Yamaha FZ Ownership Review by Omkar Patkar

To start with I would like to introduce myself to you all, hi I am Omkar Patkar, 22, Final year IT student from Mumbai. Firm believer of the thought that maintaining your bike is actually loving it rather than just buying and riding. Now lets get started, How the decision was made to buy a Yamaha FZ out of all the other bikes present in the market at the time of purchase?

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First of all I am an avid fan of the legendary Yamaha RD and RX series(RX 100, RD 350 etc), hence the brand Yamaha had a huge impact, but with not so good bikes considering sales and peformance like the Yamaha Enticer, Libero earlier I was just eager to see what Yamaha has to offer next.

Then came a day when Yamaha announced two of its Flagship models currently in the market namely the Yamaha R15 and the FZ. Whoa! just by seeing the FZ at the launch I was totaly mesmerized by the looks initially and felt in love with it. Then finally I got a chance to ride an FZ much much later of my neighbour who had the bike from the first lot as we put it that way, a flaming orange one.

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And that was literally it, I took the bike for a spin in the traffic as well as out on the highway, at that time I had not owned any bike of my own but had rided many of my friends bike’s like Hero Honda Passion, Honda Unicorn, Bajaj Pulsar 150 DTSI and 220 DTSI (both fuel injection and the carb one too).

About my first riding impressions of the FZ,

  • It was light and zippy, easily manuverable through the traffic.
  • Superb initial pickup and torque.
  • Exceptional braking.

Nearly the decision was made of buying the FZ. Finally the day came and I booked my all new Yamaha FZ-S Black Cyber Green and got its delivery within the waiting period of one month and the bike got delivered on 25th November 2010 for Rs 77,800. Now the bike is 2yrs 3months old and about 16,000 kms on the odo and since then life has just been beautiful.

Performance

There have been many reviews of the Yamaha FZ here at bike advice and on the other forums too and in my notice most of the buyers are pleasantly satisfied with the decision of buying the FZ. Techinically speaking this bike has a lot to offer for a 150cc segment premium category with a very good price tag which is totally justified for such a machine.

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After riding about 16,000 kms I still have no regrets in most of the important aspects considering the bike’s performance. As mentioned earlier I take exceptional care of my bike (internally & externally) and I love doing it that way. Its more than just a bike to me more like a buddy and has successfully managed to get me out of many situations or when in need or trouble.

Pro’s

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  • Exceptional Handling and Manuverability. (which is needed in city traffic very light and responsive).
  • Very good ride quality beautiful through the highways for long rides (I ve done max 350 kms on a single day with no back pain or any pain).
  • The soft sticky rubber on the wide radial tyre of the FZ makes its presence felt with the grip it offers along the road even when the road is wet.
  • Headlamps both high and low beam are quite magificient and provide a clear view even on the darkest of roads.
  • Braking gives confidence to the rider (Both front disc and rear drum make a good combination).
  • Confidence while taking corners with ease.
  • Engine is quite refined and has no problems even for long rides.

Max Speed attained: 120kmph.
Max Mileage: 50kmpl.

Cons

  • Could have been a bit more powerful.
  • Mileage is less as compared to other 150cc bikes.
  • The soft compound rubber from MRF for the tires are easily prone to punctures.

Experience and Care

Daily riding of about 30-35 kms is what I currently do to my college and back which is about 12 kms away from my home. Timely maintainence such as servicing and sorting out some other little problems here and there is a routine. I usually serivce once in every 3 months or 2000kms whichever is earlier.

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Did 4 free services at yamaha authorised service center and after that my bike is maintained by a friend and a private mechanic. Not at all impressed with the 3rd and 4th service done at Yamaha, they paid no attention to the problems I told them to resolve and for the 4th service even after charging they did not change the engine oil which came to my notice later.

I decided I would never give the bike for servicing there as I came to know through many that they just swap many parts here and there of the bikes which come for service. But then thats past and my bike is still in very good condition with me paying attention to the tiniest of details and issues if any.

The most fun ride was when we(my friends) planned a trip to lonavla during the monsoon. The ride was a single day return journey with 350kms on the trip meter that day. I was with a friend on the pillion so as the other friends, and the ride was just superb.

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All of the strong points which makes this bike stand apart from the rest of its competitors were easily noticed and visible. Very good Stability across wet roads, Apt suspension, etc were felt. The pillion had no issues whatsoever too, the ride was so comfortable.

Mileage that I generally get in city: 43kmpl.
Mileage that I generally get out on the highway: 46-48kmpl.

Replacements

Changed the Air Filter, Spark Plug and Rear Break shoe (liners) kit (Original Yamaha genuine spare parts from the authorised service center) after 12,000 kms on the Odo meter. Recently changed the clutch cable. Thats it..!

Overall Conclusion

This bike is designed for riding through the city traffic, it lacks a bit of power out on the highway but having said that cruising It along the highway is impressive. Buying the FZ was one of the best decisions I ve made so far with actualy no regrets, perfect (apt) bike for me amongst all the others.

And when it comes to performance I can rate it convincingly higher than the other 150cc segment bikes with a lot of things to offer which the others don’t. I rate it as the best bike in its class. Truly.

Regards,
Omkar

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