Coming Soon: Yamaha R15 V2 Review & Test Ride Report : BikeAdvice

Coming Soon: Yamaha R15 V2 Review & Test Ride Report

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 10:58 AM PDT

Original Source: Coming Soon: Yamaha R15 V2 Review & Test Ride Report from BikeAdvice.in

Our author Naren tested the R15 V2 today and is working on creating the test ride report. Meanwhile you can drool at the photos! We thank BangaloreWheels for providing us with the R15 V2 for test ride.

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Yamaha FZ-S Ownership Review & Experience by Ronnie

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:44 PM PDT

Original Source: Yamaha FZ-S Ownership Review & Experience by Ronnie from BikeAdvice.in

Hi all, I am Ronnie Sylvester,I am 21 years of age , and working with a product design company as 3D artist. And you all will be going through my views about my bike and more then that its my journey and experience with the bike, which is a treat to ride.

Flashback: Right from my childhood I was crazy about bikes n cars just like any other boy. I learnt riding a 2 wheeler at the age of 12, it was my mother's scooty and then later at the age of 16 i got to ride Honda Activa, it was my sisters scooter, so I got it when she got married . so till now most of my riding has been on the activa. Many memories are attached with that scooter so i still have it with me and there came a time when I felt that I had to graduate to a gear bike as I had become an adult n out of college so started to hunt for the perfect bike.

When I was in Animaster learning Animation, there was this Yamaha Showroom (Panache Yamaha Showroom) and I used to roam around there looking at the Yamaha FZF R1 poster and dreaming about owning it one day and dreaming about becoming Rossi. {yes guys Yamaha and Rossi spoilt me deadliest comboJ }. And suddenly one day I see these bikes FZ16 and YZF R15 in front of the show room and I was like… stunned! The first thing that caught my eyes were the tyres of FZ16 and the not so impressive YZF R15 rear part {no offence people I love the YZF R15 , so peace}. That was enough to implant a bug in my mind about my next bike. So finally here it goes… how I came to own it and so on.

Year 2010

By now I had started working so it was time to buy a bike… finally all these years there were 2 bikes in my mind, Pulsar and FZ16. Then when I came to know what was YZF R15 was really about then I added it to my list so now you would have understood that performance and looks were in my mind and was looking for those in the bikes.

In the year 2010, aug, I learnt bike riding in 2 days, n tat too on my friends FZ16 the bike was awesome. Then I even had a test ride on another friends P200. But my heart was with FZ16. In oct, I started to search the internet about bikes, and came across BikeAdvice ,and this helped me moreJ thanks to Deepak and also frequented Xbhp. I would read about bike reviews everyday and till now I make sure I read something about bikes everyday.

I read about pulsar220 bikes and people would tell that its way heavy and not so reliable for long term, and later I dropped the plan of P220 as I felt it was not for me. During same time I came across reviews about FZ S {yes I had started liking this variant as it was unique that time and also the colours were very much better then the FZ16.} I can blindly trust the Yamaha products as they are the people who produce performance bikes, with quality too and the amount of work and the engineering they do to bring out such awesome bikes for us. When going through the reviews I came across one particular sentence almost everywhere, "this bike is not for people who look for mileage". But trust me, that line didn't hold me back from considering it.

I could not opt for YZF R15 because it was way too costly for me at that time and as I was gonna buy my first bike I felt that I would not do justice to the bike and myself to own such a awesome bike, since I had to maintain it nicely for the coming years. So I had to drop that bike too. But I was not heartbroken as I was opting for the 'Lord of the Streets'
Year 2011

Finally it was FZ-S. this bike is a show stopper. Truly. Without any delay I went to the nearst Yamaha Showroom on 6th Jan 2011 and booked it and was told that it will be delivered in 15 days time. its on road cost is 80,495 INR. Exactly my budget I had booked the black with cyber green

But the tough time started… yup I was waiting for my bike L as the dealer had asked me to come on 20th jan 2011, I went to make the full payment, but to my disappointment they had got shipment of bike with the silver coloured one L I really didn't like it as I got to know he was just interested in the money and he even told me to buy the black and green fazer as it was available. What a jerk. I simply refused at his face and told him that I wanted my bike in the next shipment itself.

