I own a Red FZ-16 bought for INR 76500 on road. Prior to this I owned Honda Unicorn. So first lets speak of what I didn’t liked in the bike and then I talk of what I liked and its over 250 Kms within a week’s time, so happy reading. The front number plate doesn’t gel with the overall physique of FZ-16 as I feel it negates (kills) the attitude and mean looks that is exhibited by FZ-16 to a very large extent!! The saree guard shall not actually help protect the entangling with the wheel for sure and is as good as its absent but any ways the bike’s not designed for saree / dupatta wearer.
Take it easy - joking!! Pulling out side stand causes one’s foot either to wrongly hit the main stand or the foot rest but a careful look and one finds a small side-stand extension that juts out just further the line. This will
for sure take some time to get used to.The fuel tap doesn’t falls easily on hand and one tends to fiddle little bit and then gets hold of it….its little down under and further as well. The instrument LCD panel has a single
green round indicator light indicating your turn light is on – but which one??
You can only judge by looking at the indicator itself…..putting so much money
on the bike we at least expect 2 distinct left-right separate indicator on the
panel…in fact the bike itself deserves it. The pass-light on the left hand side also is
not user friendly in the sense that it doesn’t fall on to the finger very
easily, say like that of Honda Unicorn. The
handle position (default) is such that when you turn it on either side fully,
there’s hardly any gap between the petrol tank and the handle which may cause
blunt injury to fingers as I had couple of them myself. The chain is O-ring
type, open and Yamaha recommends no lubrication by oil and other such
lubricants…..now this one’s tough!! Not all can afford Motul, WD40 etc. The pseudo non-metallic fuel
tank is prone to scratches and also develops loads of static charge which may
well be very unsafe as well especially during fueling. Mine is already having
two friction (jaded) patches due to my son (4 years) leaning on tank while
sitting!! The RPM indicator (tacho) is also not easily visible during day time
and is as good as non-existent during day time!! The seat is soft which will not be good for
long rides. Even in the city the seat causes soreness (for me) after 20 Kms and
above. This aspect of seat softness though is purely personal, as some like it
hard and some soft – no pun intended!! My personal view is that I would like a
firmer seat. Whenever I try to take on the FZ-16 off its main stand my hand
tries to get hold of the rear end of the grab bar which is absent and I have
only side grabs to deal with. Anyways this one’s because I was used to H
Unicorns rear grab rails which I felt was and is easier to make bike go off the
main stand due to law of physics as well as ergonomics. Now lastly what I
didn’t like was a slightly big gap between the rear wheel and the rear body
(seat). Could have been tighter but this one’s excusable. Mind you these above
observation were all nit-picking to a very large extent and were the only
grouses I could literally pull out.
Now about likes. Switches used are of top quality, good to operate, smooth and well
thought off and laid. At one instance I felt that why I am not getting hold of
my self-starter as easily as I would get the H-Unicorn's one and then I
realized that in H-Unicorn I inadvertently would bump into the self-starter
whenever its not desired leading to greater risk of starter failure. To put it
simply, the self-starter in FZ-16 is so well laid that placing your thumb
accidentally & involuntarily on it is ruled out!! It has got red-colored
engine kill switch on right hand side. All the buttons are easily reached by
your fingers and are ergonomical to say the least save for the pass-switch at
personal level.
Switch on the ignition and there’s
this distinct growl of engine coming to life at first instant itself and its
not as loud as Pulsar nor as soft as H Unicorn. The starter and the starting of
FZ-16 is the least noisy affair. You will be surprised how easily this bike
comes to life at one go and that too without a using a choke!! The bike
has no kick mechanism to start and one has to rely only on self-start.
FZ-16 takes gear changing to next
level and that too with a single toe lever. One can’t use heel to shift and the
disadvantage on this is that the office executives may have their shoes worn
out or may look jaded, especially the left one!! The gears have absolutely no
false neutrals, no judders, vibration, it’s a spot on and a solid feel that one
encounters.
The pickup is nothing to write on
and may be in the league of H Unicorn or slightly better. The handling is
phenomenal, very crisp. Just a flick of body and it takes any desired
direction. In short, it engages you and it is this aspect of FZ-16 which makes
it exciting and move faster. The engine is smooth and flawless. This is
supported by good tubeless tyres at both end while the rear rubber is the
fattest and gives FZ-16 a distinct look and appeal besides being more sure
footed. The FZ-16 engages you so mesmerizingly that you forget you are riding
FZ-16 in a break-in period
I can simply say that this bike has
the best brakes in its class and no one can come near it forget matching it!!
The feedback it gives the driver while braking is phenomenal and one can
precisely take a decision when and where the bike will come to halt at all the
speeds that I have driven viz. 67 kmph due to break-in period
The suspensions works great and
actually are fit for even a 200 cc FZ-16!! The rear is single (mono) suspension
with 7 step adjustment while front fork is having the biggest diameter in this
class while both of them are stupendous. Headlight is good and adequately
focused (its halogen) with “city light” just below it. All the lights are
simple, functional and reliable till date. The LCD panel is orange lit
continuously once the key are on ignition mode.
You can expect an economy of 45-50
Kms/litre in city while between 50 to 55 Kms/litres or slightly more on
highways provided (this one’s a challenge!) you stick to sensible speeds.
Price wise it’s the costliest bike
in its category but worth it!! Its often said that when one sings for oneself
it becomes music that comes out of oneness in harmony of material and spiritual
body and is often in sync with nature and is more or less flawless……this is what
FZ-16 is all about its absolutely blissful and enchanting just drive and drown
in its music and be surprised to get non-stop adulation along the way
irrespective of sex, class, mass or come what may which I get till date, though
for the bike!!
This one's after 2000 Kms of my driving - Economy between 40 to 45 Kms/Litre of petrol irrespective of how you drive; Common problems reported of seat rattling due to which seat cover comes off, though they have come with a solution now and powder coating (black coat) on engine wearing off due to unknown reason (I have faced this both though its being solved now); Faulty fuel meter in sense it doesn't reflect true quantity.
