Original Source: Yamaha YZF R15 Review by Chinmay Sawarkar from BikeAdvice.in

Three years ago, we saw the Yamaha YZF R15 come to India in an all-new avatar. Fully-faired, split headlamp and a pure track day bike. Little did we know that it was fuel to the fire, a fire that was ravishing in the youth for performance motorcycles.

Add to that living in Pune, considered to be a biking hub, the R15 was a treat for us. It still is… Rumours were out since the launch of the Honda CBR 250R that Yamaha are going to get back at Honda. That they’re getting a new track scorcher. Come September, Yamaha unveiled the R15 v2.0. One absolutely gorgeous looking bike, an eye candy.

I went to the showroom the moment I got to know that it’s available for a test ride. A quick spin around the showroom with the engineer on the pillion seat and I don’t remember thinking about any other bike to the date I finally booked mine. Donning a sunshine red and a white tail, is my new steed, Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0.

I couldn’t be happier than what I am after riding my own Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0. A true blue track scorcher, the Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0 can tackle every corner with relative ease. Nor did the old bike ever had any issues with her handling dynamics, nor does the new one but the new one ensures better feedback to the rider all thanks to the new fatter tyres and changed weight ratio of the bike.

The Yamaha YZF R15 v2.0 is a real show stopper with the gorgeous tail section, the MRF Revz 130mm tyre give the bike a big daddy look. All our hopes of getting the R125 to India were put to rest with the v2.0.

The riding stance has been made more aggressive with modifications on the saddle. The super sports seating position is the answer for the hurting wrists. Er Did I mention that too early? The bigger split also is a boon for sport riders to move around the bike with no hassles. The bigger saddle & it’s increased height also ensure that you’ll be comfortable no matter how tall you are.

Other minor bits here and there are the new circular pulley for the throttle cable and the throttle valve wire give better control over the acceleration of the bike. The first in class aluminium swingarm makes you more confident when it comes to mid corner stability. The gearbox has been substantially modified to make way for the new wider tyres and the increased 4-odd kgs weight of the bike. The ECU is re-mapped to ensure handy power at low revvs while exiting corners or in the city.

A clear visor in the front, a bit more power in the mill and a stronger headlamp is all I could ever ask for from the track scorching mad man’s mad steed.

All in all, it’s the best bike available in town right now for novice & professional sport riders. It’s a steal for that kind of a price tag. With the Honda CBR 150R here, the R15 does have some competition finally in that segment.

Regards,
Chinmay Sawarkar

Original Source: Yamaha SS125 15000 Kms Ownership Review by Sam Raj from BikeAdvice.in

Hi friends, this is Sam Raj from Chennai. I am here to present my first ownership review of my Dad’s 1 yr old, 15000kms clocked Yamaha SS125. First, I would like to thank BikeAdvice for helping me know what bike is all about, letting me know about various bikes available in Indian market, helping me in choosing a bike, for letting me know different bike technologies, for changing the way I ride a bike and for imparting a passion on biking in me. Thank you Deepak and BikeAdvice.

A small introduction about myself. I am 22 year old guy working for an IT organization just after completion of my engineering. I learnt to ride a geared bike in a proper manner when I was 16years old, in my dad’s newly bought TVS Star City.

I who was a Yamaha hater finally ended up buying a Yamaha one in 2011,when our Star City was 5 years old. You ask me why I was Yamaha hater? The reason is absolutely stupid. It is because in my childhood, my dad had a HH CD100SS and then I used to feel Yamaha RX100 is its rival and villain bike and simply hated it.

The ignorant hatred that developed in me almost persisted till I bought the SS125, not a Yamaha hater anymore. I would like to tell everything I have experienced with my bike so far. If this review feels a bit too lengthy ,kindly bear with me.

Need for a Bike Replacement

It all started when my dad started feeling that a replacement for the 5 year old Star City (1,00,000kms in odo) is needed. Although the bike is in good condition even today, it started giving body ache to him. Mechanic suggested us Honda Shine. But sadly I was so dumb that I wasn’t even aware of which bike was Shine then.

I didn’t know which bike is FZ,R15, Stunner, Gs150r too at that point of time. I only new Splendors, Discovers, Pulsars, Apaches, Unicorn, Xtreme, Hunk etc. But later got to know about Shine and it looked ok to me and we (I and Dad) booked it on one fine day and showroom gave a 3 months waiting period.

But to our surprise, we got a call in just three days informing that bike is ready for delivery. Meanwhile, my friend told me about Bike Advice and I started going through ownership reviews of Shine in BA and got to know all its technical specifications, its pros and cons etc. Its then I came to know about vibration problem in Shine, which I just couldn’t digest that a Honda product vibrates.

It was a life of tolerating vibrations for past 5years in TVS and wasn’t ready to tolerate anymore. As the reviews of Shine and comments were on negative side, we halted the delivery process of Shine and looked for alternatives.

The Hunt for a Masterpiece

I was sure that my buy must atleast have a 125cc mill or 150cc, but clearly not sporty 150cc’s like an Apache or FZ, because the bike is for my dad and not for me. The things which we were basically expecting from a bike were below according to the priorities:

• Smoothness and refinement
• Good power
• Durability and Reliability
• Looks
• Comfort
• Atleast 50+ mileage(most of the 125cc bikes would offer)

Many chaps over here in BA strongly tuned my mind to fact that Japanese bikes are the most refined and reliable ones, both of which were my primary concerns. So I didn’t look or think about buying a Discover, Platina 125 or Flame. The bikes that I shortlisted were

Honda Stunner: Superb bike. Dad rejected it just for its over styling.
Suzuki GS150R: I had rode it in prior and I knew how smooth and solid it was. Again dad test rode it and rejected that it would look too big for him. Yes, why wouldn’t it feel so for a 5.5 feet tall and 70kg man.
Suzuki Slingshot: Its acceleration till 60kmph was good and felt just too sluggish past that and I didn’t like its looks along with the fact that it produces mere 8.5bhp from its 125cc mill. This was the reason why I didn’t consider HMC’s 125cc bikes as they too were under powered.

So, with no favourite options left, the only bike that my heart was leaning towards was Gs150R, but my Dad wasn’t ready for that trade. Its then the names I had come across struck me to have a look at. Yes, they were the names ‘Yamaha SS125’ and ‘Yamaha SZ’. I didn’t have a look at them till then because I had no interest in Yamaha ones.

But, to my surprise SS125 reviews were all positive and the three facts that pulled me towards it were that the bike is vibration free at all speeds, it produces 11ps of power, and its very reliable. BikeAdvice too had rated it next to Stunner and above the popular Shine. So we visited Yamaha and its looks impressed us and SZ also impressed me.

Then the confusion shifted between them both. After thoroughly going through their specs, I doubted the build quality of SZ because its less expensive bike from Yamaha although its engine is from FZ. At last, I felt that SS125 is premium bike of its segment whereas SZ is cheaper bike of its segment.

So I thought SS125 must be better in quality between them both and loads of power or torque wasn’t our requirement either. So, thus decided to go for the new avatar of Gladiator, the Yamaha SS125. So, I booked it and got it delivered on 22.4.2011 after an agonizing 50days wait. Although it was bought for my Dad, I rode it with much joy from showroom to home, keenly observing each and every response of it for my throttle and handling inputs.

Hmm, no boring stories of mine anymore. Now lets roll on to the real technical review of the 125cc masterpiece I have chosen. The forthcoming review is all based on my experiences with my SS125 and it might differ with fellow SS125 owner’s views.

Looks

Some might beg to differ with me when I say, ”SS125 is a head turner!” and might question me “If SS125 is head turner, then what are Fz, R15 and CBR?”. It doesn’t mean that a racy designed or macho looking bike only must turn heads. A man or guy who owns or going to own a commuter segment bike has all reasons to turn his head to stare at a neatly designed commuter bike.

Many people have enquired me about my bike in signals, fuel stations, stickering shops etc. I have seen people starring at my bike in signals and roads. SS125 looks glossy in the black-red combination and the paint job on this machine is absolutely superb. However the bike is dusty and looks awkward with dirt, just with a wet cloth wipe, it again shines like new one.

Although its a commuter segment bike, its designed in a manner to give sporty look. What gives the bike, the sporty look are the front number plate that is clamped to a slit in the visor (number plate blocks the air flow through the slit, which otherwise could have reduced wind resistance), tank extension scoops with Yamaha logo on them, the racy engine cowl, foldable rubber-layer mounted aluminum rider foot pegs with a tiny ground scrubber at the bottom which features only in premium segment bikes, the foldable aluminum foot pegs for pillion, toe-shifter gear lever, open chain case, rised up pillion seat, slant angled exhaust with a muffler and unique tail light design with indicators integrated to it.

The engine parts are all blacked out and 5-spoke alloy wheel rims are also black painted. Overall SS125 stands out as one best lookers of the segment. May be the second best looker after Stunner.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Engine

The heart of SS125 is 123cc air-cooled, SOHC engine which is refined to the core. The engine is of absolute Yamaha class. It churns out 11ps of peak power at 7500rpm and pulls forward with a peak torque of 10.4Nm at 6500rpm. This is an indication, that the engine is not tuned for rapid initial acceleration rather its tuned to achieve good top speeds.

The engine is not torqy and its peak power and torque figures transform into excellent lively speeds and acceleration only at higher rpm. As a result of this, one would find the low end torque of the bike to be less. Anyhow an addition of 0.6Nm to torque figures, would have increased its acceleration to compete with its tough competitor Stunner in terms of acceleration,but sadly Yamaha didn’t.

Now, how can I miss to admire and boast about the best trait of SS125. Yes, I am talking about its engine refinement. I would certainly claim the SS125 to be the best refined bike of the segment, even better refined than the Honda’s two 125cc bikes. No offense Shine and Stunner owners.

I‘ve personally ridden them and I’ve felt pronounced vibrations in them, which one would never feel in the Gladiators/ss125 s. Everyone who has taken ss125 to higher speeds would witness what I say. I would like to explain how the ride feels at different speeds. From halt to 58kmph, one would never get a clue that the engine is running, through the handlebar, footrests and seat and all one would notice is its lousier unusual engine note.

In 58-63kmph speeds which is more of the resonance band of the engine, a change in the smoothness level experienced till then occurs, but they aren’t the vibrations. The engine note changes from louder one to a screaming note in 50kmph-60kmph range. From 63-100kmph the engine and bike feels solid with no hint of vibrations (less vibes in 79-82kmph could be ignored), but one could feel that engine is running in this speed range unlike the 0-58kmph range.