My wait for the bike went on till FEB 2nd, my bike arrived on tat day… but he delayed the registration of it…{by now I had almost thought of the bike everyday} L the next day they did the Teflon coating for it{costed around 450 Rs} and on 4th he reg the bike and I went to get it finally. But even there I had to spend 3 n half hours more to get a the number stickered for it L o my god!! Seriously… those 3 hours were longest of them all!!!! As soon as I saw the bike I took a pic of it then and there itself it was almost 8 in the evening and that guy started explaining about all those buttons n al, but I cut him inbetween and told its fine I know about it, and I finally took the bike home and yes every eyes on the road were on the bike

The next day I took my mom for a ride yup she was the first pillion rider with me. The first thing she asked me after seeing the bike was, "why is that seat so small and tall?". Lol. Later we went for about 4Kms that night at 11oclock. After the ride I asked her how she felt about the bike and how was the pillion seat, she told the bike was nice and the seat was good and not so bad as she had thought but may be not so good for very long rides. I was happy about it.

I had never opted for the bike thinking about how much comfortable would be the pillion or how much mileage will it give or how many years will it live or so on and on…. For me it was all about what the biker inside me wanted. I wanted a mean machine with the power to out perform other bikes in its category in city conditions and a total head turner with stunning looks and reliable engine. There was something about this bike that pulled me towards it. {this was not because of me being a fanboy of Yamaha trust me}

Took it to office the very next day and when I parked it there I could see that only my bike stood out in the parking area that's like a treat to your eyes some people will understand what I mean. I made sure I look at my bike from my office window often to make sure that no one is touching it n all lol…. Yup I am very possessive about my bike

Days continued with same time table for me. I had to follow the break in period too, so tried to keep the speed under45 till 500kms, the gradually increased it to 55 till 1000kms. Then did my normal riding as the kms past. I used to travel around 10kms everyday and around 20 to 25 kms during weekends. The first Sunday after I got my bike I took it our church and got it blessed the priest too was curious to know about the bike as it looked like a huge stunning bike to him friends too told that the bike was awesome.

As I told before, The bike is a head turner, when ever I was in a traffic signal there would be atleast 2 or 3 people asking me about the bike, the common questions were, "how much is the mileage" or " how is the bike". So I obliged and told them my views. Many times I have seen thst people keep noticing the rear tyre a lot, and the design of the bike with its huge tank . Kinda felt so so so gooood

Now was the turn for my gal to sit behind she saw the bike n said "ooooo niiiccceeee" . Yes guys, girls love the bike he he he…. A + point but I did get little negative feedback during the initial days about the rear seat but eventually she was ok with it.

As Yamaha guys are punctual about the service things, I had to take the bike for first service after 30 days of the bikes purchase.

First Service: 450KMs

Went to the service station and gave it for service. I told him to put semi-synthetic engine oil. I even saw that the guys at the service stn were not handling the bikes properly. Felt pity for my bike L had to leave it there and went back to office as I had to collect it later in the evening. In the evening got a call from them that my bike was ready. Went to pick it up. Paid around 500.INR. took the bike out and started it and rode off. There was a huge difference in my bike in just one day.!! I have no idea if that is supposed to happen after 1st service but I felt my bike was much more smoother before the service L I could see water marks. They just don't understand how important is the vehicle to the owner of it. I can wash my bike much better then them and wipe it properly too and I wont find a single water mark.

At this point of time my bikes mileage was stunningly, yes u read it right, stunningly 48Kmpl !! {did anyone faint?} lol kidding. But I knew that u can expect anything form a new bike coz a guy from office took FZ-S too n he used to get around 26 Kmpl initially !

