It all started when I was a little kid, my maternal uncle used to take me on ride on something that I did not know what it was – as I was a little kid; I used to ride my tobo cycle. everyday my uncle used to take me on the seat of his bike, the Hero Honda CD100. we used to roam the whole town on bike. Slowly I began to get attached to him & riding. he used to take me to school & back to home every single day. Sometimes it happened that I did not want to get down from bike!
Then one day may be when I was in class 4 my uncle sold the bike. I felt so heartbroken that I did not even go near him. After a few days I heard a different sound coming from outside our gate & the same touching tone of my uncle calling my name. I saw him with a brand new bike -the Hero Honda Splendor that later changed the whole biking scenario.
I was so happy to see him with new bike. that very day he took me for a ride & we rode till night. After a few days he got married & he got a different bike from his inlaws. It was the first time that I saw a tuning fork logo in front of my eyes that I touched. It was the Yamaha YBX.
It was the 1st time that I touched other bikes different from Hero Honda, I have seen other bikes but never touched one. He used to give me his bike so that I can learn to ride (by this time I was a grown up boy). Even when he was out of town I would sneak the key & take out the bike, so when he came back after holidays he always used to find the bike with no petrol. I felt so naughty looking at his angry face along with smile, because he loves me a lot.
I always wanted to have a bike of my own, but my dad never gave me one. He used to say “time will come then you can have your ride”. In 2006 I left my town & came to Bangalore for higher studies. In my final year I came across the Yamaha R15. it is a beautiful machine, but I couldn’t afford it at that time and did not want to pressurize my dad.
So It was October 2008, I can clearly remember the ad I saw on Times of India – The Yamaha FZ16 – Lord of the Streets. The bikes pics were so amazing that I instantly fell in love with the bike. Then I started collecting info about Fz from net, my friends. Whatever info I found I kept in my bag and stored in my PC. Then one day I saw the bike in flesh – boy-oh-boy it was gorgeous like a superbike – beyond imagination.
Truly speaking I never liked any bike so much – be it the Pulsars, Apaches, CBZs. I felt a deep connection just by looking at the bike. Then in 2009 after completing my study I married my long term girlfriend, Ria & settled in Bangalore.
Then I began to feel the need to fulfilment of my dream to ride with my wife. So I tested the FZ, it felt so smooth as if was riding a 100cc bike but a slight twist of the right hand was like GO! It was so sweet to hear the grunt of Tuning Fork Engine. I liked it very much that I did not even test drive any other bike & I booked the FZ-black at that time.
So it was time to start saving for every penny, I managed to get 90% of the whole amount & my wife who always pushes me to fulfil every wish gave me remaining 10% & after a wait of 2 long month I went to showroom & completed all the formalities. Then I went to see the bike but my eye caught the red one as if it created a spell on me. In the evening after a long 3 hours wait I got my red queen [2nd queen, my first one is of course my sweetheart (she is white queen)].
I brought it to my home, my wife was waiting with the pooja thali & after the pooja we went for a short ride. Now my FZ is with me for 1.5 years & some issues that I felt that one needs to properly service his bike if he wants it to be his best mate.
Review
Some things I need to tell is that FZ is very good for city riding because of its composite nature – everything is packed as close it can be done towards the centre of gravity, the broad rear tire does its job really well & it grips the wet road unlike any other Indian road bike tire till now, the broad handle bar gives a weight leverage which allows the bike to be turned easily.
With the biggest disc brakes in 150cc class the stopping power is truly amazing. But if one wants to ride FZ in highways it is good but not that good as it is un-faired.
But Yamaha addressed this issue by giving a sibling to FZ, the Fazer which is faired. The mileage that I am getting till now is 41-44 km/ltr with some ripping in highway & normal riding in the region of 65-90.
The maintenance is low. The only problem for FZ is that the parts are too fragile – 3 times I fell and had to replace both front & rear brake lever. Even the clutch I had to replace because of my mistake that I forgot to put the side stand. 🙂
Many FZ owners say that FZ tires are prone to punctures but still now I did not get any punctures because I keep the pressure a bit more than the company recommended PSI that protects the rear low profile rim. I fell no regret till date paying more premium than any other 150-180cc bike because of its amazing handling quality in city.
I did not throw any light on the specs as everybody very well knows that. So what I have written is how I started my journey & how my FZ became a part of my life.
There are many bikes which are better than FZ but it is my own view & I don’t want to make any comparison with other bikes. Whoever likes FZ, I am happy that they have also chosen a piece of brilliant engineering like me but my one suggestion is that respect & care your bike but give due respect to other bikes also.
Please don’t race in road with other brand bikes or show off with people, just to show that your bike is good their bike is not – please don’t compare because every bike is unique to every person.
This is the first time that I am giving a ownership review but it is not full a ownership review, but a short flash back of my life & how FZ became a part of me.
If you do not agree with any of the above points, feel free to correct it!
Thanks & Regards,
Chandranath Sarkar