Past 100kmph, a very very small vibration can be felt in accelerator alone and that too could be felt if the accelerator is held too tight and this persists till the top whack is reached. The engine note past 60 changes into a rough grunt from scream, but this would be hardly heard due to the wind noise.

So ultimately what SS125 gives is a smoothest and solid ride through its entire speed band except for the very tiny vibrations past 100kmph in accelerator which no other bike of its segment manages to provide to its owners. This is why I claimed SS125/Gladiator to be best refined bike of its segment.

Overall SS125 has got a reliable, thoroughly refined, rev happy, rock solid, class engine.

Rating: 9/10

Transmission

The classy engine that I was talking about so long is mated to a classy 5-speed gear-box. The gear-shifting which was bit on harder side when the bike was showroom-new persisted for about a week or two. After that it softened out, and the gear shifting since then to present feels smooth, soft and neat.

Butter-smooth gear shifting is the term, every reviewer commonly uses to express his gear-shift feel, but only who has experienced it alone can feel the phrase ‘Butter-smooth gear shifts’ and for the rest, it just seems to be a mere adjective. I am one such rider who can feel that phrase. Gears neatly fall into their slots with a sweet ‘TIKK’ sound each time the toe-shifter lever is shifted up.

The clutch also feels too soft, that I haven’t frankly played such softer clutch till now in any bike including my Dazzler. And somewhere I get the feeling that the gear ratios are tall, especially the 3rd,4th and 5th. Because in all these gears, the engine freely revs up to higher rpms and achieves higher speeds.

I have achieved 85kmph and 100kmph in 3rd and 4th gears respectively at 10000rpm, honestly, don’t rise your eyebrows in disbelief. There are no gear slipping issues or pronounced false neutral issues either (I get false neutrals once in a blue moon). Overall SS125 is again high on marks for its classy transmission.

Rating: 9/10

Performance

Performance is always the most awaited section of any review and performance of Yamaha here is again impressive but it comes in the guise of top speed rather than breath taking acceleration because of its engine tuning which I have explained earlier in the engine section. Let me explain the negative part of this section first.

As I’ve mentioned earlier the acceleration of the bike is slightly sluggish due to its less low end torque and the acceleration with a pillion is even big let down. SS125 demands more throttle input unlike some other bikes in market, to extract the juice out of engine. But anyhow the sluggish throttle response can be made up with aggressive throttle input and by shifting gears at higher rpm.

Although the SS125’s low end torque is less, still one can ride at speeds of 27-28kmph and 30kmph without and with pillion respectively in the top gear without engine snatching (Platina 125 ran without snatching at 20kmph in 5th gear without pillion! Woooh!). As I told earlier, SS125 has got a revvy engine that freely revs to higher rpms of around 10000rpm in 3rd and 4th gears although the redline starts at 9500rpm.

With high rpm gear shifts and aggressive throttling, the best 0-60kmph timing I could achieve is 7 sec(+/-) 10 millisecs and this is a good figure for a 125cc machine with different sort of tuning and one must also remember that most of 150cc bikes achieves this mark only in around 5.5 seconds.

The acceleration past 4k rpm is better and bike reaches 40kmph-95kmph in quick time and past 95 it takes its own pace to reach its top speed which in my case is 110kmph at 9.5k rpm in top gear. So, thats all I have to say in the performance section.

Rating: 8.5/10

Handling

Yamaha is best known for its handling and SS125 is no exception. The handlebar is nearly flat, not flat as the one in FZ though and its mounted over metal slab kind of thing unlike the old generation Gladiators that had conventional square shaped hand bar. What one gets is a compact seating posture which is neither upright like Unicorn’s and other 100cc’s nor a sporty one like FZ’s.

But something in between which perfectly suits for its geometry and provides neat handling for zipping through the traffic. As it weighs less than 125kgs when the tank is not full, one can easily flick through the city taffic. SS125 to me is superb city handler and the turning radius is also made small, for taking effortless U-turns. In highways, although one won’t get the stability of 150cc’s due to its light weight, it gives enough confidence to cruise at 100+ speeds.

Although I am not genius at footpeg scrubbing cornering, it gives me enough confidence to lean at decent angles compared to my StarCity. I personally feel rear-set rider footrests and fatter tires would have improved its cornering abilities to even different levels, but the fact that its a commuter bike must also be remembered. On the whole, it achieves its goal of being an excellent city handler.

Rating: 8/10

Comfort and Suspensions

The first thing I noticed when I sat over the bike is its softer seat. Its softer than the seats of many other bikes I’ve ridden. The seating posture is comfortable for long rides, but long tours would cause back pain and its best suited for the city rides. The pillion seat which is slightly rised up would give the feeling that the pillion seat is very high for the ladies sitting for first time, but they will get used to it and ss125 offers decent pillion comfort as well.

The conventional swingarm rear suspension is neither too soft nor too hard and its something in between. It absorbs unevenness and potholes to a decent extent but can’t match up anywhere near the Gas charged shock absorbers. With a heavy pillion, the suspensions act like softer ones and due to the low ground clearance (155mm), the main stand hits against the bike breakers (high speed breakers). The lower ground clearance is definitely a disadvantage and the overall bike’s comfort and suspensions are on a decent scale if not excellent.

Rating: 7/10

Brakes and Tires

SS125 is equipped with a 130mm rear drum brake and 240mm Bybre disc brake in the front wheel. The drum-disc combination is very functional and they are adequate to halt the bike from high speeds within a decent stopping distance. The disc brake in the front is just awesome as it possesses that required bite and also gives the confidence that wheel won’t lock up.

However the brakes are sharp,if the tires aren’t good, one can’t escape skidding in the emergency braking conditions. Here in SS125 which features good brakes, what comes as icing on the cake are the MRF Nylogrip Zappers (tube) in both wheels. The 3.00 inch rear MRF Zapper-C and 2.75’ inch front MRF Zapper FS, both fitted to 18 inch alloy wheels offer a fantastic roadgrip on dry tar roads and decent grip on wet roads too.

One who has experience with TVS tires like me would definitely appreciate the greatness of MRF tires. Anyhow sandy gravel roads would readily skid the MRFs for sure under harsh braking. The braking and handling experience would have been superb if the rear tire had been 100/90 Zappers.

But again mileage and pick up are the more important constraints for a commuter bike than the braking and handling. Its a trade-off between the above mentioned parameters but still one can’t deny the fact that SS125’s braking is impressive.

Rating: 8.5/10

Electricals

The electricals of the bike are neatly laid out. SS125 features a conventional 35W halogen head lamp lit by 12V, 5Ah battery, that gives decent enough illumination to ride in the nights of Chennai where street lights mostly function. Even in dark roads also you can cruise at decent pace with the bike’s headlight illumination confidently.

The engine can be turned on in any gear by holding onto the clutch and just with a push on self start button. Now coming to the dash board, SS125 features full analog, basic yet adequate dashboard which consists of two circular gauges and fuel meter in between them. The left gauge contains speedometer, odometer, indicator and neutral lights whereas the right one contains tachometer, highbeam light and indicator light.

The dials are backlit by a halogen-bulb colored yellow light which makes the dashboard look too simple. Had they been backlit by a mercury-bulb colored white light, the dials would have looked pretty cool. The fuel-meter is a reliable one and no issues with it. The bike also features a pass light switch,and a functional engine-kill switch that is very handy in the signals.

Bike’s horn is average and a trip meter could have been included. Suzuki famous gear indicator is also absent. Although simple,everything is functional and the quality of switches are also fine.

Rating: 8/10

Mileage

Coming to the most important aspect of commuter segment bikes, I haven’t tested the bike’s mileage separately in city and highways, as I have to ride through the mixed conditions. The mileage which was around 50’s in the initial days has gone up. Under sane riding conditions of 40-60kmph, it offers around 60kmpl and offers 55+ kmpl in normal riding conditions of 55-75kmph and anything beyond that would return 50-55kmpl.

One has to literally thrash the bike to get anything below 47kmpl. Aren’t these average figures sounding good for a decent powered ‘Yamaha’? Another thing I assume to be fact through personal experience and by going through various forums is that although Gladiators and SS125 share the same engine.

Gladiators achieve a greater top speed of 115-118kmph (astonishing figures for 125cc) which many Glady owners have witnessed, but less on mileage by returning around 46-52kmpl. SS125 on other hand returns 55+ average figures with ease but manages to touch only 110kmph. Someone can explain on it in the comments. SS125 anyhow seems to be a good balance on power and average.

Rating: 8.5/10

Maintenance

Maintenance plays a chief role in deciding the bike’s durability and endurance. The photographs available here were taken when my bike was around 15000kms. So how does my look like?

My maintenance activities on my bike include:

• Regular service at intervals of 2000-2500km in Yamaha service centre. So far 8 services have been completed (6 free services +2 paid)
• Oil Change would be done regularly in every service and so far I have stuck to Yamalube 20w40 engine oil which is the prescribed one. Anyhow I am thinking of upgrading to synthetic or semi-synthetic oil.
• I get my bike Teflon coated (costs 400 bucks)on every alternative services as they would prevent color fading and protects the good paint job that the bike has been offered.
• Open chain cover although looks sporty, is high on maintenance. The O-ring chain demands lubrication every 500-700kms, and sadly I just used to spend Rs 140 on chain job (chain cleaning and lubrication) in every service only.
• As the area I am living in is not very dust prone, I don’t clean air filter by myself and I just used to clean the dust on the body of bike.

Apart from these, I haven’t done anything on maintenance scale. Like any other bike SS125 also had small issues so far. They are

• Battery got drained once and the service guys couldn’t charge it back because the charge kept on draining immediately. So they replaced the battery in warranty.
• As chain needs maintenance for every 500-700km and I lubricated them only in services, the sprockets have worn out soon, and its making noise often. They needs a replacement. This is not a problem with all Gladiators, but only with mine as I didn’t maintain them properly.

These are the two big issues so far I have faced with my bike. No noteworthy problems in bike except them both so far. I have changed the handlebar and brake pedal as they both were bent when I met with an accident, and the bike is not responsible for it anyhow. I haven’t made any modifications so far and as per owner manual, air filter and sparkplug must be replaced in 12000kms and I still didn’t change them as there are no issues with them so far.

But planning to replace them with Iridium spark plug and the same normal air filter in the next service. Availability of spares is always a problem with Yamaha. Most of the spares won’t be available on the first demand, and the service is not too bad but on an average scale.

