Yamaha FZ-S Ownership Review by Kiran Kumar

Hi all this is the review of my new FZ-S. I hope I doesn’t bore you guys cause it’s a long story. First let me tell you why I brought this particular bike! To be honest I grew up with Yamaha’s my dad is an automobile engineer and a big Yamaha fan we have bikes of Yamaha like RX-Z, RD350, Gladiator-SS and a 2009 R1. What I’m trying to tell is I have seen Yamaha grow aside me time has thought how create better bikes for Yamaha.

I did a lot of research as of which bike to buy because apart from Yamaha there were other good bikes, I’m a engineering student I have to travel 20km a day & my dad didn’t let me take the R1? all my friends had Apaches, Pulsars I was riding Gladiator-SS as it was a 125cc bike it had low mid range torque I was not quite happy with the performance so I was pleading my dad to get a bike.

One fine day I did a fasting strike and finally my dad agreed to get me a bike I planned to buy a 150cc bike as I was student I didn’t wanted to spend a lot on petrol but I wanted a bike with brilliant build quality as well as performance and a bike which didn’t bore me, and a bike which was perfect for riding in Bangalore’s busy traffic.

Here is my research results

First the Apache: This bike will always have a special place in my heart from the bottom of my heart I really appreciate TVS for giving such a great bike there was a close fight between the RTR180 & FZ-S because in Bangalore both bikes cost almost the same having seen and ridden my friends Apaches (RTR160) the bike has tons of power loads on torque the RTR180 surpasses the FZ-S by having 3ps extra when it comes to performance.

But considering others factors it failed to impress me, first is the build quality It is seriously not up to the mark, its not so bothering for first 2 or 3 years but after that you will see the other part of Apache “ the build quality” and the electricals start malfunctioning above all the service quality is not satisfying I can mention the worst I have seen my friends Apache was screwed up by those service guys we tried all show rooms in Bangalore no one did any good to the bike finally the bike got correct treatment in DTW and the bike is fine now these were the cons which my friends having Apache told me. I didn’t feel comfortable, if the Apaches engine was refined and if the build quality was improved yes I would have opted for the mighty Apache so bye Apache ?

Next Hamara Pulsar 150: This was the bike which showed the india what it feels like to have power in the right hand Bajaj introduced this bike with some features later which was initially new to india like digital display LED tail lamps (correct me if I’m wrong) but the gearbox is a problem if not used correctly and is outdated I mean how long can you eat a same dish we need a different dish fed up seeing the same model for now bye Pulsar.

The Hero Honda: The company which put whole india on wheels the ideal company for “mileage kya hai” people, yes it has power segment bike’s like hunk CBZ extreme, ZMR to be honest I was not familiar with Hero Honda so bye Hero Honda.

Now the Honda: No words to describe these bikes build quality awesome ride awesome but comparing the dazzler with the FZ, Honda leads with the performance figure but It didn’t appeal to me as FZ appealed.

Now the Yamaha: Having a garage full of Yamaha’s I was familiar with their technology and quality, so I decided to buy the FZ-S as my dad refused to pay for R15 so there was the FZ-S standing and awating for its new owner the first thing which impressed was the fat rear tyres the flat handle bar huge tank brilliant finish the ride was good I felt it as perfect to cruise in city. Decided the black and green FZ-S got it the same day.

Engine

Engine is refined responsive it is smooth doesn’t rattle the low and mid range torque is is just amazing perfect for riding in cities you just feel like getting on the bike and going for for a ride however it takes its sweet time to touch 110 that’s what I have observed while driving my friends FZ.

The 153cc 14ps Yamaha engine is just outstanding to pull up wheelies it’s a piece of cake even for an amateur the engine should have had more power considering the mechanical package of the FZ it begs like this “gimme power gimme power” seriously!!!!! They should have increased the power to atleast 15 to 16ps

Looks

No doubt it is the best looking bike around Yamaha has called a makeup man & had installed a new mask on FZ-16 the FZ-S comes with a small visor in the front. The head light is slighty beefy and there is little face lifting done & a beautifull matte paint job adds up to the beauty the fat tyre forks the mono suspension at the back the dull black finish is just perfect.

