[JayPrashanth]

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The festive season in India has begun with Eid, and automakers are doing their bit to make their products more attractive to prospective buyers. Yamaha Motor India has given the FZ-S and Fazer range of sporty commuter motorcycles a new paint and graphics job. Both motorcycles are now available in a new Battle Green paint shade. The motorcycles also get revised graphics to go with the new paint job.



Apart from the visual changes, the mechanicals of both the FZ-S and Fazer remain unchanged. The motorcycles feature a 153cc four stroke engine that outputs 14 PS of peak power and 13.6 Nm of peak torque. This engine is mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox. Street fighter styling, chunky 43 mm front forks, a mid ship exhaust muffler and a huge (for its class) 140 section rear tyre are the other highlights of these motorcycles.



The Yamaha FZ-S Special Edition is priced at 74,385 rupees while the Fazer is priced at 79,485 rupees. Both prices reflect ex-showroom Delhi figures. The only major difference between these motorcycles is that the Fazer comes with a half fairing that offers wind protection while the FZ-S features a tiny headlamp bikini fairing.



The Yamaha FZ range has been around for nearly half a decade now, ever since the FZ's initial launch in 2008. The FZ-S is Yamaha's bread and butter model in terms of volumes and is yet to see a major update in terms of mechanicals, save apart for a minor nip here and a tuck there, through the series of visual refreshes.



As the Yamaha FZ series are doing decent numbers for the Japanese two wheeler giant, the company's seems to be following a "don't fix it if it ain't broke strategy" with the FZ range. Bajaj Auto is expected to debut a completely revamped Pulsar 180, at a price similar to that of the FZ range. With the Pulsar 180 expected to bring in new features to the table, Yamaha might want to consider giving the FZ a thorough revamp.

[parrys]

I personally feel Yamaha is going overboard with these decals.
It looks more of a cover up for not launching new products, when almost every other manufacturer is upping their game.

The Yamaha 250cc, even though it will be a very potent product is going to be a little too late for the party.

[Divya Sharan]

I don't like the new army battlefield green on these 2 at all!
Surprising that Yamaha is content (at least what eyes see) with scoots for now. Is R25 ever going to come?
Till then, we'll have these battlefield bikes ruling the streets.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

Till then, we'll have these battlefield bikes ruling the streets.

There was a time when they used to rule the battlefield with R15 and FZ. Probably, the green now should be for hiding in the bushes!

Yamaha has (once again) lost its focus trying to concentrate only on the mass segment IMO.

[hillram]

Originally Posted by Divya Sharan

I don't like the new army battlefield green on these 2 at all!
Surprising that Yamaha is content (at least what eyes see) with scoots for now. Is R25 ever going to come?
Till then, we'll have these battlefield bikes ruling the streets.

+ 1. I dont like the Battle Green colour. Its a total misfit.

[greenhorn]

I thought this green was not allowed for civillian vehicles ?

[AyAn!]

Down with the guy at Yamaha who gave that hideous color combination the green signal. What a way to ruin a brilliant looking machine. Nothing could match the clean original.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I thought this green was not allowed for civillian vehicles ?

I think so too. Maybe that's why they have used it in bits and pieces.

[Porschefire]

*YAWN!!!*

This is my reaction every time i read about the all "new" Fazer and FZ16. Travel back to 2007-08 and you'll be surprised to know that it was only YAMAHA on everyone's lips. R15 and FZ16 were nothing but a revolution at that time. Sad to see Yamaha sticking with them even now without any major upgrades.

If at all the 250 comes from them,it for sure won't have it easy because the game has moved onto figures like 375cc, 45 PS, standard ABS etc.

Hope Yamaha has a secret plan up its sleeve!

[hellmet]

Every company has their own strategy for the market. While manufacturers like Bajaj believe in releasing a new motorcycle every few months, thus always offering the 'latest' choice for their customers, some manufacturers like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki (or should I say all Japanese manufacturers) believe in launching a strong set of vehicles and then working on maturing the platform with minor updates based on market feedback.

I like mature products because I already know from hundreds of reviews how the bike feels like, what to expect from it and what updates the manufacturer has applied since launch. This is also how the software industry mostly works. Most people don't upgrade until the vendor has launched a service pack or XX.1 version.

Yes, many manufacturers now seem to be gravitating their efforts on to bigger bikes, but you and I know that the commuter segment is their bread and butter.

But, I agree, this is no 'special' edition.