Pros and Cons in a nutshell:

Pros

• Sporty Styling.
• Awesome engine refinement.
• Good top end speeds.
• Classy transmission.
• Good handling and decent comfort.
• Good pair of brakes and tires.
• Excellent mileage for the performance it offers.
• Adequate electricals.

Cons

• Less low end torque and hence sluggish initial acceleration.
• Basic looking dashboard.
• No trip meter
• Open chain case demanding more maintenance.
• Low ground clearance.
• Less availability of spares.

I think, I have written enough on technical stuffs. Now, I would like to explain my personal feeling over my bike.

What I feel about my Yammie

From the day of transformation from Yamaha hater to Yamaha owner, its all totally love and love with my machine. Its my first big decision from my family perspective and it worked out fine. It has fetched me my parents appreciation and gives a feeling of pride, when someone stares at it or enquires about it.

These things automatically increase my love towards my machine. I have recently bought a Dazzler after a waiting period of 6 months and in those waiting days I have been riding SS125 predominantly and gave Star City to my dad and so, its me who have ridden the most 15k kms and it has always been a passionate ride. I would always observe how the machine I selected out of the lot, fares in different driving conditions.

Everytime the engine rpm zooms past 9000 without any vibrations, it brings a feel of pride and big smile to my heart. My love for my buddy has never diminished a bit too, after the arrival of my Dazzler. I also feel that SS125 is the best 125 cc along with Stunner considering all the aspects and even Bike Advice had rated Stunner the best 125cc, with SS125 right next to it, losing out by 1 point.

Proud to own a marvelous piece of automobile from the legend Yamaha. Yes! Yamaha.

My Verdict on the Bike

SS125 is the best value for money, offering many quality features at an on-road price of 58,000 (approx) in Chennai in 2011. (Price would have gone up now due to tax hike). SS125 is both for a youngster and middle aged person, who needs a right balance of power and mileage with stylish sporty looks and good reliability. The bike is more suited for urban conditions.

It is still a wonder that inspite of its quality, its still an underdog in market and people are just scared to buy a Yamaha bike due to the mileage impact of RX series. But good thing is I can see few SS125s rolling on streets now a days. Glad news for the Gladiators.

One kind advice for people who blindly go for Shine, Super Splendor and Glamour, “Just pause a minute to peep at Yamaha showrooms to have a look at more stylish, more refined, better performing and better handling bike with almost same mileage and on-road price and then make a decision!” As per the ratings I have given in each sections,the overall average rating for my SS125 is,

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Thank you everyone for reading my lengthy review with patience and I am sorry if there are mistakes in my review, either technical or grammatical, because its my first review on a website ever! I have given my honest opinions, facts and figures to the best of my knowledge without bias. Don’t forget to drop in your comments.

Thank you BikeAdvice for giving me an opportunity to review my machine! Wear a helmet strictly, either for your sake or cop’s sake. Ride safe! Take care of your machine! Good luck buddies!

Regards,
Sam Raj

Original Source: Yamaha Fazer 150cc Review by Sonu Mathew from BikeAdvice.in

Hi, I am Sonu Mathew from Mumbai. I read the review of this contest and would like express in view words abt my experience with my bike. I own a Yamaha Fazer 150cc. I love my bike very much as all bike owners love their bikes but am too deep inthu in it and have been riding bikes for more than 20yrs from home to work and travel lot more many place around mumbai.

But this my yamaha fazer have not gone far of places, Since I am in travel business and my office is near to my house and my main work tool is laptop and mobile so I rare get get a chance to ride long distance and now lack of time. But me and my son and daughter love to sit in this bike and not any other bike.

They are very well comfortable with my bike to raom around. Ok let me tell u about my bike as it is now 2yrs old at first buy was whole day cruising around with it I like its silent sound mostly I like non sound pollution bikes but still love the sound of the super bikes. I take him around in eveng out with my son who is crazy abt this bike at his age 3.

Fazer has got short seating but fine for me, I like it. It gives a good mileage of 45 am happy with it an mainly looks, with double headlights which I really feel yamaha has done that is very good and also in services and maintenance too. People on way look twice to see my bike and still after 2 yrs of after good maintenance.

I still get that double look, and at night with that two powerfull headlights flashes together passing by the public blind eyes flickers to see who is riding this monster. Well Before this one I had been riding Hero Honda CBZ for 12yrs it was my very good bike too and the Tahitian blue colour of it made me lot inspired that I made my email id has suncbzblue.

It clocked many kms and with good average of 40 till the last, since I use to maintain it with lot care and at the end of late 3yrs I had modified my CBZ to Karizma by my self. I did this so since my cbz petrol tank started rusting and leaking of petrol from below and it was time that I make a change or to convert with some new ideas, so I did as since its chassy was the same and I modified it to Karizma.

I had good feeling of riding a original Karizma with button start and digital meter all was same but the engine was original cbz 150CC. It was a cheat to many eyes and I had a gr8t feeling of a Karizma since I could not afford to buy a new Karizma. When I saw yamaha fazer I got a new thirst to buy it, I could had kept my old bike but to keep a old n new one was confusion to me later then an offer came from a teenage kid who had passion for bike and he liked my bike so much but had financial problm to buy a new one.

He asked me I had 2 bikes so could I give him the old one and he would take care of it, I was happy to see his passion for this bike so I sold him for a very cheap rate that he was very happy and I was happy too that he will maintain that bike too like I did. My passion for bikes will never die till I become a old man will always ride a bike only the one which I would like.

Now my dream is only to own one super bike and that also only Yamaha R6, hope it comes true. Pls find attached within of me my bike and my son with Yamaha fazer. I really had a good feeling to express my few words for my bike in short to you all people who introduced this owners review contest.

I hope you will like my short story and I have no much pictures to load for now since my worktime is not permitting me to remove out more time for this. But I enjoyed this few time session as of now. You all Have a good time in reading many more till then bye.

Regards,
Sonu Mathew

Original Source: Yamaha FZ16 Review by Aditya Bhat from BikeAdvice.in

Hi Guyz this is Aditya from Bangalore. I am currently doing my First year engg. I am here to share my love story between me and my bike (FZ-16). It all started in on Aug 12th 2011 when I got her home. Its been 2500 on the odo and still I love her the same way I did when I first got her. I always wanted to buy a bike since my high school.

My parents had told me that if I score well in my 2nd PUC, they would get me a bike of my choice. Since I scored well they agreed to buy me a bike. But the problem was, I didnt know how to ride one. Thanks to my best buddy sujith who helped me in learning to ride a bike by lending me his dad’s bike.

In just 15 days I was perfectly able to shift gears and drive comfortably. Since I had learnt how to ride a bike I went up to my parents and asked them to get me a bike, to which they happily agreed. It was now the decision time to choose my bike. Initially I was completely bent upon buying a Pulsar as I loved its looks and was almost about to book one.

But my cousin who works at bajaj told me not to buy one as he felt that the bike was not durable and even I felt that it was very common and nobody would notice me as Pulsars are like house hold bike. Then I thought of buying a hunk as I loved its design and curves, I dnt know what happened but I didnt want to buy it any more.

One day my best friend lent me his brother’s FZ to drive and get a feel of it, from the moment I sat on the bike I was sure that this was the right bike for me as it suited my requirements of good looks with quality. Even I had heard that yamaha bikes are durable with respect to parts. On july 30th I went to yamaha showroom and booked my dream machine and got it delivered on August 12th. From the day I took it till now I have not faced a single problem with my bike. I love my bike very much as it has made my commute to college very easy and even saved my life a couple of times.

Pros

• Looks: Wise I think it is one of the best among 150cc bikes .
• Mileage: When I bought this bike my friends told me that yamaha bikes are perol burners and would burn my pocket money with low mileage. Thankfully due to my maintainence and driving style its giving me 40+.
• Brake: The brake needs a special mention as it provides superior braking compared to other bikes in this segment. Not even for a minute you feel scared to apply the front brakes when u want to stop from a high speed to zero.
• Quality of Parts: The paint job on this is very good, even after 8 months it still looks brand new when you wipe of the dust on it.
• Maintainence: Till now now I have not spent an extra penny on maintainence apart from regular servicing cost.
• Handling: This bike has got an amazing handling due to its fat rear tyre which is biggest among 150cc bike. Even on a high speed curve the bike remains planted on the road giving you immense confidenceto take a curve without any fear.

As every bike is not perfect even my bike has some Cons. They are It has got a small pillion seat when compared to other bikes in this segment. The pillion rider cannot sit for long due to the small seat. I Feel that initial pickup is not as good when compared to apache but after 4K RPM there is no stopping it .

Ifeel this is purposely done keeping the safety of the driver in mind and sudden initial pickup is dangerous sometimes as u might not be able to control the bike. Apart from the above things I dont find any issues with my bike.

Finally to wrap up I would like to tell you that treat your bike well and it will in turn bring a smile on your face when you ride it by not causing any troubles. I love my bike so much that I wipe it daily before taking out to college and because of that my bike still looks brand new and my friends are really envious about my bike which in turn brings a smile on my face.

So love your bike and maintain it well and do wear a helmet without fail everytime you ride your bike. Finally I would like to apologise if I have bored you through my article and the opinions in this article is my personal one so I dont intend to hurt anybody’s feeling through it. Thank you for reading my love story and I whole heartedly welcome your suggestions on my article

Regards,
Aditya Bhat

Original Source: Honda CBR250R Vs. Yamaha R15 V 2.0 from BikeAdvice.in

As both the Honda CBR250R and Yamaha R15 V 2.0 share a similar sportive and stylish look, a comparison it can be rather confusing for bike enthusiasts and aspiring bike owners to choose between them. The comparison of its primary features will assist you in making an informed choice.

The Honda CBR250R is a sports model bike that has high power and style. The Yamaha R15 V 2.0 is a mini super bike that is more sharp and aggressive in terms of appearance with good power delivery and effective performance upgrades.

Price Comparison

Compared to other ordinary bikes available in the market, the prices of both the bikes are little high. The ex-showroom price tag for the CBR250R is 147,689 and on Road price is 1,62,069 whereas the price tag for Yamaha R15 V 2.0 is 1,07,000 and on road price is 1,19,000.

Performance and Mileage

As both the bikes come under the category of a sports model, we cannot expect high mileage. Honda CBR250R claims a mileage of 35-40kmpl in highway and 28-32kmpl in city with a top speed of 165-170 kph and reaches 0-60 Km in 3.50 seconds whereas Yamaha R15 V 2.0 claims a mileage of 38-42kmpl in highway and 32-35kmpl in city with a maximum speed of 135-140kph, which reaches 0-60 km in 5.10 seconds.

