Yamaha Bikes Expert Reviews

Bigger is better. Or is it?

Yamaha's entrant to the 250cc bracket is a scaled-up version of the ever-popular FZ16. Will it succeed in the same way that the 150cc has? We find out.

The FZ range of bikes wasn’t just about commuting. It was also about doing it in style. The FZ16 is a comfortable commuter, has the ability to show off and does the job of being a fun bike in the corners. These aspects made it a game changer for Yamaha and for the industry but there was a problem. FZ16 customers were moving away from Yamaha to other brands once their thirst for more performance and features grew. This made Yamaha develop something that will help them keep their customers within the brand. This will the job of the FZ25.

For the better part of the last three decades, Suzuki and Yamaha have been locked in a fierce battle. 100cc two-strokes had been around for a while, but the launch of Shogun in 1993 took the fight to the next level. The Suzuki had a 10cc advantage over the Yamaha RX100, was more powerful and the oozed sex appeal like no other bike. And yet it failed. 23 years down the line, it is the same story. 

The Jupiter has been the best  selling scooter for TVS, till date. In fact, it’s been doing so well that it managed to reach a million sales within three years. And to celebrate that, TVS launched the MillionR edition, which we’ve taken as a benchmark scooter for a comparison with the new Yamaha Cygnus Ray ZR. The Ray ZR is a cool, young, stylish scooter which has been developed for the young men. In this story, we find out if the Ray ZR will be able to take on the Jupiter which has won the comparison review with the Hero Maestro Edge and the Honda Activa 3G. 

With the Ray ZR aimed at the younger male audience, it looks as if Yamaha now has an offering for everyone in the family. The appropriately-named Alpha is targeted at men, the Fascino with its chic styling at women and metrosexuals. The Ray-Z at younger female audience just like the original Ray. Coming back to the latest addition, Yamaha has gone to great lengths to make this scooter appeal to the younger male audience while completing its ‘family’.

As much as I would love to strut around on a Vespa, the sky-high pricing makes it an absurd proposition for people like me. The Yamaha Fascino on the other hand, offers similar perks for a lot less. But once you put its ‘lifestyle vehicle’ tag aside, is the Fascino capable enough to take on the best of the lot? Just about when it had its butt settled on the 110cc scooter segment throne, we decided to have the Hero Maestro Edge don its armour and duel it out with the Yamaha Fascino. 

It is pouring like never before and we are not complaining at all. The dust has all settled down, the highways washed out of all the muck and oil and the green is everywhere. And that means highway time for us motorcyclists. Now that we know how the Yamaha FZ S 2.0 fares in the city, let us see how it does on the highway.

It has been two weeks of commute to office on the FZ and each time I park it, walk off and turn back for a glance, it looks nice. The FZ has been carrying these looks for ever and I thought I would get bored of those by now! Also, after getting the chain slack fixed and the drum rubbers set right, the lag that I was cribbing about before has vanished, almost. While it still peeps out at lower revs, it can be ignored and at higher revs, it is almost non-existent.

The FZ series of motorcycles has been a steady seller for Yamaha primarily because of those big-bike looks. When the FZ-16 first hit the Indian roads in 2008, there was nothing with such a muscular profile and stout wheels which made it one of the favourite urban motorcycles. The FZ-S version 2.0 repeats the recipe and this time with fuel injection added to its repertoire to ward off attacks from the Gixxers and Hornets.