Hyosung Aquila GV250 vs Yamaha FZ25

Touring is becoming a fashion among Indian motoring enthusiasts. And why should it not? We have vast expanse of open lands, biodiversity worth experiencing and some really good roads that are connected by many miserable ones with the difficulty level equivalent of playing Ping Pong with a Chinese national, giving riders a sense of achievement like no other.  Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson have been capitalising on this pretty well for a while now and it is time that few others get to ride the wave, even if that won’t dent the sales of the big two. Hyosung is the front runner among the alternative premium motorcycle brands for cruisers and this time we test their new entry-level model, the Aquila 250.

The FZ-S 25 is Yamaha India’s take on the world of entry-level quarter-litre motorcycles. The BS4 variant was known for its no non-sense design and performance approach. These aspects along with good comfort level and decent pricing made it a great choice for buyers who wanted to upgrade from a 150cc motorcycle. But now we are in 2021 and also in the world of BS6, so a few things have been changed on the FZ-S 25 to make it cleaner, more enticing and also more aspirational.

11 months and 7000kms later, it’s time to bid adieu to one of the most favourite long-terms I ever had, the Yamaha FZ 25. The last one year has been great fun with this quarter-litre Yamaha. We did a 3500kms long-distance ride down south, spent a full gruelling day at the track and it was also my preferred companion for every day commute. 

In the last few reports, we talked about the experience in city and in touring with the FZ25. In both conditions, the FZ25 performed well and managed to impress us in a few aspects. We decided to take it to the track to check out its racing pedigree because it’s a Yamaha after all.