Engine Specifications and Suspension

The power of both the bikes comparatively varies from each other. The CBR250R is powered by a single DOHC, 4-stroke, liquid cooled cylinder with a displacement of 249.6cc. This engine generates a maximum power of 25 Bhp at 8500 rpm and a maximum torque of 23Nm at 7000 rpm. The R15 V 2.0 is powered by a 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, SOHC single cylinder with displacement of 149.8cc.

This bike has a maximum power of 16.8 Bhp(17PS) at 8500 rpm and a maximum torque of 15 Nm at 7500 rpm. Honda CBR250R has a telescopic fork suspension in the front with a Pro Link rear suspension and it has a multi-wet plate clutch whereas Yamaha R15 V 2.0 has a telescopic front suspension with a linked type Monocross rear suspension, and a constant mesh wet multi-plate clutch. Both the bikes are packed with a 6 speed gear box.

Variants

Honda CBR250R is available in two variants namely CBR250R with ABS and CBR250R without ABS. Yamaha R15 V 2.0 does not have any such variants.

Dimensions and Weight

The CBR250R has an overall dimension of 2035 mm x1125 mm x720 mm with a Kerb weight of 167 kg whereas for the R15 V 2.0 it is 1995 mm x1070 mm x670 mm with a Kerb weight of 136 kg.

Other Specifications

The ground clearance is 145 mm for Honda CBR250R and it has a fuel tank capacity of 13 liters. The Yamaha has a 160 mm ground clearance and 12 liters of fuel capacity. Both the bikes have maintenance free battery type with a battery voltage of 12V. However the capacity of battery differs from each other, which is 6AH for CBR250R and 3.5AH for Yamaha R15 V 2.0.

The wheel type of both the bikes is alloy based. The headlamp is 12V 60/55W for CBR250R and 12V35W / 35W+35W for R15 V 2.0. The shades available in CBR250R are Candy Rudy red, sword silver, asteroid black metallic and sporty red white blue tricolor and R15 comes with a shade of sunset red, midnight black and racing blue.

Verdict

Comparatively, Honda CBR250R has a high power and efficiency with an excellent ride quality, together adding a real value for money. Though the 150 cc Yamaha R15 V 2.0 may be a little higher priced for its capacity, it can be an ideal choice for bike enthusiasts and beginners.

Original Source: Yamaha SZ-R Ownership Review by Samresh from BikeAdvice.in

Hi all, this is Samresh Kumar Verma. I am working as a Software developer in Chennai. I am basically from Jharkhand, a hilly area named Kiriburu where my father was working under SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited). I am having a great passion about bikes.

When I was in 10th Standard, my parents bought me Kinetic Velocity which was the first bike in my life as my father always used to have scooter. In that bike only I learned riding. That was a superb bike according to its performance. It was giving me a mileage of 45Km per liter in that hilly area even if I was driving at a speed of 70-80 Km/h.

Why Yamaha SZ-R

After completing my Schooling, I left my bike in home and I came to TamilNadu for pursuing Engineering. My whole college life went without a bike and I was waiting for the time to complete my studies so that I can join in a company and can buy a bike on my own. After joining here in June 2011, I started thinking which bike to buy.

The condition then was very painful as I was very confused between Bajaj Pulsar and TVS Apache. Actually my roommate was having TVS Apache when I was in college. I liked that bike because of its Pick-up. It was Superb as I love racing. The thing which was attracting me towards Bajaj Pulsar was its mileage and lifespan.

Finally one day I have seen an Advertisement in TV about Yamaha SZ-R. That day I thought to checkout this bike. Then I went to the Yamaha showroom and enquired about this bike. After looking into all the aspects I thought this was the only bike I was searching for.

As I have just completed my Engineering and have joined into the company my first condition was that the bike shouldn’t cost much and should be at least 150cc. When I asked about the on road price of this bike I came to know that it is Rs.65899 which was around Nine thousand lesser than Bajaj Pulsar and TVS Apache.

Hence this was the only bike in 150cc segment in this range of 66 thousand. The second thing which attracted me towards this bike was the Sporty look. The big Tank with tank protector like Wings was giving a bulky look to it. After selecting my bike I started thinking about the colour as it was available in Black, Blue and Red. I liked Red one as the combination of Red with silver was awesome.

Finally on 1st of November I got my bike on the day of my birthday. I was very happy as this was the first big thing which I have bought on my salary. My father, mother and one of my friend went with me to the showroom and we were waiting eagerly when the Showroom head in charge said that he will not be able to deliver the bike today. It turned the whole situation into a sad moment.

When I asked the reason he replied as he is not having the accessories so he will be giving it on the next day. I asked him that it’s not a problem for me; I can come on the next day and get the accessories as I was not in a mood to miss this special day. Finally they agreed and have given the bike. The moment was like that finally I have got my darling. Then we went for celebrating my birthday in my bike. That was a memorable day for me.

Regrets

As I am using this bike from few months back, I have seen that the mileage is not going above 45Km per liter in City which is little bit less but I don’t think this as a big matter as I have already said I love racing hence mileage doesn’t matter more. It’s going from 0-60 in 6 seconds only.

The top speed is around 110 Km/h. There is no kick starter in my bike but I am not considering it as a drawback as it is getting started in the first press even if you are letting your bike stand for a week.

Design & Look

The stylish sporty design was the main reason for choosing this bike. It was a new look as compared to Bajaj Pulsar and TVS Apache. The height and length of Yamaha SZ-R is more than Pulsar and Apache which was very necessary as my height is about 6.1 ft such that it can suit me perfectly. The other thing is the Rpm meter which I liked as it was there in my old bike too.

The big tank was adding an extra style to the bike. And the fiber transparent dome which I have seen before in LML Energy FX, which is scratch free. The battery cover and Oil Filter covers are same as of Yamaha FZ. The leg guard has its own look. The seat is quite wider which makes it more comfortable for pillion to seat as it is designed as a Commuter bike. Even if you are going for long ride it is not creating a difference.

The engine is same as of Yamaha FZ i.e. 153cc., only thing is that they have reduced the torque in order to increase the mileage. It is going to a speed of 60 km in 4500 rpm. I love the pick-up and the wider disc break increases its style.

Performance

When you are coming to performance, the engine is too smooth. When my friend asked me for a test ride he said that it is smooth like butter who owns TVS Apache. If I am riding at a speed of 90-100 Km/h, it is giving a mileage of 35-37km per liter. I said about this in service center so they replied that because the engine is new so the mileage is less. It will increase after 4th servicing.

Last month I went for a long drive to my college which is in Chidambaram, 227 Km from Chennai, I reached there in 4 hours riding at a speed of 80 km per hour. The trip was superb as the engine was not heated a lot when I compared it with my old bike in which engine was getting heated while riding for a long even for 100km. The same day I returned back to Chennai. I haven’t got any shoulder or neck pain while riding for such a long distance.

Caring

Finally I will say that if you are keeping a bike, please keep it as your Darling. Always do regular servicing. Clean your bike every weekend. Don’t use extra electric parts like Heavy Horns, Extra lights as these can reduce your battery performance. Don’t let your bike stand in hot sun as this can reduce the shine of your bike. Always use bike polish after washing your bike as it will increase the shining and protect it from rust.

I thank Mr. Deepak as he has given me a chance to tell something about my bike to everyone.

Regards,
Samresh Kumar Verma

Original Source: Yamaha SZ-R Ownership Review by Subhajit from BikeAdvice.in

Hello guys, I am Subhajit, a final year engineering student of ECE stream. This is the first time, I am writing a review of my bike. Wait, ‘a review’! ummm… better to call it a story, a story about my passion, my love and affection, a story about how I met my ‘Black Beauty’.

First of all, I like to thank Mr. Deepak Raj for giving me such an opportunity to write a review. I was planning abot it for a few months, as there is not much ownership reviews on Yamaha SZ-R, so, I guess, it will help the readers to some extent to have a brief idea about the bike.

The need of a Bike

My college is 9.5 kms. away from my home and I had to board 2 buses. All was going fine, until my 3rd year. Suddenly bus services began to become pathetic for students. From main bahaus stand, it was hard to get any bus if someone failed to board the bus at 9 am. sharp. After that bus conductors didn’t allow any engineering student to board on it, as they would pay the student fare (i.e. Rs. 2.5) instead of general fare (i.e. Rs. 5). As a result, bus services became limited for us.

The same drama was repeated by bus conductors also at the time of coming back to home. There were two consicutive days, when I walk back to my home from the main bus stand which is nearly 4.5 kms. Away from my home, 5 days, I went to college even by my cycle. My bus journey started becoming disgusting for me.

Everyday I boarded buses, I used to look at the bikes outside on the road and they used to allure me each and every time. And my inner soul always whispered, “You are missing something bro, get urself a bike and screw the bus conductors.” That was the time, I felt the need of a bike just next to “food, fire and rest”(well, literally).

The Story Behind the Choice

I learned to ride a two wheeler when I was in 8th standard and don’t laugh at me guys, it was my private tutor’s Bajaj M80 which was a moped. My biking era starts with my dad’s Hero Honda CD100 SS. That was a legebdary bike (still is) and I am really proud to say that it is still well maintained after covering 63k+ kms. and my dad is never gonna sell it.

But, as I didn’t have a licenses and not much experience of bike driving on road, I was not allowed to take my dad’s bike out alone. Even I get scolded many times while asking for that. Anyways, back to my story again. I started to convince my parents for a bike, I even asked my father for a second hand bike, as, I really hated the bus journey due to bad behaviours of conductors.

When I started to buy my own bike, I didn’t have any idea about which factors, I have to focus upon to find a right machine for me. I forced my dad to go to our nearest Yamaha showroom to see a FZ-S, having no planning to buy a bike for the next 5 or 6 months, yes friends, I was literally became mad for a bike, it was like ‘no bike, no college’ condition for me.

As my mom was dead against buying a bike for me, I had to face some hot environment in my home very often. At last I challenged my dad that, “I will buy it with my own money, I need not to depend on you”. Well, that was harsh. I told sorry to him later though. I did a 9 months survey over internet to find a machine that suites my need. During that period, even my friends got bored of me.

