Well, I don’t own a fazer first of all. But out of sheer interest, I had test driven the all new fazer last week. I am a big admirer of Yamaha for the power which they instill in their machines. When I did not know abt economy and styling, yamaha was my favourite. I only tested for the ride experience. But now that I came to know about Economy and styling, my preferences have changed. I’ll try to give an unbiased view about this bike but remember, i’ve driven this bike only for 15 mins. Its too hard to form an impression but since I am avid biker u can trust me.
Fazer, a bit of background first. Yamaha was in deep trouble once the production of 2 stroke bikes was banned in India. Their RX135 was the flagship product. My brother still has it although he uses a car and I use a Honda Unicorn now. We both are really attached to that bike. Coming back to Fazer, Yamaha’s libero wasn’t performing as expected and they wanted a machine which can turn their fortunes. They’ve identified the segment for 125cc bikes which was then unexplored. They’ve used all their expertise and built a machine that can be treated as the best in the segment. Let me give u some technical info here. Fazer has 10.8 bhp power while all the other 125 CC bike have power in the range of 8.5 to 10. So when u have higher power ur mileage gets reduced. This is the reason for fazer having a low mileage. Ask other manufacturers to beat it on any road. Thats impossible!! So People, don’t think that Yamaha cannot produce bikes with great mileage. They just follow people’s instincts. Imagine urself waiting for the green signal to come. You want to zoom ahead of others once the green comes on. Most of the bikes in India are 100-125cc. So u shud have a bike with higher power than others to beat them. Thats what Yamaha gives you. It gives you the power to beat anyone.
While most players in India decide to play safe in terms of Power, Yamaha takes a different route. You never see an asterisk (*) over the mileage figure which says ’’Under test ride conditions’’ in Yamaha ads. They know about they are offering and do not misguide people with claims like 100 Kmpl. That’s what I like in Yamaha bikes. Truly Yamaha!!!
Fazer offers the best of comforts in terms of riding posture. You do not feel the fatigue after a long ride. It has stable brakes and the gearshift is quite smooth. I read this in someone else’s review and would like to quote it here. Unlike other bikes which have a starting problem in winters or during rains, this one responds to one kick.
How can I not mention the looks. ’’You like it or You hate it’’ is the term used commonly for this bike. But for the all new one it would be ’’You like it if u look at it’’.
This one has the best side view. No wonder why Yamaha is using that view in all the ads.
The common perception (i should say misconception) abt yamaha bikes is ’’Low mileage, so engine is bad and so bike is bad’’. But the thing is ’’High Power, very good engine and an excellent bike’’. Fazer gives a pretty decent mileage of 52-55 (from my friend who’s been using for over an year now). The new one shud be a bit better.
So if u are a biker who wants to move between points A and B with low cost no matter what comforts it offers, take a ct100.
if u are a biker who wants to move between points A and B with low cost, and good comfort then take a Passion Plus or Discover.
if u are a biker who wants to move between points A and B with good comfort and want to be the first to reach then go for a Fazer.
if u are a biker who wants to move between points A and B with low cost and no effort, then take a bus or walk!!