I was lucky enough to test ride the Yamaha FZ-16 recently. I have divided this review into 2 parts. The first is based on what I think of the bike when it’s at a standstill. And the second is my riding experience. I’ll start from the headlight and go on to the back. The headlight is multi reflective and unique. The front shock absorbers are the thickest front forks in the market. The front tire has disc braking while the rear only has drum (can’t have everything, I guess). The disc for the disc brakes on this bike is larger in diameter(267mm) and thus size than all the other bikes. The front blends together nicely. But there’s this question. Where do you put the front
number plate? You can’t put it in between the headlight and the front mudguard.
This is because the headlamp is large and there isn’t enough space for the
number plate when you go through a bumpy patch. It’ll scratch the mudguard.
YAMAHA have placed a holder on top of the headlight just for the licence plate.
But I wouldn’t put it there. It would feel like sticking an unwanted number on
the forehead of muscular person. That leaves the last option of putting a sticker on the front mudguard with the number plate.
Next comes the fuel tank. It’s deceptive in its appearance. The real one
is actually underneath the plastic fiber. Thus the weight is maintained and the
bike looks intimidating. The muffler is of an innovative design and goes well. Then
you notice the lack of a kicking mechanism for the bike. This is where I was
the most disappointed. I mean it’s the coolest to kick something to life. It
would be sad if you can’t even start the FZ because your batteries are down.
There is an engine trouble warning light that should be taken very seriously. And
unlike the YAMAHA R-15 it has a main stand.
The pillion rider seat is pretty small. But that is because the driver’s
seat is huge. The FZ-16 is not for people who ride a lot with a passenger. I
would remove the sari guard as soon I could. It negates the effect of the open
chain with that partial chain guard. The mono shock gives the bike the effect
of being in the air. Then, the rear tire. The only one of its kind here in this
country. Trust me folks, you have to see it to believe it. It is big. It is
also the reason for the 2 months waiting period after the booking here in
Mumbai. YAMAHA claim that they have their bikes hanging in their factories and
that MRF cannot provide these special customized radials in time. Blame game?
Lastly all the 3 colors are great. Black lovers will love this ‘midnight black’. They probably won’t even think
twice. I test rode an orange one. It looked really nice as well. But my favorite
is the signature color for the FZ. It features on the official web site and in
the TV commercial. The ‘lava red’. Another reason is that I’m a huge Manchester United fan.
Now onto the real part. The ride, handling and the performance. I
confess that I’m only an amateur rider. But any idiot can understand the
performance. I started the bike using the ignition starter. The first thing I
noticed was that the LCD dials lit up and then went blank again. The
speedometer said 0. I got the bike into first gear, felt the revs and let go of
the clutch. I could feel the power underneath my arms. The bike was very
smooth.
I slowly moved it into the higher gears. The shifts almost felt like
nothing, as though they were automatic. And the engine accepts those shifts really
smoothly. Then I slowed the bike down to check the downshifts. Again excellent.
The brakes handled really well too. That, combined with the high torque on low
RPM’s means a quick and zippy ride, especially through the turns.
I
took a U-turn and this time I accelerated like my life depended on it. I just
pulled at that throttle. YAMAHA state that the FZ-16 has the fastest 0-60kmph
time in its segment. It must be true. The pick up is awesome. Unbelievable. I was
actually scared for a moment before I got more into control. It was so much fun
to watch the digital speedometer run like anything. The tachometer though is
not as nice. The pointing needles are much too small and you have to
concentrate to read. I would have preferred an analog tachometer.
People have said that the horn is disappointing but I don’t think so. It
certainly is loud enough. And though it’s not a double horn, I can understand
why its there. It’s because it works on the same battery as the electric starter.
Lastly YAMAHA claims a mileage of 50kmpl. Unlikely, unless utmost care
is taken. People who regularly use the highway can expect something like 45kmpl
while city commuters can hope for it to be around 40kmpl.
I have not compared this bike with any
of the others as it is the best and comparing it would be an insult to it. A
fantastic YAMAHA.
Keep the rubber side down!