Yamaha FZ-S FI: 17,000km Longterm Review Report

Yet another month down and suddenly I realised that the Yamaha FZ-S FI has completed more than one year in the ZigWheels.com garage. And I must say that it has been one pleasant journey so far with the Yamaha motorcycle. The FZ-S FI encountered its second Mumbai monsoon tenure and that meant the suspension was put under enormous stress given the awful roads of Mumbai. The suspension setup of the bike is on the stiffer side and my back did go for a toss when I went in hard on few potholes but on broken surfaces the FZ-S FI absorbed the bumps satisfactorily. The highlight of the Yamaha FZ-S FI in my opinion is its powerplant. Although, it down on numbers as compared to the carburetted motor but where it shines is refinement and it has to be among the most refined 150cc motorcycles on sale currently. Fuel injection has hiked the pricing but has resulted in brisk and crisp throttle response.

Also the Yamaha FZ-S has good cruising speeds as it hold speed around 80kmph effortlessly which is more than apt for commuting. Another aspect that highlights Yamaha’s engineering prowess is the 5-speed gearbox that offers butter smooth gear changes and never have I faced the problem of false neutral. Fuel injection also meant that I never faced the issue of cold starting as one normally faces with carburetted bikes. Riding posture of the Yamaha FZ-S FI is upright and comfortable but the stepped seat isn’t much pillion friendly. Handling dynamics of the bike is impressive with the beefy tyres playing their part but manoeuvrability in the city is poor owing to the wide handle bar. Fuel efficiency of the motorcycle is disappointing as the FZ-S returned us an overall figure of 42kmpl. Barring the few negatives, the Yamaha FZ-S FI is a good motorcycle for city commute and the occasional jaunts on the highway.  

Total kilometres done: 17,443km

Fuel Efficiency: 42kmpl (overall)

Date Acquired: August 2014

Cheers:  Handling, Engine refinement

Sneers: Mileage, Lack of manoeuvrability in city