Yamaha FZ16 First Ownership report !!

[rranjith_kum]

Hi all,
I took the delivery of the vehicle yesterday evening. Well after all the visit to the temples and frequent short trips I took carrying all my family members and friends. I found myself some time to post this thread.

I am very much happy with the service I received from my dealership. Some of our friends who have also booked the bike have been ill treated by their dealership. But I didn't face anything that sort of, I liked my dealers service and Vishal Motors have met the sales target for the past 3 months consecutively hence they got the demo bike in which I was offered the test drive twice. Lets forget the argument whether it was a real test drive bike or not but the fact was all prospective customers were offered the test drive and Vishal motors were very generous.

The love affair with FZ16 was something that started when I visited the 9th Auto Expo in Delhi, but I should confess I was much more into R15 than the FZ16 as it looked similar to the legendary R1 ( my ultimate dream to own one) and it just boasted with a lot of tech features.
Little had I known at that time that I would be buying one.
The bike is a pretty good looking one some dont seem to like the front as most of them are used to heavy front fairing (infact a guy in the petrol pump asked me whether I had removed the front doom). Its surely turning heads more and since mine was the first vehicle to be delivered not much people knew about the bike but its a old tale to BHPians though.
I filled the bike with Petrol to the brim 12.69Litres were filled.

On turning the ignition key you will be greeted by the red engine light then the all digital console prepares itself for the start. The digital tacho which I must make a mention about is actually a series of bar lines, I expected a needle to traverse but it isn't and actually isn't very disappointing to see the orange backlit console.

I faced the trouble of false neutral in the demo bike when I test drove it quiet hard. I am facing the same with my bike but only at low RPMs and since I am very light on the throttle right now may be that is the reason. I hope the false neutral isn't a problem the bike may pose later. I would love to hear from my friends on the same.


The ride is stable and composed. The seating position is amazing and I should check it by trial whether it is strenuous during some long drives. The torque is amazing and the initial acceleration is super cool. And with the technology of negative pressure type carburetor which features a butterfly valve and the Yamaha throttle position sensor the bike feels very responsive. Softer hand grips could have been better.

The yamaha claims the front forks to be a functional part I though think its got to do with the looks dept too but its soft and nice with sudden disc engagement I feel the bike may try to pull up a Stoppie it scares me out. The rear is mono shock painted yellow, I think I will meddle with it.

I would have been happier if the bike had a bigger gear shift toe lever. I find it tough to grip it with my sandals. I am attaching a picture in the end so that you can really witness how small it is.
The fit and finish is really great in this vehicle. You expect a lot since you pay around 73k. I liked the pedals but would have loved if the pillion too had the same but it was just a normal metal rest.
You can't expect to seat a lady one side on this bike. There is absolutely no foot rest. You need to tinker it for yourself and moreover the rear seat isn't actually designed to seat that style.
I was very worried about the rear seat comfort till I sat for myself and one of my friends didn't complain it much either. Its just doing the job but we cannot expect a very good comfort. You can just sit there at the back and hold the two grab bars you will get a clear view over the drivers head as he is seated low before you.
Coming to the saree guard, the bike could have had the cover till atleast mid way down to serve the purpose, something like putting a C arch. So that the it can really protect where the chain exactly engages. One word of caution. I guess all FZ owners should make sure that their gal is wearing jeans or chudi and are seated both sides (I dont know how to explain this thing hope you can understand and get the point)
I just waiting till the run in period to get over soon then will put the bike into real test and if possible will make it into a track day.

I am still wondering what to do for the front number plate ?? but let me get it registered first !!

In case you people have questions regarding the bike feel free to ask.

I hope all liked my write up. I am still a novice . Kindly bear with any mistakes and typo errors.

[sriramv.iyer]

Ranjith- Congrats! It should feel pretty good to own one of the first lot of the FZ16! It really looks macho. Have fun, and drive safely!

And let us know if the console is clear in bright day-light...

[rranjith_kum]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

Ranjith- Congrats! It should feel pretty good to own one of the first lot of the FZ16! It really looks macho. Have fun, and drive safely!

And let us know if the console is clear in bright day-light...

Its is clear in the day light. I think the last picture will give a better idea. Maybe I will post a better picture soon.

[PatienceWins]

Congrats!! The bike looks macho.

It would be helpful if you could post some pictures of the side.

[chetan]

congrats buddy a nice buy for diwali , some side shots pictures would be nice .

[bmw_m5_titus]

Somehow i found it hard to read, esp the tacho. Maybe because i am used to analog tachos! And more than the backlight, it s the displays size which I found inadequate. I guess its a matter of getting used to it. The Rtr and Pulsar lcd readouts, were on the other hand quite easy to read for me.

[ravi@64bhp]

Congratulations Ranjit! Nice review there.

BTW, I am not feeling the toe shifter to be smaller. I feel it is same as other bikes.

[abhinav.gupta88]

Congrats on the purchase buddy.

I really like the looks of this bike.

There's a totally different feel to it ( something really bully-ish)

Please take a diagonal pic as in from the right front towards the back.
Will give us a better view of the bike

[TheARUN]

Very nice bike. Was reading all your posts from day 1

Few questions to ask.

1. The centre stand is odd shaped because there is some kind of resonating chamber under the engine for the exhaust. How easy it is to put it on the center stand?
2. Is there a blue light that comes on behind the YAMAHA logo at the back above the tail light?
3. Is the guage yellow and black?

Once again, congratulations on the purchase

[Sankar]

November 08 issue BIKE India carries a really good four page advertisement from Yamaha. It explains in detail (pretty detailed for an ad) about the midship muffler.

[Bhargava_sr]

Hey Ranjit Congrats for the Muscle Bike - Enjoy the Ride and Drive Safe

[rranjith_kum]

A big thanks to all,

I will definitely put up some pictures tomorrow after taking in the day light.

Regarding the answers to Arun

1. Well the centre stand engages quiet well no such problems tough requires some effort compared to models like Scooty pep+ wherein its child's play and you know the bike has some serious piping in the bottom that makes up for the short exhaust. I will post the picture of the same.
Sankar anna : Bike india Nov issue has hit the stands ??!! I will get my hands on one soon.

2. Well there is no blue lit yamaha logo in my bike. Infact at first I felt it glowed red but it was a mere reflection of the red danger light just beneath I hid the light and looked but no such thing ? Are you sure that FZ's come fitted with one such kind.

3. The guage is Orange backdrop with black font colour. The console looks very small while rest of the body parts are very huge in the bike.

[a.ashokdurai]

Congrats and ride safe..

That saree gaurd shld have been sent with chandrayan-1 in pslv

[Mpower]

Does the rear suspension have a linkage system like the R15 or is it like the Uni?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by rranjith_kum

Sankar anna : Bike india Nov issue has hit the stands ??!! I will get my hands on one soon.

Yep, the magazine is out. They bring it out atleast 5 to 6 days early nowadays.

Originally Posted by Mpower

Does the rear suspension have a linkage system like the R15 or is it like the Uni?

No it doesn't have a linkage, it's direct like the Unicorn rear suspension.