Just after a fortnight after the service something bad happened. not because of the bike but because of a stupid female passerby who was crossing the road and that too who came infront of me from no where and I had to brake suddenly. I held the front break pretty hard [guys be careful with the front brake as it is very powerful, and since I was used to braking in the activa I did the same here] and the bike skid and I fell off, the worst part was that there was sand on that particular part of the road (thanks to the uneducated dumb idiots who put the sand on the footpath used to construct houses which falls on the road too). Thank god I was not more then 40Kmph and nothing major happened. There were minor scratches on the bike and my left shoulder was slightly scratched too, thanks to my jacket, it saved me and my helmet too. Dont worry, nothing happened to the lady, and she vanished into thin air as I was trying to pick up my bike {and no one helped me} the handle bar and forks were slightly bent because of the impact. I decided to put a crash guard, so went to the service center and gave the bike. My heart was literally crying hardly 2 months old bike and all this happened. from that day I realized how powerful the front brake was and started to use rear brake more which is really good.

Second Service: 1524 KMs

My second service happened at 1524Kms and 3rd one at 2606Kms, I will not tell much about these services as nothing good came out of my bike with their service, which I regret to say. I mean is this the level of service they do to such a good sporty bike? I expected more from them. I am learning bit by bit on how to service the bike myself, so that I will be satisfied with the output of the bike. I wish to do it after the free services of the bike. My 4th service was done on 23rd of sept and getting close to 3700Kms on the ODO. As usual here n there incomplete work by them.

Till now I may have bugged you all about my journey with bike, trust me I have told hardly 30% of my experience, as it will take more then 4000 words to say everything, lol J now I will tell about the bike, and its not exactly a review where I will talk like a critic who sometimes says stupid thing when its not needed to tel. {no offence here guys, chill}

Engine : not much technical specs here, you will find it anywhere in internet. The engine is very good. This has only electric start{which means that it's a sports bike mostly} and am happy with no kick start. ever seen a kick start in a sports bike?. Warm up the engine when you start it after long time and I swear the bike runs so smooth… the bike is smooth at 7k RPM too in any gear. FZS engines have a single-axis balancer. This reduces engine vibration, which in turn reduces vibration felt by the riders at the front and rear of the seat, the handlebars and the footrest. So there is a 99% vibe free ride. Till now I don't have any problems with the engine. I will like to tel one thing that it's a 153cc bike with 14Ps and 14 Nm torque , don't expect the performance of a YZF R15 or P200 or something. Respect the bike for what it is. I have heard many people telling that the bike lacks pick up. Bullshit. I din find anything like that. The bike does every job well in city conditions. Its near perfect bike for city. I also heard some people cribbing about the absence of 6th gear, guys I have hardly felt the need of 6th gear for city commute, really, I hardly go to 5th gear during my daily riding in the city due to traffic n stuffs. I have felt the need of 6th gear only when I am riding on a long empty stretch for some time and that too on a lucky time when you don't find many vehicles around.

Performance

its Yamaha ! do I need to tell anything more then that? Anyways I will say. As I said its good bike for city commute, since I have not gone for a long ride on highway I wont comment on that part. Whenever I rise the throttle it will respond accordingly and when I brake it will do the required job nicely. The bike will be always in control, the only thing that goes out of control is the right hand lol, m sure bikers will understand what I ment . the tyres are of top quality, good grip on the road. The rear tyre will give u confidence on the road. But please don't push your bike to its extreme limits as you will never know what surprise the roads in india will have for u . the mono suspension is really awesome, what a experience it is while riding on Bangalore roads. I don't have to worry about some bad roads here as I don't feel negative feedbacks from my bike while going on pot holes n wat not, because the shock absorbers will not let any unpleasant shocks reach your body. The whole bike is strong enough to handle daily torture on the roads. There are very less vibrations or should I say almost not noticeable , hardly felt, during lower rpm's or higher rpm's. the bike has not let me down in normal city performance, by which I mean, riding at the speeds of 30 to 60 or 70kmph is ease and a smooth ride and even good braking too but yes you should know how to brake properly or else you will end up in hospital { I guess its common in every non ABS bikes}. Haven't crossed 90 till now, I intend to do it on a highway though, want to feel the bike at 100kmph. sorry if I am missing out anything more here, if any other questions regarding about the performance then just leave a comment