They used to run away whenever they saw me, as they knew that, I would again ask tham “which bike you think is good for me” probably for the 5th, 7th or 10th time. My choices kept on changing everyday as I read more and more reviews of different bikes of various bike makers. I collected templates of FZ-S, SZ-X, Apache, CBZ-xtreme and believe it or not even Mahindra Stallio. I took test drives of Yamaha SS-125, Apache 180, Unicorn (2008 model), CB-Twister, Pulsar 135LS, and how can I forget, ofcourse, Mahindra Stallio(that is because, I am a Aamir Khan fan…ha ha).

I finally ended up with the following list

• Yamaha SS-125
• TVS Apache RTR 160 Hyper Edge (pheewww, quiet a mouthfull name)
• Bajaj Pulsar 135LS
• Honda Stunner
• Honda CB Unicorn/ Unicorn Dazzler
• Hero Honda CBZ X-treme

CBZ X-trme and CB Unicorn Cancellation

However I didn’t find myself comfortable with CBS X-treme or CB Unicorn, due to their hiegher kerb weights, so I had to cancell them, as I find it hard to control them. Naturally, I was accustomed with the thin tank of CD100 SS, so they look to me as some big bikes to handle. But, I really fallen for X-treme and decided to give it a shot once, well that was not in my fate.

Pulsar 135LS Cancellation

I removed Pulsar 135LS from my list, as, bajaj lacks in durability and in each and every review, I found that 135LS is not comfortable for long drives and results in back ache also due to the hard seat. Honestly speaking, I once opted for that also just due to the 4 valve engine, super pick-up, price tag, and sporty look. But, that was not the bike for me, as, I wanted a bike which is durable and comfortable at the same time. As my primary needs was not accomplished, I had to remove that from my list also.

Honda Stunner Cancellation

When I was almost sure, that I would buy this bike, I asked some Stunner owners about it and they told that it vibrates at the speed of 60 kmph. Again, in some reviews, I found complains about it’s faulty mileage. It was written in one review that, “sometimes, it gives 60 kmpl, but sometimes consumes a litre of petrol for just 35 kms.” So, I had to cancell that also.

TVS Apache Cancellation

Apache is a machine, which can be called a ‘Wild Beast’, killer loks, the grunt, the raw power, the acceleration, totally a package full of power and performance and very hard to resist. But then came the saddest part of it, ‘Vibrations’. I didn’t find any single review not complaining about it’s vibration problems. Again, it is a bike of very high power and my dad was very much afraid of it, as, I was only used to a 100 cc engine (i.e. dad’s CD100 SS). So, had to cancel that with tons of pain in my heart.

Dazzler Cancellation

It was the machine with good power, great stability at higher speeds, good pick up, decent mileage, good breaking, nice weight balanced bike. But, had to cancel it due to one reason looks. Sorry to say, but, I just failed to understand why HONDA bike designers has given that look, no sharpness, no allurance, nothing. The bike looks neither sporty nor conservative, rather funky. But it is a good machine after all. Unfortunately I was not to compromise with looks atleast.

Finally SS-125

After so much cancellations, the only choice left to me was Yamaha SS-125. The reasons behind choosing this were:- Sporty looks, decent mileage (55-57 kmpl, as stated by one of my friend), less vibrations (vibrations creep at 90+ kmph), good pick up, excellent durability (I still see many gladiators on the roads running totally fine and having the paintjob intact on them), comfortability.

Then my dad asked me the million dollar question:- “You have decided that is good, but where from you will have the money to book that.” I kept silent, started waiting for my scholarship’s money to hit my bank account. 14th April, 2011, I went to nearest ATM counter to take out some money, I needed and, after withdrawl, when I see the balence, I was on cloud 9.

My scholarship was already reached. I called my dad and said, “get ready, we have to go to somewhere.” My father was totally in dark, untill I reached home. Then I went to that Yamaha showroom again. I was very happy that I will book my chosen machine. Then came the twist. There were two black SZ-R available at that time. The bike was a newly launched one and I havn’t seen a single piece of that on road till then.

One of my friend who is studying automobiles engineering in Bangalore once advised me for SZ-X. I thought a little and then asked the showroom people for a test drive. Just a single kilometer almost, it forced me to think about it. Finally I booked a SS-125 or SZ-R (blue) and paid them Rs.5k from my scholarship. And the wait began.

I was still dual minded, what should I go for? SZ-R was totally a new launch, without kick start (now they are coming with kick starters though) and the battery is not even of dry cell, moreover, there was not much reviews about that bike. I started reading reviews about SZ and SZ-X, as all of them possess the same engine. After 2 weeks or so, the showroom people called to confirm my booking, I told them to book one SZ-R of blue colour.

I told that because, I reminded that, when I test drove SZ-R, it seemed that it was just made for me. It perfectly suited my physique and requierments. 11th may, 2011, I got my black beauty home, as blue colour was not available then. I was on heaven, well, literally, I guess all bike enthusiasts will agree with me about how it feels to have your dream machine home.

First Ride

I took my black beauty on one of the most congested roads of my town, with my best friend as a pillon rider, whose weight is 90+ kgs. and belive me guys, there was not a single moment, when I felt of loosing the control. Each twists and turns it managed easily with a slightest effort. The nimbleness and handling amazed me. I felt, like, I was used to that bike for years. From that very first day, till now, I am equally amazed by its performance.

Crushing the Road at My Top Speed Till Now

On the day of the last examination of the last sem, I drove my bike at a top speed of 105 kmph with a pillion rider weighing 65kgs., almost. The performance? well, it was rock steady, no slightest vibrations, no slightest feel of loosing control, nothing. After I crossed 80 kmph mark, the engine sound as well as the feeling of the throttle response changes and becomes so smooth, that you will feel like floating in the sky.

Well, enough emotional stories, I guess, let me now focus on the main parts. That is, how much points, I’m gonna give my bike in different aspects.

Handling

I’ve already talked about it in above captions, so definitely, I will give-> 9/10.

Engine and Transmission

The smoothness is just next to Honda, you will be thinking like cutting a bar of butter with a hot knife, it is the best, I can tell to describe the transmission. Engine is basically the same engine that serves the FZ series, but slightly downtuned to provide better mileage, i.e. 12.1 PS @ 7500 rpm, instead of 14 PS @ 7500 rpm(FZ series).

And further, it produces a torque of 12.8 Nm @ 4500 rpm, that helps a lot to prevent frequent gear shifts in traffic. In 5th gear, I drove at 28 kmph single and at 32 kmph with a pillion without knocking. Hence, it is pretty much clear that it helps a lot in city commuting. So, I will give-> 9/10.

Looks

It’s look is sporty and at the same time, classic also. In one word, it’s a sober looking bike. It suites the teenagers, as well as the professionals even the middle aged people also. And it’s looks is totally unique. Even, now also, I recieve many staring glances at the traffic signals. Moreover, in my college, my SZ-R stands out in the crowd of Pulsars, Passions, and other bikes. The extended visors and plastic tank protectors give it a really mascular look. So, a 9/10 again for looks.

Performance

Upto 60 kmph, the bike takes time, but post 60 kmph, it crushes upto 90 kmph in no time, but again, it swallows a good amount of time to cross 100 kmph mark. This bike is also not for instant pick-up, like apaches or Pulsars, you have to twist the throttle gently, letting the machine to grab speed at it’s own frequency.

It behaves in a conservative manner, it will meet your needs, but in it’s own ways. You have to give its throttle a gentle twist. So, it’s definitely not an option or choice for speedo fans or racing type of people. My ratings-> 8/10, because, however, I am not a speedo fan and like to enjoy my journey with my black beauty.

Suspensions

Telescopic fork type front suspension and Swing arm type rear suspensions work just fine. The pillion rider also feels as comfortable as the driver. My ratings-> 7.5/10

Tyres

Front is 2.75-17 41P 4PR size and rear one is of 100/90-17 55p size, with tubes and a little disappointment here, tyres are TVS eurogrip ones. It is done so basically to cut the cost of the bike. So, during rainy seasons, you have to drive cautiosly. But, again, the grip is sufficient enough, to drive in normal road conditions. I have not met with any skidding incident till now. So, a 7.5/10 will do good, I guess.

Brakes

They are just too good. Even, if you apply the disc brakes hard, the bike won’t skid. One of my friend owns a pulsar, he test drove my SZ-R inside a playground where there were less grasses. He applied the disc brakes hard each and every time. At the end, the words came from his were, “This disc is excellent, my pulsar always skids on applying hard discs, but, it takes them at ease, really mindblowing yaar” (don’t mind Pulsar lovers, please, that was not my comment). Again, 9/10.

Electricals

Now comes the disappointing parts. The horns are a little bit poor, it should be made louder. The 12 volt, 35 watt headlamp sometimes lok poor at night, specially, in highways. So, a 6.5/10.

Mileage

“Kitna deti hai?” Well, quiet satisfactory. Upto 3rd service, I recorded a mileage of 40-44 kmpl. After that, the oil pipe was bound and mileage was improved. After 3rd servicing, I got 47 kmpl minimum and 52.25 kmpl maximum mileage. Generally I get 48-50 kmpl constant mileage in mixed driving conditions. I am sincerely looking forward to get a 55 kmpl, claimed by the company. A 153 cc angine, the manufacture named ‘Yamaha’, which deals with a little less practicality and a mileage of 48-50 kmpl, I think, is pretty justified and decent also. I will give a 8.5/10.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Bike specifications at a Glance

Overall Length, Width, Height: 2050 mm., 730 mm., 1100 mm.
Seat height: 802 mm.
Wheelbase: 1320 mm.
Minimum Ground Clearance: 165 mm.
Kerb Weight: 132 kgs.
Engine Type: Air cooled, 4 stroke, SOHC
Cylinder Layout: Single Cylinder
Displacement: 153 cc
Bore * Stroke: 58 * 57.9
Compression Ratio: 9.5:1
Maximum Power Output: 12.1 PS @ 7500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 12.8 Nm @ 4500 rpm
Starting Method: Electric Start
Engine Oil Volume: 1000 ml.
Lubrication Type: Wet Sump
Fuel Tank Volume: 13.8 litre
Fuel Supply: Carburator
Ignition Type: CDI
Battery: 12V, 5 AH(10H)
Head Light: Halogen Bulb (12V, 35/35W)
Primary / Secondary reduction ratio: 3.409 / 3.000
Clutch Type: Wet, Multiple-disc
Transmission Type: 5 Gear Constant Mesh
Gear Ratios: 1st = 2.714 , 2nd = 1.789 , 3rd = 1.318 , 4rth = 1.045 , 5th = 0.917
Frame Type: Diamond
Caster / Trail: 26 degree / 99 mm.
Tyre Size (Front / Rear): (2.75-17 41P) / (100/90-17 55P)
Brake Type (Front / Rear): Disc(160 mm.) / Drum(130 mm.)
Suspension (Front / Rear): Telescopic / Swingarm

Pros

• Comfortability
• Engine durability
• Great handling
• Decent mileage
• Sober, matured and unique looks
• Full chain cover
• The price is justified(previously 62.5k OTR, now 2k extra for kick start.)

