1st Place and 50cc Super Battle winner: Yamaha Jog CV50

It’s commonly called a slam dunk, a walk over, a drubbing; when a competitor easily beats the competition; that’s what happened here. I was wondering if our independent review criteria would hold up to the closer scrutiny of a comparison test. See the Yamaha Jog was our top ranked 50cc bike going into this comparison test and I hoped that we hadn’t got it wrong. The other question mark was the six new 50cc scooters we hadn’t tested. Would any of them spring a surprise and overthrow the favorite? Nope…the Yamaha crushed them all. It’s quite simple why the Jog won so easily; it’s the best product all around. Check these figures. In our various categories the Jog received 1st in performance, 1st in the lap battle, 1st in ease of use, 1st in value for money, 1st in handling and equal 1st on the road course. That is a lot of 1st place finishes. Congratulations are in order for Yamaha. The Jog has been around a long time now and it’s good to see Yamaha are continuing to add new features to a solid scooter.

On the road

The Jog was always going to be good on the road and rightly so. It’s the fastest accelerating 50cc bike we’ve tested so far. That brisk acceleration means the bike is fast away from lights and fast up hills. Compared to the slower four stroke bikes it’s basically in another ball game. The Jog is only .2 of a second slower to 50kph than a 100cc Honda Lead. Combine this rapid acceleration with solid suspension, an improved chassis, strong brakes and there was never going to be a question. It’s not the perfect scooter as it’s still got small 10inch wheels and can be a little bumpy, but all is forgiven when you turn the throttle and throw it into the first corner.

On the track – Lap time 42.8 (1st)

Like the road comparison there was never any doubt in my mind as to which bike was going to be fastest around our test track. The Yamaha’s only real competitor on the track was the new Suzuki AZ50. The Suzuki put up a good fight but nevertheless…it lost. The Yamaha is nearly a second quicker to 50kph (31mph) and runs a much stronger brake setup than the Suzuki. Combine this with handling that matches the Suzuki on track and whammo the Yamaha wins with the fastest time of the day at 42.8 seconds. With a few more laps under the belt and the race face on, the Jog would have to be good for low 41s or maybe a high 40 second lap.

Living with it

Not only is the Jog the fastest scooter of the test it’s also the easiest to live with. Of all the bikes tested it’s the only one to provide all of the main scooter necessities. The jog will take a full face helmet, has a remote release for the seat on the ignition, an open glove box up front and a quality set of gauges. Combine this with solid fuel economy of 2.8L/100kms (85mpg) and you have a scooter that is dead easy to live with and very affordable to run. Our own 1988 Yamaha Jog is still running strong twenty years down the track and as you can well imagine, it's been thrashed to death every second of its long painful life.This 2008 Yamaha Jog could be the only 50cc scooter you buy for the next twenty years. Incredible really.

Summing up

It works like this…if you’re looking for a 50cc scooter and they sell the Yamaha Jog CV50 in your market, then buy it, buy it now. Here in New Zealand they continually sell out, so be quick. There isn’t a better all round 50cc scooter on the market for the price. The Jog’s only failing point is its rather outdated styling, if Yamaha would put some effort in and actually make the bike look like something from this century they would have all market segments covered. Still…with all 13 scooters parked downstairs I reached for the Yamaha keys every time...oh except when I was meeting girls, then I took the Vespa.

Yamaha Jog CV50 Full Review