Almost every week someone rolls into the shop and asks the same thing: Y16ZR or RS-X Winner? Both are 150-class supercubs, both are the bike a lot of younger riders in JB have their eye on, and the price gap between them is real money. Here's how we explain it across the counter.
The engines are closer than the badges suggest
The Yamaha Y16ZR runs a 155cc liquid-cooled single with SOHC and VVA, good for 17.7 hp at 9,500 rpm and 14.4 Nm at 8,000 rpm, through a six-speed box with an assist and slipper clutch. It weighs 119 kg with its 5.4-litre tank filled.
The Honda RS-X Winner uses a newer 150cc DOHC liquid-cooled engine rated at 11.8 kW and 13.6 Nm, also six-speed, also with an assist and slipper clutch. Honda quotes 50 km per litre and the bike is EEV-certified.
On paper Yamaha wins on outright numbers. On the road, in JB traffic, you feel the Yamaha's VVA mostly in the top half of the rev range. Below that the two are much closer than the spec sheet makes them look. If your riding is mostly Tebrau to town and back, that difference matters less than people expect.
Kit and brakes: pick your priority
The Y16ZR comes with front-wheel ABS — a single disc with a two-piston caliper up front, single-piston at the back. On a supercub at this price, that is a real safety item, not marketing.
The RS-X Winner answers with the Honda Smart Key system: keyless start, handlebar lock, anti-theft alarm and answer-back. It also gets a waterproof USB charging port and separate handle switches. Both bikes carry a two-year or 20,000 km warranty.
Our honest advice: don't buy on feature lists alone. Come and sit on both. Kit changes between model years and colour variants, so check the actual unit in front of you — we'll pull the spec sheet for whatever is on our floor that day.
What it really costs
Recommended retail is RM11,398 for the Y16ZR ABS, and RM9,998 for the RS-X Winner in Blue, Green or Matte Gray (RM10,298 for Special Yellow). Both of those figures exclude road tax, insurance and registration.
That last part is the bit people forget. Your real on-the-road cost depends on your own insurance quote — your age, your NCD, where the bike is registered — plus road tax and registration on top. Two riders buying the same bike on the same day can walk out with different totals. Come in and we'll work out your actual number before you commit to anything.
And that roughly RM1,400 gap? It's about what you'd spend on a decent helmet, a set of tyres and your first couple of services. Worth thinking about — the sticker isn't the whole story.
If you're weighing these two up, see what we currently have on the floor at /listing, and if you already own either one, our /service team knows both engines well.
Specs and recommended retail prices from Boon Siew Honda's RS-X Winner launch announcement and paultan.org's 2024 Yamaha Y16ZR ABS report, checked August 2026. Prices and availability change — confirm with us before you decide.
