to the so-called “industry standard” two-wheelers, the same can’t be said for the Yomi 125. Just launched in the brand’s home country of China, the Yomi adopts the styling of a classic American chopper, albeit shrunken into mini-bike caricature form. It gets a really long front end with an extremely slack head angle, as well as bodywork that attempts to emulate the custom look of US-made choppers.
Under the hood – or should I say, seat – lies not a powerful thundering V-twin engine, but rather, a tiny, beginner-friendly single-cylinder engine displacing a mere 124 cubes. Power is set at a rather pedestrian eight horsepower at 8,000 rpm, while the little motor sputters out 5.4 pound-feet of torque at 6,000 rpm. Top speed is said to be no more than 55 miles per hour. Interestingly, apart from imitating the look of a chopper, the Yomi 125 has no intentions of emulating the riding experience of one. It doesn’t get a belt driven manual transmission, but rather, a scooter-derived CVT, presumably to offer maximum convenience to its rider.
Nevertheless, the Zongshen Yomi 125 should make for an attractive option for young individuals looking to give the two-wheeled lifestyle a go. With a low seat height of just 65 centimeters, even the shortest of riders can confidently swing a leg over the bike. Furthermore, it’s super light at just 113 kilograms. Making it even more accessible is its low price of just 9,800 Yuan, which makes out to about $1,352 USD. All that being said, it doesn’t seem as though Zongshen has any plans of selling the Yomi 125 outside of China, so don’t expect to see this odd-looking cruiser on US roads anytime soon.
