Yamaha FZ-S V2.0 Long Term Review 2

City commute

It has been two weeks of commute to office on the FZ and each time I park it, walk off and turn back for a glance, it looks nice. The FZ has been carrying these looks for ever and I thought I would get bored of those by now! Also, after getting the chain slack fixed and the drum rubbers set right, the lag that I was cribbing about before has vanished, almost. While it still peeps out at lower revs, it can be ignored and at higher revs, it is almost non-existent.

That brings me to the power delivery of the FZ-S. The V2.0 gets fuel injection and a 149cc motor as compared to the 153cc on the previous motorcycle. The V2.0 generates 13bhp of power at 800rpm and 12.8Nm of peak torque at 6000rpm as against the 13.8bhp at 7500rpm and 13.6Nm at 6000rpm of the V1.0. The decline in power and torque is apparent when you wring open the throttle. You can feel the V2.0 is not as fast as the previous generation FZ, neither off the line nor at the top whack. With peak power being developed at higher rpm, it takes even more time to reach the three-figure mark.

On the fuel economy front, the fuel-injected FZ-S V2.0 works its magic. For a mixed commute of city chock-a-block city traffic and highway, the FZ-S returned a fuel economy of about 41kmpl. Going by previous FZ standards, it is a pretty decent bump in the fuel economy figures when I take into account that my throttle is wide open more often than not.

The brakes, though, are very good. The 242mm front disc brake has a nice bite and you can feel the grip levels as you grab the lever harder. The wide 100/80/17 MRF FY rubber in the front is soft and provides good grip, allowing you to go harder on the brakes without worrying about capping the traction limits. The drum brake on the rear wheel comes handy to keep the motorcycle stable under heavy braking. The FZ sheds pace quickly and instils confidence, something I will like when on twisty mountain roads that are paved well.

Next on the cards, if possible, is a good ride where I can get the FZ out on an open highway and twisty mountain roads. I hope it rains by then, not only for the scorched me, but also for the parched lands.