Style and Looks

The best part of the review and the best thing about the FZS. As you all know the eye catching features about the bike like the huge tank, the broad rear tyre, the unique headlight, and the mid-ship muffler are one of its kind on the Indian roads. The colour combinations at the time i booked the bike were, red with silver and black with cyber green. I was smitten with black with cyber green, as it looked sexy and awesome. This bike truly stands out on the road. Be careful when u brake hard, as you could end up hurting your tenders lol… only in rare cases though. The bike has complete aggressive look with every part of it having masculine feature. Yamaha has given almost everything with this bike, it has performance, tough body, macho design, very good quality parts n all. The speedometer, tachometer, tripmeter, fuel gauge and other all LCD and digital. Kinda looks odd but cant help it. It looks good only when u start the bike, the tachometer goes fully till the 10K Rpm and comes back, the fuel gauge also goes till the highest bar and then shows the current fuel level. The meter ensures that all the indicators are working properly.

I would have loved to have the meter like YZF R15 or the ZMA, they are very attractive. The headlight is good and does the job well. The bike gives a complete naked bike look and that's the reason I loved this FZS over the Fazer, the fazer fairing looked odd when I sat on it but looked decent enough from far. The number plate looks bad on the crown over the headlight so I will be removing it some time soon. The seats are comfortable enough, but the pillion seat may be little problem for over sized people but not a problem for normal sized people. The rear grab rails are again one of its kind and are styled and placed very nicely. Since it has the naked bike look, the chain is also open chain, so it will attract lot of maintenance and dust, and if you are a guy who wont look after your bike well the this bike is not at all for you. The body parts are little lite on the pocket, so no worries if you like to change it after few years. Is it worth 80k? yup, quality products don't come cheap, that's all I will say.

I have almost told the best and the good things about the bike, and since every bike is not perfect, even FZS has its bad points. Here they are.

Cons:

Too much dirt gets collected at the rear part during rainy season as the tyre hugger is very small and it's a pain to see it dirty. The pillion rider will have tough time when its rainy season or when the bike goes on wet surface.
The digital fuel gauge is not accurate. Please refill sooner when it reaches the reserve fuel. Sometimes the fuel indicator goes to reserve and suddenly shows 2 bars very annoying.
The pillion seat might be little uncomfortable for some people, especially over weight people and not advisable for guys who commute more with their mom or with people wearing saree as they may not be fully comfortable.
The rear drum break will make weird noises during rainy seasons, its so so annoying. I guess that is the main reason I would have liked to have disc brakes.
The mileage will be problem for people who are looking for more the 40kmpl. The bike now gives 35kmpl avg. yes. This happed as the time went by and as three services were done. One more thing I will say is that the bike will deliver your mileage depending on the way you ride. I do ripp it most of the times, so I get these numbers.
The horn could have been little more louder.
The repair costs after an accident will be like little hole in the pocket, so avoid them. And also the services by some centers will not be up to the mark.
The fuel tank looks huge enough but can hold only 12 lts of fuel. Another 2 lts would have been better deal.
The chain will get very dirty, so keep a chain cleaner and a chain lube handy at home. I use yama chain lube. It helps when the chain gets dirty.
These were some drawbacks I have faced. I hope guys who are planning to buy a bike get a little help from this. This was not a full on review about my FZS, this was my journey with it till now. I take care of it as much as I can.

Some advice in the end from me, guys respect the machines and they will do the same to you. Keep in mind the limitations of the bike and ride accordingly. Choose the bike that is perfect for you so that you don't end up with wrong machine. Remember to always wear a helmet and safety gears while riding. Hope I dint bugg you all with my long writing, so m signing off now. This is my first ever review, so excuse me for some mistakes and the length of the review. Comments and suggestions are welcome here.

- Ronnie

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Thursday, September 29, 2011