Zig Opinion: Dear Yamaha, Why You Do This?

When rumours first surfaced about Yamaha planning to go retro in India, most enthusiasts were expecting the Japanese brand to launch a properly competent motorcycle that could  do justice to the fast-growing retro segment. However, much to our dismay, the company ended up launching a retro-themed nip-and-tuck version of the FZ-S Fi, called the Yamaha FZ-X. 

Sure, with the Yamaha FZ-X, the bikemaker intends to cater to the entry-level retro segment that’s just below Royal Enfield’s territory. For a clearer picture, the Royal Enfield Bullet 350, the brand’s most affordable  offering, costs an eye-watering Rs 1,60,775 (on-road Delhi). But even then, the pricing doesn’t exactly do justice for a 150cc motorcycle thanks to its anaemic engine. It produces just 0.6PS more than the Bajaj Pulsar 125. This coupled with the polarising design (particularly at the rear) has made the fans feel a little disappointed. 

Here’s what we think Yamaha should’ve done:

Launch The Yamaha XSR155!

This is the most obvious approach which many of us were expecting Yamaha to follow. It isn’t exactly a tall order either, as Yamaha had already done it with the MT-15. And like the naked, Yamaha could’ve kept the costs competitive by replacing the aluminium swingarm with a box-section unit and the inverted front fork with a conventional telescopic one.  These changes wouldn’t even have looked out of place considering it’s a retro bike. 

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The India-spec Yamaha MT-15 is priced at Rs 1,40,900 whereas its faired counterpart, the Yamaha R15 V3.0 is pegged at Rs 1,52,100 (both ex-showroom Delhi). So, it is likely that the XSR155 would've commanded a slight premium over the MT15, and could've been positioned between the naked and the faired bike. This would’ve still made it a value-for-money product. It goes to show that pricing wouldn’t exactly be a concern for Yamaha. So from a consumer’s perspective, the Yamaha XSR155 makes perfect sense for the Japanese brand to make an impact in the competitive retro space.

Or, bring out the Yamaha FZ-X 250:

Representative Image

Even though Yamaha offers the FZ25, the brand’s sales performance in the 250cc segment hasn’t really been stellar. But things could change slowly now that the brand has slashed the prices of the FZ25 and the FZS 25. Compounding this, Yamaha could’ve launched a retro offering based on the FZ25, perhaps called the FZ-X 250. This way, the motorcycle would’ve been reasonably powerful (thanks to the FZ25’s air-cooled engine with oil cooler), and would’ve been a lot more capable than the FZ-X.

Moreover, it would've also offered Yamaha the chance to compete against the Husqvarna Svartpilen 250, which currently enjoys the distinction of being the only neo-retro offering in the 250cc segment. And since the FZ25 doesn’t have a liquid-cooled engine, Yamaha would’ve also been able to price this motorcycle competitively. So even from a brand perspective, the Yamaha FZ-X 250 seems like a sound decision.

What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below.