Rise of Yamaha Fazer 150cc

From the past three decades, Yamaha was able to shape up an alcove in biking enthusiastic peoples of India. This was made possible by some astonishing launches by Yamaha, sometimes in field of Power and sometimes by breathtaking looks. In spite of being abeyant in Indian market for a while, Yamaha managed to make a mark with the launch of R15 and FZ16. But the price tag of R15 and lack of front muscular look in FZ series made Yamaha to roll out another ground breaking product the FAZER – a combination of revolutionary idea and great charisma.

Specification

The bike is powered by 153cc air cooled 4 stroke SOHC engine which generates peak power of 14 Bhp at 7500 rpm with maximum torque of 14 Nm at 6000 rpm. 

For complete specification click here.

Price and Color

New Fazer is priced Rs 88,503 (on-road in bangalore) and is available in four colors shown below. To view large image just click the thumbnails.

My Review

Before I start with the actual review, I want to share my experience with this bike. It’s been one month I started riding this black beauty christened as Black Hawk and from then I am in love with it. It's a joy riding it whether in city or highway. BH clocked mileage of 43.2 km/l in the first 500 km which I didn't expected. It’s said that nothing is perfect and this is also true for this great machine. I am sharing here all the pros and cons of the bike which I felt.

   Motocross Suspension

Starting with the Ride and Handling of the bike  I must say that the bike has a very comfortable  seating posture and Yamaha achieved this by  raising the handle bar and lowering the rider seat a  bit. Its design is based on a triple muscular concept,  big center mass, tough front fork, macho wide tyres  and midship silencer. Midship muffler helps in  concentrating the weight close to the center of bike thus enhancing the control. The bike enjoys a world motocross championship machine type seven step adjustable suspension which provides an exhilarating and stable ride.

Midship Muffler

The bike has ultimate touring capabilities and long drives will never result in a fatigue for your wrist and backbone. Thin handle grip will cause pain in thumb of people having long fingers, for them additional handle grip is what I suggest. Its available at Yamaha authorized dealer at less than 100 bucks. You will enjoy the bike capability of turning at high speed and control even at sudden braking. Very often it is complained by people that the bike carrying such a price tag must have rear disc brake but that is what not required in Fazer, thanks to the fat rear tyres by MRF (140/60-17) which provides the capability to stop the bike even if it is at max speed. 

Fat Rear Tyre

Seating is cushioned adequately but rear seat is small that’s what I feel. Fairing of bike is so well designed that it controls the flow of air around the bike and keeps it steady. You can feel the air around fairing flowing in certain manner when you will place the hand there. The turning radius of the bike is increased due to the fairing and you will require a lot more space than FZ to make a U-turn. Suspension for fazer is tuned in between the hard and soft marks making it a perfect combination of comfort and handling but I feel the suspension is a bit harder and more softness is required.

Dual tone Fairing

Moving to the Styling of Fazer, I can guarantee head turn around on the road. Curves and contours of fazer give it tantalizing looks which takes your attention. The bike owns a beautifully contrived dual tone aerodynamic front quarter fairing. The stylish aerodynamic wind protector allows resistance free riding at high speed by cutting down the air pressure. This also helps in cutting down the side ways push when overtaking at high speeds. Fazer comes with new graphics that definitely enhances the attractiveness. The fuel tank cover resin is specially designed to up the masculine quotient of the bike.

Stylish Cowl

Fazer is equipped with complete digital console built over a full liquid crystal display. It includes a tripmeter, an odometer, a speedometer and a tachometer. The cowl protects the display from direct sunlight and makes it clearly visible even in bright day. During night the display looks awesome with the yellow background color. Sporty look of bike is achieved by the fairing holding the twin headlamps of 35 watt each but only one headlamp glow at a time (left one for dipper and right one for main light) and its looks bad. You can make both to glow at same time with the help of a small attachment costing around 100 bucks whereas doing so will void the gurantee of the battery.

Liquid Crystal Display

Another way of doing this is gently placing the high/low beam switch somewhere in between. I experienced that riding with both lamps glowing doesn’t adversely affect the battery much. Dimmer is well placed between the headlamps and it adds to the beauty. There isn’t much space under the seat and you will need a backpack for your touring requirements. Side stand is placed between gear lever and foot peg and many reviews claim it awkward but I didn’t face any problem in making it down. The bike misses a foot rest for ladies who want to sit sideways. Crash guard is also missing in the bike and a new rider definitely needs                                                 it. It can be installed at any Yamaha workshop for 300 bucks.

The Break-In Period of any bike is the most important time for its engine because various parts in the engine wear and polish themselves to the correct operating clearances. How you operate the engine in this period will decide how it will respond for whole of its life. Fazer break-in period is for 1000 km and it is recommended not to put excessive load on the engine during this period. That is why care should be taken to avoid overheating the engine. Below points should be followed during break-in to avoid overheating,

·        Prolonged full throttle operation must be avoided.

·        Do not accelerate fast in first gear.

·        Keep good revs through the gears.

·        Do not ride the bike at one set throttle position, vary the speed.

·        After every hour of operation stop the engine and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.

·        Do not idle the engine for more than a minute.

1000 km period is divided into two parts, 0-500 km and 500-1000 km. During the first 500 km, operation above 4500r/min is not recommended. A maximum speed of 60km/hr can be achieved at this revolution. During the next 500 km you can go up to 6000r/min and this can take you till 80 km/hr. It is suggested to reach 6000r/min mark at times when it is allowed and if you don’t do so your bike will get slow for life. Gear shifting is a bit hard in starting but smoothness is noticed after 500 km and after first servicing. After 1000 km bike can be operated normally as break-in period gets over and now you can test the top speed of your bike.

If we talk of the Maintenance of the bike certain points must be kept in mind.

·        After 1000 km of operation, engine oil must be changed, oil strainer cleaned, oil filter cartridge or element replaced. This all is done at first servicing and you don’t have to worry but make sure that this all is done.

·         Keep the engine speed out of the tachometer red zone (9000r/min).

·        Engine oil must be changed at every 3000 km after the initial change at 1000 km.

·        Chain faces the enormity of the nature and should be lubricated at every 500 km.

·        Yamalube 10W-40 and 20W-50 performance all-purpose oil is recommended. This provides stable clutch performance and film strength. Semi-synthetic 10W-50 can also be used if bike is operated in cold conditions. Full synthetic oil should not be used as it is developed for complete racing engines and reduces the mileage.

·        The most important point is that never take your bike to any road side workshop, always prefer to reach an authorized Yamaha workshop.

     According to me, if you want a pure biking experience and exhiliration and spending a bit more is not a concern for you then go for this ultimate machine. Its a joy to experience the reliability of Yamaha brand.