I am Ranjan. I was Going through various blogs, sites, checking out various reviews regarding The Fazer. So I thought why not help my friend with a review of my own. This information which I will provide below is completely my own experience with this beauty.
Before I go ahead with the review I would like to tell you friend that I did’nt own a bike previously though I am riding since 1999. I used to ride my father’s Scooter PIAGGIO XE.
It was before the pujas 2011 that I thought I will buy a motorcycle. And let me tell you that before buying any thing I do lots of research, be it a mobile or a laptop of bikes. so I started my hunt to find a suitable match for my self. :-) .After going through various sites.i joted down the options.
1)Yamaha Fazer
2)pulsar 220
3)Honda Dazzler
4)Pulsar 150
5)hero honda Hunk
6)TVS apache rtr 180.
My Budget Rs-65-80k
Let me tell u that I was loking for a bike which will be stylish, good fuel economy, less maintanence AND WHICH WILL MAKE ME DIFFERT FROM THE CROWD .as I would ride more on highways less in city(70:30)
So after I short listed the bikes I went to each and every show room to take a test ride.Herohonda was my first destination
1- HERO HONDA HUNK- It was A GOO ride.though I could not feel the punch in it.more over at 80kmph the bike started shaking.vibrations were there. It offers good mileage. comfort was ok but at the first ride only I opted out.
2 Bajaj pulsar 220- Gr8 bike.good power delivery.speed, control, but my friend owns a pulsar 220 and the mileage which he gets is 33:35(city:highway). Though I felt that the bike doesnt have smooth clutch changes and aslo I have seen my friend who owns pulsar suffering of high maintanence cost, bad reliability, and the biggest problem, rust and engine refinement gone within 1-1.5 years.Also I have a very trusted mechanic at my place.He said.that if u want to change a bike within 2 years go for pulsar and he also said about the above problems ar there.SAME IS THE CASE WITH PULSAR 150.MORE OVER U WILL SEE PULSAR 150-220 FLYING EVERY WHERE(ITS LIKE A RELIANCE CDMA PHONE-EVERY ONE HAS IT)
3- tVS apache 180- MILEAGE OK. RIDE WAS OK BUT THE ENGINE IS NOT REFINED AS THE HONDA AND YAMAHA.PICKUP IS GOOD, BALANCE IS GOOD. tHE BIKE I GOT TO RIDE HAD A HARD CLUTCH.bUT I had to reject as there were no showroom(good showroom)in my area.
4-Honda Dazzler:-i was completely satisfied with the bike.Be it mileage, comfort, honda reliability, smoothness of the ridebraking pickup gear change everything wa snice
5-YAMAHA FAZER- When I saw this beauty I knew that this was my ride. It was a awesome experience to ride. good comfort, yamaha reliability, great handling .super looks .every thing was just perfect.
So I decided to buy FAZER. At first I was confused between dazzler and fazer.but the muscular looks of fazer attracted me like anything.
I owned the bike and m riding it from september 2011. It has clocked 4000km.(LAVA RED)
Now I have already told u that I did a lot of research before buying and every thing I say over here is my personal experience.
The Showroom people of yamaha were very friendly.their customer relation and service is superb. They call me every month to ask if I am satisfied or not.and if I face any problem, they try to resolve it as soon as possible by them.
i Have done 2 servicing till now.1st I have done it at 850 kms(20days).2nd at 2065 km(65 days from 1st service).though the 1st and 2nd service are at 1000 and 3000 km. I did it early and the service center people obliged. They hear to each and every problem or query and take care of them at the earliest.
Now as every one knows that only one headlight glows at a time due to which I had great difficulty driving on highways so on request they connected both the headlight to glow at the same time.(like R15)
Now about the bike.I have done 5-6 long trips with my friend from 300km up down to 700 kms up down. This baby is gr8. Comfortable seat, good riding position.more over during long rides back and wrist do not pain at all.
LOOKS- This bike has gr8 looks. Every biker who passes me or whom I pass stares at me and my ride.sHE HAS GREAT LOOKS AND is a beauty.
HANDLING- Due to the tyres which MRF provides-REVS-it provides great control on road. Great braking, good stability at high sppeds128kmph!Good discbrakes.When taking sharp turns at high spped I am sure that I wont skid or fall. This baby has great shockers which handels the road very well. Though I had to harden the shocker 2 steps because when I ride with a pillion(68kg-my weight+60kg pillion)on high bumpers the lower stand touches and there are scratches.
RELIABILITY- Yamaha Fazer though it has a fiber body but compared to fibers used in any other bikes the quality of fiber is very good. The build quality is really good. There is no noise from any part of the bike in bad roads.every part of the bike is bolted nicely.
FUEL CONSUMPTION- This is a really important point. I have read in many reviews that some get 35-40 some get 45-50. My baby returns me a mileage of 56kmpl on highways and 48-52 in city/my village). Though it depend on the way u ride ur bike. I never rev high.and on a constant spped of 60-65 on highways I get 56kmph. And believe me I am not joking at all.
All u need to do is -1-Never ride above 50kmph before 1st service.
2-Gradually increase speed
3-Allow the engine to get to the required temperatue.i.e drive atleast 5km before going for high speed.
4-i change gear at 3500-4000rpm. and use clutch as less as possible.
5-Dont ride at constant spped say 40km or 60kmph. Vary ur speed.for the first 2000km.Slowly and gradually.
6-i have changed my engine oil from mineral yamalube to SEMISYNTHETIC YAMALUBE 15W-50.
7- rest ur bike after every 50 km till 3000km.
Till now I have faced only one problem i.e during long rides my engine used to get heated up. But after upgrading to semi synthetic this problem is gone.
I AM A REALLY HAPPY CUSTOMER OF YAMAHA. YES YAMAHA!
LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST.TREAT FAZER AS UR WIFE UR GIRLFRIEND.THEY MAY LEAVE U BUT FAZER WILL ALWEZ REMAIN FAITHFUL IF U TAKE CARE OF HER.
(FEEL FREE TO ASK ANYTHING)
Update> Did third servicing of my babe. clocked 5250km. she is just awesome. no such problem. changed stock head lights to HID.
Fairing is wind tunnel tested and is great. no wind pushing at high speeds encountered. I have myself driven it past trucks at 85k/h and didnt feel any sideways push.
Suspensions are great - you will glide over bumpy roads
You can increase the mileage by 3-4 km/l if you fill air around 40 in the rear(will reduce the grip though)
As mentioned everywhere, the rear seat is a little small
Gear shifting is minimal. you can ride from 25k/hr to 120k/h in the 5th gear itself(will lose mileage in both the conditions)
The handles are slightly placed towards racing bike position and ppl who are not used to riding such bikes for long journeys will get slight pain in the wrists(this condition is worse in R15 bike, thats why it is not used for long rides)
17/7/2012 - 5th servicing completed at 11000kms. Bike is running good. Had some problem with the front disc brakes which was replaced free of cost from Yamaha. Changed fork oil, greased completely, changed airfilter element at 8000km. Stock plug going strong till now. Mileage figure average 53