Cons

• No engine kill switch
• No pass indicator
• No instant pick-up
• No digital meters(I’m happy with my anlog meters, but, surly a dissappointment for digifans)
• Little weak horns and headlight
• MRF zapper tyres would be better
• No kick start(If the engine is not in use for more than 3 days, you have to keep the choke on for a few minutes, i.e. it takes time, but never disappoints you.)
• Ground clearance is a little less (I got my bike’s lower most portion hit 6 times by little bit higher bumps on double load).

Special Attractions, According to me

• I must say, the machine gun type muffler covering the silencer gives a different benchmark to the bike, it looks even matured and sexier than R15′s silencer.
• Introducing for the first time, horizontally placed dual LED tail lamp.
• The engine sound is totally unique, it’s like a sweet melodious tune. And you will love more to hear the sound after 80+ kmph.

So, to sum up all the points, the moral of my story is- Choose this bike, if you want a decent performance, if you are not a die hard speedo fan, if you want a comfortable ride, with a durable, reliable engine and good handling and above all a unique look. I feel very proud to say YES!Yamaha.

Some Tips

• Coming back from a long drive, never put your bike on side stand, as the engine oil will be stored in a particular place inside the engine.
• Always make a habit of taking out the small pieces of stones, stuck within the tyres, it will not only save the tyres, but also, will prevent skidding on a large extent.
• Take utmost care of your bike during the run-in period.
• To increase mileage, use the torque well and drive at less than the rpm, specified for the maximum torque figure.
• Take care of your bike like your sweet heart, and believe me, it will never let you down, though it’s a machine, it has a heart also.
• Wear helmet, obey traffic rules and ride safely.

Comments are welcome.

Regards,
Subhajit

Original Source: Yamaha Fazer 3000 KMs Ownership Review by Vinaya Kumar from BikeAdvice.in

Yamaha FaZeR.! My madness… My Sporting Instinct… My Lady 3000 KMS Review. Guys, we must have gone through so many bike reviews here and there on the superficially honest and common man’s foray into the biking world on our one and only dearer website BikeAdvice.in

I will assure you not to bore you guys any soon as I would like to help you out on a review on my dear lady! Yamaha has vivid features which stand out requiring individual description based on its engineering. Owe a lot to this website on giving me this chance to share my viewpoints on a bike I own. Might be biased at times. Given the knack I have, certain valid things are quite assertive.

Always had this dream of owning a bike which must be a Show-Stopper in all terms. My college days just passed by me with just not able to think of buying a bike. Was satisfied with a Hero Honda Splendor for local trips here and there.

With a steady job at stake, I made up my mind on a 2-wheeler. Friends suggested me a lot of options. Given the built I have, I was supposedly best suited for a bullet and vice-versa. But, dunno why I was hell bent on not going for any Royal Enfield ones or a cruiser. It just does not appeal to me. All I was needed was an eye-catching and a decently performing bike.

Overall Appearance

Yamaha ensures the real need for the bikes to look good. With so much of hard earned money that people put into buying these segments of bikes, the Japanese motorcycle major provides an eye catching looks as always. This in turn make men who buy these bikes build emotional bonding with their mean machines.

Engine Performance & Power

Yamaha FZR performs good at optimal speeds (60-80) at constant and consistent RPMS (4k- 5K). Proper care has to be taken when the bike is still under the 1st year of riding. Initial days make up for a great going later into the bike’s life. Frankly speaking, I see the FZR could have been provided with more bhp as opposed to the present 14bhp which at times seems insufficient to handle the bulky built.

But, manufacturers have ensured the weight of the bike is reduced down with fibre built which are atmost positions which do not hinder anything.

Aerodynamics

A lot of things have been said on Fazer’s aerodynamic body and stuff, I will want to believe in them as everything which has been said has been true to its expectations. Particularly, with respect to it’s shape and the wind shield arrangement and stuff. Let’s look into a dew more inclusives on this category.

• Ergonomics: I must say, the seating position could have been the best ever provided in Indian market as of now. No other maker, I think has even though about these particulars.
• Stability: I steer it across on Indian roads through different lanes and curves and find my lady responding superiorly without any qualms.
• Steering Geometry: I have heard a lot of previews from a few that steering might be a touch difficult as Fazer has a faring and stuff. Believe me, nothing of that sort have I ever encountered.

Handling

Yamaha as always had superior handling. As I travel through the nooks and corners of the Bangalore city, I find handling to be not an issue at all. Supports me in every possible manner. Am saying this coz, I see a lot of other bikes have less of this.

Seating

This necessarily attracts my attention as it attracts all critics too. I always have enjoyed the sitting posture on my bike. It has this car like sitting posture. Many may not agree. For no reason when I sit on my bike, I feel comfort. I have almost experienced all the Indian Bikes which do not provide proper sitting postures as Yamaha does. Cheers to Yamaha on this.

P Factor

I completely understand the sentiments of Indian mass commuter bikers that they don wanna go for higher priced small displacements bikes. In a fazer, they should not have any qualms. Superiorly styled, wonderfully chiselled. Always thought the look and the handling this machine offers is all worth the money.

Maintenance

Maintenance does require a mention as a new buyer will press upon this which is considerably most sought after post sales. It has been 4 months now and I don’t see any specific maintenance required to be done by the self. Free Services ensure the engine and the pre-requisites are well serviced to be able to go on for a few 1000kms.

Optional self-maintenance might include these

• Brake Oil change with proper info.
• Chain Lubrication can be done with prior guidance.
• Engine Oil Level Check.

Instrument Cluster Assembly

This has come under quite some pressure among peers. Like in, it doesn have,

• Clock to display time- I wonder why would someone need time display. We have watch we constantly wear, mobile phones which can be so much of use. I think this
• Mileage Indicator- Inclusion of this might have been a really satisfying thing to most people who see its absence. Have heard ZMR to be having this with inaccurate efficiency.

Tyres and the Handling Assistance

FZR comes with scripted MRF Nylogrip tyres that I ensure I don miss out on curves. Will go for full on throttle with a turning radius that should keep every other biker at bay. Cornering is at its best as far as other 150 cc segment bikes are considered. Almost evrytime I assure my bike is treated well enough and exploited all its capacities and capabilities. Chicken strips help you in every attempt that you make in cornering. All in all, Reliability comes with the name… Yes! Yamaha?

Special Edition (Midnight Black)

I decided to buy a premium segment bike in 150cc segment. Yamaha was the best bet of all as far as the looks were concerned. Went into the showroom (Bangalore Wheels) on the D-day. Initial hiccups were always there with everyone advising not to buy a FZR as it was slightly on the costlier side.

Took a test ride, found it magnificient. With nothing else to make decision on, booked it instantly with no qualms. FZR Black what I had decided on. Just a glance at this midnight special edition made me go gung-ho about the looks. Matte coloured Rims and the graphics are superiorly styled as it closely matches the R1 special edition too at times.

Headlights, RVMs

Twin headlights make the bike look on the heavier side significantly contributing to the sporty image of the bike. This is the feature which stands out in the bike which makes it impeccable and irrestible. Initial condition of the headlights will be this – Both lamps will not be lit. High low or beam can be the only option.

There is a soln though. Get back to the service centre and they will fix this in a whisker. Might cost you a quick buck. Don’t mind it. Rear View Mirrors (RVMs) are such elegant stuff that I don’t find this kind in any other machines at all. These make the FZR the best in class. Not even the higher torque displacement bikes have this luxury.

Suspension and Brakes

The mono suspension discharges wonderfully. U apply brakes at good speed and you’ll see the bike leaning onto front with no skidding of tyres. The midship muffler present in the bike is the feature to ponder upon. Disc Brakes in the front couldn’t have been any better. I think inclusion of the rear disc would have served for the purposes which might be of lesser concern.

Miscellaneous

• Dealer himself has advised me on installing a crash guard. I see no necessity in it. The overall faring in the front ensures I ride with good clearance in the traffic.
• After sales service is good as I see. Go to an authorised dealer and you’ll see the bike take care of nice and good.
• Side stand is at a very appropriate place wherein the biker can blindly operate it. Bikes of the same segment have side stands which need to be looked into its position before operating it.
• Centre/Main stand almost looks like a premium Yamaha bike’s one. Absolute wonder.
• Mud rib addition onto the rear mudguard can be useful during rainy seasons.

Kick Start Option

FZR and the FZ series used to be available without a kicker rod initially. The addition of it has done wonders to the bike on the whole. Mentioning about the kicker option, I see this. Never have I seen this much of knack in providing a rod. Its placed in such a way with engineered clearance that you would wonder why didn’t anyone in the market thing of this at all. You take off the rider foot rest and u kick start your bike, you see the difference.

Pros

• Sports Bike at a throw away price.
• Superior Comfort.
• Stylish Kowlings anf Farings.
• Engine Smoothness.
• Unmatched After Sales Support.
• Twin Headlamps for greater visibility.
• Horns which resemble a car’s making your wade through traffic easy.
• An eye stealer guaranteed.
• Range of colours to choose from.
• Beasty Looks with the class of Yamaha.

Cons

• Seat Length is a bit of a concern as it looks. But, it doesn’t let you down too. Pillion riders in women might be a touch clumsy.
• Battery problem arises during chilly winters. But, common. This can be quite omnipresent.
• Saree Guard has been somehow adjusted in the bike.
• Wide foot rest as in other bikes for pillion is missing and I see it justified.
• Being a black one, dust accumulation is quite easy. Ensure cleanliness of the parts.
• Mileage is on the lower side of late 30s. 35-40 is the experienced one. But, sports bikes with good performance doesn’t come with mileage too. I am satisfied as I travel short distances every day.
• Twin Headlamps on a lengthy ride during the night might result in battery lowering down.
• No utility to store anything on the bike. Remove the seat and you’ll find a cramped up space for tool kit and some documents.

Verdict

I always have discussed this with my friends all over. FZR can be the best 150cc segment sports bike ever made in the Indian industry. Shell out a little over 90k and you have a show stopper at your disposal. Will offer you superior comfort at a throw away price. Heard a shorter while ago, FZR 250cc is gonna be released. Find myself in a dilemma now. Spread happiness, ride safe.

