Yamaha FZ

Overview

Yamaha was the second brand to revolutionize the Indian motorcycle market after the Pulsar's, which back from 2003 has been a best performer. Before the introduction of the FZ series, all the performance was in the hands of Pulsars and Karizmas, with no special definition of a street fighter. No doubt, Yamaha's very own RD and RX series were present in the market but the need for a modern day muscular looking street fighter was the reason why the Indian FZ was born.

The inspiration for the Indian FZ was taken from its ancestor, the massive FZ1, which was not actually practical for a country like India. The Indian model needs some properties which are not mostly found in the international versions. The engine size decreases and side by side good mileage is build and a bike with Indian traditional standard is made. The only thing Yamaha managed here and proved to be the best was keeping the muscle spirit alive and making something which really challenged everything which comes in the way.

Starting from the original FZ-1, the real king of streets, the series goes as down as the FZ-16, which was the Indian street bike revolution. The FZ-1 is a beast inside, beauty outside model having a 998 cc, 4-cylinder engine producing 148 BHP @ 11000 rpm and a max torque of 106 NM @ 8000 rpm. The king has a 6-speed manual transmission and comes with twin hydraulic discs for the front (320 mm each) and a 245 mm hydraulic disc for the rear. A massive combination of 120/70-17 and 190/50-17 tires has been used for the front & rear respectively. It houses a huge 18 litres of fuel tank. After the engine specs, the second factor which made it uneasy for the FZ-1 to launch was its price, which is INR 11,42,999 (Ex-showroom Delhi).

Then come the turn of the mid-engine street-fighters, which are still awaited to be launched in India. These are namely the FZ-07, FZ-8 and FZ-09 which are expected to arrive with a price tag of INR 7 lakh, INR 8 lakh and INR 8.5 lakh respectively. The FZ-7 houses a 689 cc, twin-cylinder motor, the FZ-8 with a 779 cc and the FZ-9 with 847 cc engine. The common most elements within all these are the use of massive tires and aggressive body styling.

The game changers for Yamaha India were the FZ-16 v1.0 and FZ-S v1.0. These affordable naked street bikes had a minor styling and shade difference between them. Internally, the power source was the same 153 cc, 1-cylinder engine which produced 13.8 BHP @ 7500 rpm and 13.6 NM @ 6000 rpm. The riding pleasure of these made them very popular in a small period of time and mostly among those who loved bulky looking bikes. The huge 140/60-R17 was the major attraction and one major cause for its popularity at the initial stage. These were carburetted street bikes and with time they were upgraded to a new form.

Then Yamaha launched the FZ-16 v2.0 and FZ-S v2.0. These were built on the same frame as the version 1.0, but with time the technological changes were made. The newer version had fuel injection as standard on both variants, with the newly developed engine (149 cc) producing 12.9 BHP and 12.8 NM of torque. The down grading was seen as a negative point for some time, till the riders understood that the ride quality has even became better than before. The cosmetic changes were heavily done, with a new headlight and tail lamp changes.

The FZ series has always been the first choice for street bike lovers, but with rising competition, the sales have been highly affected and the prices have also significantly gone up from their starting days. But for those who love FZ, these things won't matter and feel of riding a bull will always stay alive in the hearts.

View Full Size Comparison Infographic