Test drove the Yamaha FZ-16

I had been to one of the Yamaha showrooms as one of friend wanted to have a good look on the FZ-16. This new bike from Yamaha was another 150 cc variant but this time, it had been aimed at the mass market unlike the YZF-R15.

The bike itself was chubby and fresh looking. I found the bike looks to be a welcome change from the usual one that we see on the roads today. The best view of the bike was the side profile showcasing the bulky tank and kind of naked city bike. The doom and headlight assembly were looking good but from some angles the headlight looked a bit odd. The rear end is dominated by the biggest tire from the bikes in this price range. The tail light was tiny. The other side highlights the short and stubby silencer.

The basic chassis of the bike is much better compared to the other bikes presently and should provide much better handling than its competitors. The mono suspension takes care of a smooth ride and the size of it is bigger than the one found in Honda Unicorn. The rear pillion seat was very short and I dont think that it will facilitate single side seating of women.

The test ride of the bike was provided only inside the parking lot of the showroom and it is a pity to having to ride it in the few meters of space available. But even in the short stint, the bike managed to impress me. The bike had an average bhp value but managed to surpass other competitors by providing amazing torque figures. The torque was very much felt in the first gear acceleration itself and I believe can provide an amazing city ride experience. The exhaust note of the silencer was also addicting and I liked it. But besides the torque figures offered, the bike was almost vibration free when releasing the throttle. The wider rear tire should provide excellent road grip.



The short coming of the bike is that the initial feel of the bike when one sats upon is unimpressive. Compared to the Karizmas and Hunks, it feels small and doesnt give the big bike feel. But this very thing can be advantageous for manuverning city traffic. One more thing is that the price of this vehicle is about Rs.65,000 ex-showroom and around Rs.73,000 for the on-road price which is significantly higher than its competitors. This may be debatable but the much better features provided can be overseen for its price. With this kind of performance, the mileage figures are expected to drop a little. The showroom guys claim a fuel efficiency figure of around 40 kmpl.

But overall, the positive things in the bike overweigh the few negatives of this bike. And I feel that with fresh looks, good handling and performance, this may be a much better city bike and is certainly worth the price.

Yamaha YZF-R15 preview - A 'no compromise' bike

The brand yamaha has been quite sublimed for a long time here in India.The previous offerings from the Yamaha stable has not taken off that well by the customers.But people were craving for some good solid offerings from yamaha and it seemed that it took forever for the high performance bikes from any manufacturer to be offered here.As the imported ones would attract a 100-120% customs tax,bike enthusiasts had no option rather than to wait for the manufacturers to launch them here.


It was then that Yamaha launched the well known flagship offering - the R1 in late last year along with a cruiser model too.Both models were CBU and attracted a lot of taxes.It was like the ultimate dream machine for any motorcycle enthusiast.But it came at a cost - infact a lot of cost - at 10.5 lakhs ex-showroom price.

It was then that people took yamaha seriously and it seems in return yamaha too is serious in creating a dent in the Indian market.In a rather short time in the auto-expo 2008 conducted in Delhi,Yamaha showed off their new offerings to the Indian market which included this R15 motorcycle too.

Design,Styling,looks :
The first thing you will notice in the R15 is the similarity to the flagship R1 model.Most of the design cues have been borrowed from its elder sibling.It includes the fine lines,the color and painting,the headlight unit and the fairing.


The bike looks a lot fresher in the Indian market and is definitely more attractive than the other offerings.The most noticable part is of course the full front fairing which no other bike in its class holds as of now.The dual head lights are also a major attraction when looked head-on.

The bike also comes with front as well as rear disc brakes,split rail grab bars,mono suspension as standard.

Performance :
The performance of this cute little baby is the most sought after question of this bike.Although its just a 150 cc engine it is rumoured to produce about 20 bhp power through its 4-valve fuel-injected engine.


The transmission is expected to be a 6-speed gear box tuned for performance.

Rumours are that the bike taked just 3 sec flat for 0-60 kmph acceleration.Comparatively the 225 cc Karizma from Hero Honda takes 4.2 seconds for 0-60.

Handling and Comfort :
Being a sibling from the 'R' series of yamaha and similarity to the aerodynamics of R1,the handling can be expected to be top notch for its segment.
For the Indian roads the bike has to be able to handle rough road patches with ease.The availability of mono-suspension(found in Honda Unicorn)can be expected the bike to be comfortable enough.

Expected figures :
The motorbike is expected to be available in the show-rooms in the june-july time frame.The expected on-road pricing is below the 1-lakh figure mark(around Rs.9x,xxx).
The fuel efficiency figure is rumoured to be around 35 kmpl which is very good for a bike of this performance figures(20 bhp and 3 sec for 0-60).

Initial verdict :
The brand yamaha has created a great hype in the Indian market suddenly.Hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit with their own high performance bikes.
The design and specifications seems very promising and it caters exactly to the expectations of the Indian crowd.Assuming that yamaha engineering does not disappoint and the pricing is right,this model can be expected to be a huge success in the high performance bike market of India.

DNA from the R1 - simplified R series ?

The R15 has the same essence as the R1,the flagship racing model from Yamaha,in its looks and specifications but has been the cut down model from its bigger brother.

In the looks department the design cues,the fine lines and even the coloring is very much the same in both the bikes.

Probably the entire model seems to have been derived from YZF-R1 and cut short in all the specs.

Color and availability

The motorcycle is slated to be launched in june time frame along with a few other bunch of motorcycles.

Racing blue and black are the colors that the bike will be available at launch.

The pricing is rumoured to be in the range of Rs.9x,xxx below the 1 lakh border.

Yamaha YZF-R15 specifications

Engine :
150cc liquid-cooled,4-stroke,single cylinder,4-valve fuel-injected engine

Transmission :
6 speed gear box

CONTROLS / RIDING POSITION :
Tested to optimize rider movement to control the vehicle with aero dynamics

FUEL INJECTION :
With six-hole type injector. ECU and sensors backed fuel mixture to maximize the combustion at any rpm

FRONT FAIRING :
Aero Dynamic Fairing

COOLING :
Liquid cooling with high efficient compact Radiator to maximize the Stability and Performance

HEAD LIGHT :
Flash surface dual Head Lights

FRAME :
High Rigidity Deltabox Frame

REAR SUSPENSION :
Link Type Monocross

VALVES :
4 Valve Combustion Chamber
Adopted

COMBUSTION CHAMBER :
Hemispherical Combustion Chamber with centered plug layout

Tyres :
Front : 80/90 - 17 inch tubeless
Rear : 100/80 - 17 inches tubeless

Brakes :
Front - Disc
Rear - Disc

Fuel tank : 12 litres

Wheelbase : 1290 mm

Overall width : 670 mm

Overall length : 1995 mm

Overall height : 1070 mm

Minimum ground clearence : 160 mm

The yet to be launched Yamaha YZF-R15 motorcycle

This is preview on the yet to be launched bike from Yamaha on the India roads - The yamaha YZF-R15 or simply the R15 as it is commonly known by the biker community.

This bike is among the first bunch of mainstream performance oriented bikes from the company in India following the launch of R1 and the like.

Unlike its earlier high end bikes which were CBUs(completely built units) this will be a locally produced one thereby reducing the tax impact in their prices.

It promises to satisfy the hearts of several Indian teens looking for power,style and economy with yamaha's great engineering capabilities.The past few years have not been too good for yamaha in Indian conditions with its not so stellar bikes.But the new upcoming launches including this R15 seem very much promising.But only time will tell whether they change the Indian motorcycle market or not.