Yamaha has extended the rear mudguard to prevent the rain water splashing the pillion rider even the old FZ owners can get this piece attached I have a 4 year old boy who stays next door when I asked him how my new bike was? this was his answer everything is big big yes the word macho is just made for the bike.

Handling

The handling is just brilliant apart from the litre sports bike I would say the best handling bike in india would be first the R15 second will be the FZ and 3rd is the dazzler the FZ’s handling is very well calibrated by Yamaha the mass concentration in the centre the fat tyre the mono shocks make the FZ the best handler, the fat tyre sticks on the to the road, the rear suspension is very soft I was impressed by the monoshocks which is so fine tuned I enjoy banking in curves.

Final Verdict

The FZ is a brilliant bike made for those people who doesn’t mind the mileage too much, it gives a lot of confidence while riding I’m sure all Yamaha will. but in the words of the great deepak no bike is perfect so here is the pro and cons…

Pros

  • Brilliant build quality, fit and finish lasts a lifetime
  • Amazing handling & good performance
  • Road grip is excellent I would say best in class
  • Responsive and torquey engine
  • The rear suspension is bloody smooth
  • The palm grip are of correct size
  • Looks amazing (doesn’t bore you)

Cons

  • Mileage to be honest if you are a sensible rider who has done correct running in and well maintained the bike you will get a max mileage of 42km/ltr or if you are a guy like me who revs more than 80 then you will have to scratch your butt not your head for mileage cause you will get a mileage of 38km/ltr.
  • Yamaha’s service is disappointing but not bad try bribing the mechanic to get a good service, lucky me dad does the maintainanance for me.
  • Now please don’t laugh reading this my mom hates my bike the reason is she can’t sit wearing saree there should have been at least an option for a the long foot rest for women to sit on one side.
  • To be honest the speedometer console didn’t impress me the 4year old who stays next door he has a toy car next to the steering wheel of the toy car there is speedometer sticker… FZ display looks like that! macho deserves a speedometer console with a needle.

Here is problem with the bikes which has fat rear tyres & open chain in india where the roads have lots of sand the R1 needs lots of attention to the chain it gets dirty so is the FZ so what my dad does is instead of cleaning the chain and lubricating the chain he takes a engine oil which is used i.e driven around for some 500km to get the correct thickness cause if the oil is too thick it will not it will not get in to the crucial joints between the chain joints so take 5ML oil and a tooth brush dip the tooth brush in the oil and start brushing the whole chain what you are doing is you are cleaning the chain as well as lubricating no matter how much oil you apply to the chain a little amount of oil is required to lubricate the rest will be sprinkled around the bike when you are riding.

So brush the chain with oil and let it settle down for 5 min and then with a cotton waste start wiping the chain until you have removed all excessive oil now you will have a thin layer of oil to protect the chain from rust and the chain joints will be well lubricated the oil will not sprinkle and it will not mess up your bike why chumma give 150 bucks for service guy to clean and lubricate the chain… that’s what they charge to clean the FZ’s chain.

So here is what I would like to tell every body each and every bike has a character of its own each and every bike is designed by those people who is dedicated to building those beauties. let us give a big cheers for those people but what differentiates the bikes is their appearence, handling,build quality ,performance and comfort. dude to be honest when you look at the bike it should speak for itself thats a complete bike owning a bike should make you a happy man thats a real bike after riding the R1 if you ride these 150 and 125cc bikes you will start laugh like a mad man that’s what I felt, you feel like going in cycle!

This how I describe all the bikes in my garage

  • RX-Z: drunken cheetah sometimes drunken monkey cursed to ride on a single wheel
  • RD-350: sometimes it sounds like my grandpa coughing
  • R1: Riding the R1 is like drinking the chilled and smoothest beer with spicest chicken you will be lost, involuntary wheelies
  • Gladiator: small bike which tries to behave like a big bike and saved a quite money on petrol and gave me beer
  • FZ-S: Lord of the streets in style

Cheers take care all you guys. Wear a hellmet and drive safe.

Thanks & regards
Kiran Kumar. S