Rating

I will stick to a rating of 8/10 in the 150cc segment. A BUY call would suitably suit this review. If you are willing to have a nice tourer with bombarding looks, go for it. No 2nd thoughts.

For all, my opinion on the FZR machine might look a touch exaggerated to a few. But, can’t deny the way a bike truly deserves. I would express my sincere regards to an institution in Bikeadvice.in and Deepak to have inspired me to pen down some thoughts on the mean machine. Hope my express review serves for the purpose. All the innate and trivial concerns have been mentioned and find my thoughts the best I could have thought of at this juncture with Yamaha?

Regards,
Vinaya Kumar

Original Source: Yamaha Gladiator Review by Arun Kumar from BikeAdvice.in

Hi Friends! This is ArunkumarAvanashiappan from Pothampalayam 12 km from avanashi, tirupur. Working as a design engineer for a japanese company in coimbatore after completition of diploma in automobile in 2010, when I asked my parents for bike for me What they told me is they never hesitate to buy a bike for me!

But I have to manage all the expenses regarding my bike (service, petrol etc….) so planned to get my bike after I got a job! went to office thru bus for first 3months after my parents asked me to buy a bike what ever I want! I need a bike with sharp handling so that decided to buy an Yamaha bike.

At the same the bike is suitable for long rides because the distance between my office and house is around 90 kms, mileage is not my priority but need a decent mileage! So I have rejected FZ and R15 then planned for sz when Yamaha showned the concept at 2010 autoexpo! In magazies they mentioned it will be launched with in 3-4 months but didnt launched until aug2010, As I already get used with my friend vignesh Gladiator!

Decided to go with Yamaha Gladiator! I liked the type RS blue color and I am big fan of rossi! but at that time(aug2010) the bike is renamed as SS125 available only in blue with black and red with black with 3kg lighter than the gladiator. When seen both the bikes in showroom on 24aug2010 blue color attracted me! Got on spot delivery Thanks to ORPI motors tirupur! Registered the bike on the next day, got the number on the same day evening! Before that me and my friend planned to test all the 125cc bikes available

Honda Stunner

I know my father will never allow me to buy a bike anything in Honda and Hero Honda even I too! Due to my friend compulsion we both headed to a Honda showroom in coimbatore, After formal enquiries we tested both stunner and shine! When riding both the bike generated a lot of vibrations after 55 kmph, and both the biles are overpriced even with out tachometer and killer switch, but both the bikes are good below 55kmph.

Tvs Flame

I liked the look of flame but the bike looks small, when riding I feel the vibration is more than on the hondas,but handling of this bike is very good, the sales person promised a mileage of above 65kmpl, he tried to convince me! But he doesnt know I already decided to go for Yamaha! I am there to satisfy my friend.

I dont want to test Hero Honda because I blandly hate hondas as my father!

As my father is a two wheeler mechanic, am also automobile, so know most of the thing about the bikes, the sales person told that the bike would retain above 55 kmpl, But For the first 6 months I didnt bother about mileage! Not exceeded above 5000 rpm till my bike crossed to 10000 kms and first free service (750-1000 kms) came just 10 days after getting my bike! Becuase I am riding around 3000-4500 kms/month.

After completion of run in period I started to utilise the full potential of my bike! I increased my average speed gradually from 50kms to above 70kms, overtaking has never been an issue in the bike, but will be careful when with a pillion rider! the only problem is it lacks the punch in midrange!

I serviced my bike in Yamaha service entre for the first 12 services, after I dont want to service my bike by someother. Have required tools in my house, Started to self service my bike till now! I ask my father to clarify I have any doubts

Previous Bikes

I dont have a seperate bike for my self, but used my father’s Libero G5, in my college ridden a lot in my friends gladiator and R15, at that time I decided to buy an R15 but due to my petrol expenses I switched to Gladiator.

Let See About The Gladiator

Looks

I think this is oldest looking bikes af all 125s avialable but it still it is appealing,this bike is an updated version of Fazer 125, it gives you a big bike feel, it has a racing cowl at the front and a shoot gun type muffler end cap at the back. Overall the bike looks good at any angle, the tail piece is straight from Yamaha international model YBR250, I like the integration of indicators along with the tail lamp.

Ride & Handling

According to me this one has the best ride & handling in 125cc bikes available in the market as most of the bikes from Yamaha is known for their sharp and precise handling, I did peg scraping cornering so mant times! It offers a very good confident and feedback for the rider, on the ride quality side this one offers what the doctor orders!

This bike offers best pillion seat comfort in the market the highier cc bikes, As I am riding around 90-100 kms/day, I never feeled fatigueness or backache, I have ridden the bike for 300kms for non stop at that time I felt tired.

Braking & Mileage

Still now I never allowed anyone except my father and my brother to ride my bike, now the bike crossed 30,000 kms with one small accident, it offers me an average mileage of around 55kmpl in the city, for long rides it offers me more than 65kmpl but have to ride below 70kmph, worst mileage I got from my bike is 48kmpl during the run in period on the braking side my bike offers more than enough and offers pin-point braking.

The tyres are MRF Zappers which are very good in terms of grip. But now switched to michelin sirac street, front tyre is stock size (2.75 18) but I have changed the back tyre size to 100*18 from 3.00 (3inches)*18, after tyre changes it offers more braking efficiency.

Pros

• Good pick-up.
• Most powerful and one of best looking bike in the 125cc segment.
• Mileage (55-65kmpl).
• Very good grip on roads.
• This bike OFFERS self start, disc brake,engine killer switch FOR 58k.

Cons

• Old fashioned instrument cluster.
• No trip-meter.
• Number plate placed at the visor.

Modifications

I think most bikers suffers poor lighting on most of the indian bikes, so I decided to upgrade my light first, as my father is a mechanic I know how to rewind the lighting coil to run 55 watts bulb, but have to change the reflector as stock one cant with stand the heat generated on 55 wtt bulb, so I decided to increase the lighting with out altering my bikes original look.

I alredy know about HID Projectors started searching for a proper projector for my bike, finally ordered through online and received the kit and installed the projector inside my headlamp reflector, before this I have to convert all my bike electricals to full dc from ac+dc setup, the projector is 35watts so that just ungrounded the coil routed it to the ape rr unit and to save some power I have changes all console lamps and brake lamps to led and replaced the stock battery (5AH) with new amaron 9AH battery. Now the bike is in full dc now I am fully satisfied with the lighting of my bike.

• LED Tail Lamps
• Console and AMPS Meter with LED Backlight
• Low Beam of HID Projector

HI-Beam

Lamps and brake lamps to led and replaced the stock battery (5AH) with new amaron 9AH battery. Now the bike is in full dc now I am fully satisfied with the lighting of my bike.

Maintenance

As my bike crossed 30000kms, after free service I am using motul fully synthetic oil the main advantage of synthetic oil is it cant withstand its viscosity when ridden for a long time compared to mineral oils, as I am using synthetic oil I am changing engine oil for every 5000-6000kms and did general services (carburetor cleaning, break cleaning, water wash, chain lube, wiring check up,etc..) for every 2000 kms.

This is the Total Expense for my Bike

• Bike Cost= 57,800rs
• Service Cost (1st -12th Services)= 4900rs
• AFT 12000 Kms Engine Oil (synthetic) 4LTRS= 3000rs
• Accident Front Cowl Right Side= 285rs
• Fork Bend= 300rs

I didnt include labour charges because I self service my bike

• Head Lamp Upgradation HID Projector Lmap= 3500rs
• Ape RR (Regulator and Rectifier) Unit= 950rs
• Wires= 60rs
• Royal enfield Amps Meter (to measure the current flow as the bike is full dc)= 150 rs
• LED Tail Lamp Custom made (I DID)
• Dot Board= 200rs
• Amaron 9Ah Battery= 1500rs

Riding Gear

• Helmet Viva Thunder Bird= 1500rs
• Cramster Balaclava= 200rs
• DSG Jacket= 5500rs
• Knee and Elbow Guard= 1200rs
• Gloves= 1600rs
• Clock= 150rs

Total Petrol Consumed= 538 Litres

Overall Verdict

This bike is for peoples who need a commuter bike with sporty charecteristics, This is well suite. For more power it has more power in it and finnaly my rating for this bike is 9/10.

Thats about my Yamaha Gladiator, your comments and suggestions are always welcome, Please dont ride the bike without proper riding gear atleast helmet!

Regards,
Arun Kumar

Original Source: Yamaha FZ Ownership Review by Gyan Prakash from BikeAdvice.in

Hi! My name is Gyan Prakash and I’m a proud owner of Yamaha FZ. This article is going to be long so please bear with me. I had always dreamed of having my own bike and going on long trips but there were 2 problems…

• I didn’t know how to ride geared vehicles.
• Nobody was ready to give me their rides to learn.

But as they say there’s a God ji up there. 2 years ago during my post-graduation, one of my friends who had a Yamaha Gladiator encouraged me and happily lent me his bike and a lot (and lot) of engine stalls & false shifts later I was finally riding. But one problem still existed. I didn’t have a bike of my own!

Mom & Dad always had the ready reply “Jab kamaana tab kharidna!” (Buy it when you start earning!). And then one fine day I got a job! It was my time now. As soon as I got my offer letter, I let my parents know about my intentions “ab kamaa raha hu, ab kharid lunga” (Now that I’m earning, I’m gonna buy it.

There was no doubt in my mind that my first bike was gonna be the Yamaha R15. Surprisingly my parents also agreed without a fuss considering it cost above a lakh rupees. I had almost finalized everything when one day Mom called up and shared her concern “Gyan, what if the engine gets stolen?

In Bihar they steal the engines of motorbikes (read splendor, passion etc.) and make gensets out of them! It’ll be quite bad if they stole an engine worth a lakh rupees!” I decided not to counter the argument and save all the tension that my parents would have if I bought the R15. And so, I told “Ok fine, I’ll buy the FZ then but no more negotiations. This is it!”

And then finally on 24th of October 2010, a week after booking the bike, my shining red FZ was delivered. I went for the “no-frills” version as somehow, I find that bikini fairing and sculpted plastics around the headlamp a bit feminine which tries to pull down the otherwise mean macho looks of the bike. Plus it was cheaper.

Now, the feeling of riding your first bike for the first time is very special, almost indescribable. It could at best be compared to what you felt when you first managed to balance your bicycle and ride the few glorious yards before crashing down. Of course, the crashing down part doesn’t apply here (hopefully!).

