I am Arun. I am writing this review as I thought it would be great to share about biking and the experience of buying the new Yamaha Fazer 153CC.
I bought the Yamaha Fazer 153 CC (Competition White) in Apr 2012. I must say I am pretty much satisfied with its overall performance [No, don’t think Im some blogger who backs brand Yamaha or Fazer though I own two Yamaha vehicles ;) ]). No problems what so ever with the bike and it is running smoothly. I am writing this review after using it for 1500 kms, so I think u can trust me (I also own a Yamaha Gladiator SS - 2010 Edition, still using at home).
I wanted a standout bike (Preferably 150CC - Reasonably best suited class for performance bikes in India) even at a little more price(At around Rs. 70000-85000 range), and purchased Fazer, as it suited the best of the following:
*A Sports bike with standout looks - As this would be the last bike I would buy, would want something special in it (Im 24, and would go for a car after some 4-5 years)
Performance bike with refinement (Top speed to thrill occasionally and constant acceleration for those trips you go whenever you want)
Good Handling & control (Should be safe in cornering and good to ride long drives)
Reasonable mileage(Gives some 38-43 kmpl : Twice tested in normal open city riding conditions. Petrol prices are rising steep, how rich you might be, u still care for the money you spend unless you are some millionaire)
Best in the class (You don’t want another bike of the same class make your bike look like a garbage tortoise: That’s what a 24 year old thinks at his age....)
And Last but not the least - I liked the bike
I also decided to buy Fazer after I dropped off the other options for the reasons : [Hero Karizma - The thirsty pet, Hero CBZ - Pretty ordinary, Bajaj Pulsar 180/220 - Less refinement and raw engine & poor mileage again [Not including Pulsar 150 here coz, every cheapo (No pun intended, I respect the Pulsar maniacs, but to say, it is almost the second most seen bike in cities after Splendor. Standing at some signal, u can see a black pulsar at your right - so u feel boring - turn to left, u see a red pulsar - HOLY crap, u think! ;) And also, the bike would be no less than Junk after some 2-3 years(except some of the old Pulsars, the new ones are just Plastic-Plastic)], Honda Unicorn Dazzler - Poor looks] . And after some internet survey, friend circle reviews, experience of riding my beloved friends’ bikes and some test rides and live research, frankly speaking ;) I saw no other options at the range of 70-85 grands and chose Yamaha Fazer 153 CC.
Coming back to the review part:
THE PROs of the bike are -
The bike is sleek, attractive and comfortable to ride. It is the modified version of the best looking naked bike in the country (The Yamaha FZ). You can have the comfort, wide back radials, monocross & engine of the FZ amd also the looks and similar front fairing of the Yamaha R-15 in the same bike.
Looks and performance-wise it is the best looking bike in its class : From Bajaj Discover 150[Mentioning this bike in this review only for the reason it has a 150 CC engine;) ] - To the Karizma (Pricewise, it falls in the class of 70 Grand bikes) {Exclude the above 1 Lakh range bikes for gods sake ;) (The R-15s)}
The Yamaha Fazer is powered by a 153.00 CC Air-cooled, 2-valve, 4-stroke SOHC engine with a maximum power of 14 BHP at 7500 rpm and a maximum torque of 14 NM at 6000 rpm, and constant mesh five-speed transmission.
You would enjoy the comfort of the Monocross suspension(seating position is more relaxed, which should help to minimize fatigue and provide better support for the spine during long rides), the wide radial comfort (You enjoy the extended cornering in the edges of the roads, and even better banking balance....)
Generous seat space makes you feel like riding something special.....
The 267mm hydraulic disc in the front boasts a two-pot calliper that makes full and capable use of the disc’s outer perimeter to significantly improve stability and responsiveness, though the bike is a bit heavy to handle, it doesn’t matter... The rear end has the drum brakes (ABS Brake edition would be welcome, but the present braking system is sufficient with all those brilliant body-weight ratio and 140/60-17 inch size wide radial tyres)
Coming to the Cons part:
The little drawback you would notice is the gear-power ratio given in the bike. You would get confused about the 4th and 5th gear after shifting to the 5th gear (You feel yourself wanting to shift another gear), hearing the engine’s noise if you frequently ride other sleek 150CC bikes like Pulsar... A 6th gear would had given it a better power ratio and also would have improved its performance (Bike India magazine has also mentioned it, u can notice).
More Fiber body: The paint and the body is amazing, but it is made of fiber: If you carry any household item on those fibre petrol tank, it would leave your vehicle with some bruises on its body!.. Imagine some idiotic vehicle’s handle just touching your Fazer’s body would leave a visible scratch (Especially if it is a White Fazer, sorry to say) [My bike has some small scratch and bruises below handle bar and the lower tank region in these 5 months and bothers me a bit]
You can see a Hero Splendor guy fall in the middle or corner of the road, pick his bike again and ride off..... But it might not be if you are the owner of the Yamaha Fazer: You will be more in a risk of losing some thousand bucks off your pocket if your bike falls down. So always take care while you park your bike(Most common reason: Failing to open the side-stand and leave your vehicle tilt pretending that it is in the side-stand position).
Heard complains from some of the FZ users about the mileage being as low as 30 kmpl: But it is not with my Fazer, it gives me a pretty 38-43 kmpl after riding at 40-70 kmph in open city like outskirts of Jodhpur.. Satisfied with that.
No other points to say against.
Anyway closing my NEVER ENDING debate in this never ending world, now coming to the important part of the review of the BIKE: VERDICT
VERDICT: Best bike to ride in its class, you will enjoy riding it.. Go for it. Be safe, enjoy the ride!