The D’elight is Yamaha’s entry-level 125cc scooter which has been developed with frugality and ease of use in mind.

2021 saw this popular little commuter freshly revised to meet Euro5 standards, but does this scoot delight enough to become a go-to?

Yamaha has stated that they have given the 2021 D’elight a more unisex look, though this isn’t a term I’d tend to use to describe a scooter myself, it is quite clear that the D’elight is a simple and unassuming scoot that’s gentle and neutral in appearance.

If you are wanting a scooter that is sporty and aggressive then I think it is likely that the D’elight isn’t going to be the one, so you might want to check out the NMAX. Brett recently did a road test review so be sure to check that out!

With a new slightly more circular halogen headlight and daytime running light, there have been some simple cosmetic changes to this year’s D’elight, but overall it sticks to that typical and sensible formula.

With 8.3 bhp and just under 10nm of torque, the D’elight doesn’t scream power but that isn’t what the single-cylinder, 2-valve, air-cooled engine has been developed for – this motor is all about fuel economy.

Thanks to the economical air-cooled blue core engine, that packs almost 10 Nm of torque, it does accelerate respectfully and better than I expected. Around town, and up to 45ish miles an hour, so keeping up with everyday urban traffic isn’t going to be an issue. It is only really on roads that are 50mph plus that you feel it isn’t so comfortable – but again this isn’t what it has been designed for.

The Yamaha D'elight can reach a max speed of 60mph.

Taking the D’elight truly out of its comfort zone for a blast down the A140 dual carriageway and after a pretty lengthy runway it showed an indicated 60mph on the speedo, but an everyday top speed without pinning it all the time will be 50-55mph.

With a small brake disc to the front and a drum brake to the rear, matched with a combined braking system, the D’elight offers basic braking. There is no denying this, but the brakes perform well and do everything required.

Onto the suspension, the D’elight is quite standard again. At the front, there are telescopic forks with 81mm of travel, and to the rear, there is a single shock absorber.

Overall, the bakes perform as you’d need, and the suspension is oh-so typical for a small city scooter and will handle nicely and smoothly.

The D'elight comes equipped with a 12" wheel with a tubeless tyre at the front and to the rear a 10" wheel with a tubeless tyre at the back.

Filtering through town feels as light as a feather. The wheels are dinky and allow for easy manoeuvrability, though take this out of its natural habitat of slower town roads and stick it on a few faster ones and those wheels don’t feel as stable.

The seat height on the Yamaha D'elight 125 comes in at 800mm high.

When sitting on the D’elight and merging into high street traffic, the compact and lightweight nature soon becomes very apparent. It is definitely not a large scooter, and as a shorter chap at 5’ 6, the D’elight has enough room for my legs easily, but you know you’re on a small scooter, and therefore probably isn’t best suited for the giants amongst us.

Going under that large seat and there is surprisingly a lot of storage space – 36 litres worth in fact!

There is enough to fit a full-face helmet when carefully positioned at the back (well my HJC i70 did!) and still have quite a bit of room for a few other items too, but not enough to fit two full-face helmets.

So, though there is no extra space such as a small compartment or glove box, under that seat the storage space is pretty good going!

The instrument panel on the D’elight is made up of two parts.

Large and dominant, the analogue speedometer clearly displays miles per hour as the large leading speed measurement with kph underneath - all nice and easy to see here.

The second and smaller part of the dash is the LCD display that houses information such as fuel gauge, clock, odometer and trip, with two buttons available to scroll through your options. Though small, it is still easy to read and is simple to use.

Switchgear is all typical Yamaha scooter; plastics feel good quality and are easy to use. With the D’elight you do have a button for the start-stop technology, which you can turn on or off.

Lastly, another addition I do like on the D'elight has got to be its start-stop technology. The Start-stop tech is as you’d expect when activated, come to a halt and the engine turns itself off, pull back on the throttle then after a tiny bit of lag expect that blue core engine to spring to life thanks to the smart motor-generator and away you go!

Yamaha states the D’elight should achieve in the region of 190 miles on an entire tank (fuel capacity being 5.5 litres), giving it an extremely impressive return of 156 miles per gallon. Now, from buzzing around Norfolk and Suffolk roads for over 40 miles, the fuel gauge barely moved, so it is going to be a great commuter for those looking for a highly efficient scooter.

The Yamaha D'elight weighs 101kg when wet - making it one of the lightest scooters in its class.

Yamaha’s entry-level 125cc scooter starts from £2,900.

The D’elight is very simple and sensible by design, and it reflects the nature of what Yamaha has developed it for. It is a great option for someone wanting a nice, light, small and easy-to-use scooter to ride around town where it will be barely expected to get above 40mph.

It would be good to have a disc brake at the rear, maybe front ABS, and a little more poke from the motor, but let’s not forget that is why the sportier Yamaha NMAX is in the range – plus all these increases in spec would mean that delightful price would increase.

It might not be the quickest or most stylish-looking 125cc scooter going but it excels in being economical and user-friendly. So it's not just a nice commuter, but if someone wants to get an extremely user-friendly scooter that is a doddle to handle fresh off doing their CBT, then the D’elight is probably as user-friendly as you can get!

• Affordable and cheap to run
• So much storage space!
• Engine power really surprised me

• Wish it would have had ABS
• Not built for the taller rider in mind
• LCD dash needs improving for future models

So there you have it, I hope you enjoyed my review on the Yamaha D'elight (2021-onwards)!

Last but not least, if you have your very own Yamaha D'elight or perhaps another scooter that needs insuring - make sure to get a scooter and moped insurance quotation direct with Lexham! 

Model	Yamaha D'elight 125cc (2021 - Euro 5)
Fuel capacity	5.5L
Max speed	60 mph
Engine	125cc, air-cooled, 2 valve, 4-stroke (8.3bhp and 10nm of torque)
Brakes	Front: Disc. Rear: Drum. With a Combined Braking System
Suspension	Front: Telescopic Forks. Rear Single Shock
Seat height	800mm
Price	£2,900