The FZ felt like a glider – floating through the Bangalore evening traffic – plus all the pooja garlands and plastic covers screamed its new arrival status to the neighbouring traffic who gave quite approving glances of my choice (atleast that’s what I felt). I was the happiest person – then & there – in the world.

I couldn’t sleep that night. Due to lack of parking at my rented place, I had to park it outside in the lane and even though I had covered it, I still was scared. Morning brought relief when I found my bike still where I’d parked it.

Everyday commute to office was now fun. Even with all the Bangalore’s traffic thrown in, the fact that I was riding the FZ with its wide handlebar and loads and loads of low & mid range torque meant I was zipping through. The FZ in traffic is like a compact digital camera – Just point and shoot! Yeah, that’s just about it.

Those huge rear wheels, their amazing grip, the monoshock, the low center of gravity and the awesome disc upfront give you a lot of confidence. An example of the amazing handling and stability of the bike – I once went leaned over in a right handed, almost 90 deg turn in the road, in the rain, over a “Bangalore-special” semi-cylindrical speed hump, water logged on either side and nothing happened! No fuss, no sliding nothing. Try that even in dry conditions on a pulsar and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The running in period was a test of patience – to be tested twice a day! It is really difficult to control the urge to let this bike rip. However, through sheer will power alone, I forced myself not to cross 4000rpm in 5th gear (that’s approx 50kmph) with short bursts of 60-65kmph if overtaking was required.

Finally by the time first service came up, I had about a 1000km on the odo and I allowed myself to raise the speed limit to 70kmph (about 5500rpm). And then a few days later the speedo and odo conked off! I endured somehow the rest of the week and finally on the weekend took it to the service centre. The sensor in front wheel was replaced under warranty and I was a happy customer again.

I have since then done numerous trips on my bike along with my roommates (who luckily share the same spirit!) The FZ has amazing stability at low speeds and high speeds alike. In fact at higher speeds, in a straight line, the bike seems like a magnet rolling on metal roads, like a railway engine rolling on. It just doesn’t waiver and follows the ups and downs of the road like a leech.

But throw it around a bend and you’ll find yourself salivating for another one. The diamond frame chassis and monoshocks prove their worth. It’s just plain fun. However, I should mention here that its on the highway that the chinks in FZ’s armour are seen. The bike does 80-85 kmph in a jiffy but there on its a struggle, a bit like Sachin playing in nervous nineties.

So far I have done a max of 114kmph with a pillion with both of us crouching as much as possible and 118kmph alone crouching. The bike however still felt nicely planted with vibrations still in “pretty comfortable” zone. But then the highway isn’t what the bike was designed to be. It would be like, as Einstein said, judging a fish on its ability to fly!. The FZ was designed to be the “Lord of the Streets” and mind you, it excels above par in that department.

In the city, you can ride at ridiculously low single digit speeds over broken roads and still have both your feet up on the foot pegs while toeing a straight line. And trust me, it is great fun to be able to do that. You can also lean like a pro and follow imaginary curves on the road and again – feel great! I do that every day on my way to office and back (on the inner ring road in Bangalore).

Its been close to 16500km on the odo now and I recently changed over to NGK Iridium spark plugs and got a new set of chain and sprockets. The stock plugs are designed for 12000km and even though they do work after that, it’s better to get them replaced. I was beginning to feel slight misfiring at idling and lack of smoothness at higher speeds.

Ofcourse the bike became good as new once the NGK plugs were installed. Coming to smoothness of the engine, it is really smooth and refined – not Honda smooth though – but that’s a good thing. “Honda smooth” is almost boring and uninspiring. The FZ is smooth enough not to cause any discomfort but the engine lets you know what’s cooking inside.

And it arrives -all guns blazing- once you cross 4000rpm. The bike roars and grunts and revs all the way to 8 – 8.5k rpm – all the while playing the best “original soundtrack”- with the front wheel ready to catch some air at every upshift. The bike has something even for those who like their ride calm and sedated.

Ride it at 3.5 – 4k rpm in 5th gear (the speedo would read 45-50 kmph) and you’ll have a ear-to-ear smile of “This feels awesome baby!”. The bike feels like its an electric bike – loads of torque, hardly any engine braking, effortless, no vibes and no sound.The bike simply barrel rolls. Its like the calm before the storm that arrives post 4000 rpm.

About the Tours

So far I’ve done many tours on my ride (i.e. Nandi Hills, Shivasamudram, Tirupati, Anthargange, Mekedattu, Shimoga and the numerous runs to Bangalore International Airport which itself is a 80km return trip for me). I don’t have much worth mentioning to write about each of the tours I’ve done from the ride point of view except for one. The unplanned -and hence- extremely awesome Tirupati trip.

The actual plan was to go to Anthargange which is about 60-70km from Bangalore along the Old Madras Road. We packed One bag with cameras, some snacks, water bottles, a hand towel etc and left Bangalore early morning. Almost 50km into the journey, we came across a huge board across the highway that said: Tirupati – 240km.

It was still about 9 am and this got us thinking “Yaar, average 60 bhi chala li to 4 ghante me pahuch jaenge” (even if we do an average of 60kmph, we’d make it in 4 hrs). The excitement and thrill of an unplanned long adventure got the better of us and we decided “Forget Anthargange, Tirupati! Here we come!” not realising that it was the month of May and the heat would be literally turned on us as we move towards Tirupati and as the sun goes up. By the time we realised this, we were already past the point of no return.

We reached Tirupati at about 2.30pm and the whole town had a deserted look. I guess it was ‘coz of the sun. And here we were, three guys on two bikes, all geared up and lost with none of us familiar with the local language!. Finally somehow we reached the Tirupati bus stand and rented a lodge nearby.

The heat was too much to handle and we collapsed in our onto the already more-than-warm beds. We bought some new undergarments, soap, shampoo, towel and most importantly sunscreen the same evening. Next morning, we paid the Rs2 toll at the Tirumala hill toll and then began the best art of the ride. The ride through all those twists and turns and the hairpin bends was simply fantastic.

Finally after 2 hr of waiting in queue, we had our “Special Darshan” and some more photography later we happily began our descent and the journey back to where we came from! The return trip was even hotter as we started in the afternoon around 2pm. We could literally feel being sunburnt on the exposed skin between jacket arms and the riding gloves. We reached home at about 8:30 pm and again crashed to bed. End of story.

Now to sum up and cover some points which I missed so far, here’s the Good and the Bad (Nothing ugly here)

The Good

• The most fun-to-ride bike on this side of a hundred thousand bucks!
• Engine’s refinement despite not being equipped with a balancer shaft.
• Incredible handling, braking and stability.
• Fuel efficiency (mine returns 38-40kmpl depending on how I ride). Yes I know that a lot of you would raise an eyebrow over the fuel efficiency being in “The Good” department but if you consider the humongous rear tyre, the carbureted fuelling and the fact that it has class leading torque figures (higher torque = higher fuel into cylinder) and that too at low and mid range, you have to give to guys at Yamaha for doing such a fantastic job!
• The best fit and finish quality. This bike has the best looking and functioning foot pegs (Yeah, I do have a thing for them), switchgear, the body panels, paintjob and the alloys. One thing I’d like to mention here is that so far I haven’t seen any wheel balancing lead things on any FZ alloy. You can find a plenty of them on Hunks, Karizmas and other bikes. Being from a mechanical background, I know how difficult/costly it is to get the balancing right during casting of the wheel itself.
• He wide flat handlebar. Ride one, and you’ll start hating the clip-ons.
• The MRF Zapper tubeless tyres. Amazing grip on-road and don’t leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere if you have a puncture.
• The rider’s throne. Its nice and firm and wide and comfortable enough.
• Apart from the mid-ship muffler thing, the heat guard or the fiber plastics cover on exhaust works extremely well. Even after long rides, you can touch it anywhere and at best you’ll feel its slighly warm.
• Even though air-cooled, I have never face any problems with the engine cooling so far. Even during the Tirupati roadtrip when the bike was ridden at constant 80-85 in scorching heat, it never showed any signs of fatigue.
• The headlights do a very good job of illumination on the highways even though they’re 35w/35w. The trick here is to press and hold the beam/dipper toggle switch in the middle when both the lamps, beam and dipper, light up together and Voila! you have nice and bright 3 lanes wide and about 70-80 meters long stretch of evenly illuminated road ahead of you. I ran this set-up for almost about an hour while returning from Tirupati and didn’t face any issues with the fuse.

The Bad

• The top speed. However, as mentioned earlier this doesn’t mean that the bike is slow.
• Same as point 7 above, The MRF Zapper tyres. A strict no-no for off-roading. Of the 3 out of 5 times that I have dropped my bike, the culprit was gravel.
• Kids/people will pull out and steal some or all of the Yamaha logos. In my case, the rear logo on tail was stolen twice while one on the side panel was stolen once. I got new ones from the showroom all 3 times (Costs about Rs23 for the smaller one and around 50 for the bigger one)
• Half chain cover. Calls for cleaning and lubing of your chain atleast every 500km.
• The fuel cap comes off completely and you have to either hold it or keep it wedged between the console and handlebar like I do.
• Oh! and how could I forget, the dreaded rear seat! Its comfy for short city rides or say about 50km or so in case you have no choice. But after that, yeah you guessed it, its a pain in the you-know-where.
• The handlebar end weights (if you can call them so) are made of plastic and the silver paint on them is more like a paste which you can easily remove by your nails or scrubbing a bit hard.

The Trade-offs

This section is for characteristics which are god or bad depending on the way you look at it.

• The suspension set-up from factory is a bit on the firm side. This means that yes, you get great stability and handling but you also get to feel more bumps in the road.
• The front brake and clutch levers have notch about an inch from their ends. When the bike falls, the brunt of the fall is taken by the made-of-plastic handlebar end weights and the end of these levers which will cause them (the levers) to break into half. New replacements then cost Rs 140 labour included in Bangalore. (I have done it twice 8)). However, The good thing here is that all this “tech” negates the need for a crash guard which apart from brutally murdering the looks of the bike, also adds on weight. So far, after 5 falls, there isn’t even a scratch anywhere on my bike except for some on the muffler which were inflicted by the footpath kerbs.

So that completes it! After two weeks of pondering and writing this review and approximately 2600 words later, I can end this review here.
Criticisms and accolades are welcome! Oh! and I DID tell you in the beginning that this was going to be Long!

Regards,
Gyan Prakash