So, Yamaha India has finally jumped into what is quickly becoming the entry-level performance segment in India, the 200-400cc class. And it has done it with the brawny looking FZ25. But, instead of going all guns blazing with the latest engine technology, loads of power bragging rights and a 'Yamaha' price tag, it has a taken a more conventional approach. An approach which should give the Japanese bike maker a good chance at actually selling quite a few of the new FZ25s. Yamaha hopes to ship at least 4,000 units of the bike on a monthly basis. Here are 6 reasons why it might succeed.
Affordable pricing
At Rs 1.19 lakh, the Yamaha FZ25 is positioned bang in the middle of the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V and the KTM 200 Duke in terms of pricing. Now, the FZ25 may not have an upper hand here in terms of power - it makes a little under 21bhp which is similar to the Apache and lower than the Duke, but it certainly has higher bragging rights in terms of engine capacity, an equally big driver as power among enthusiasts. In fact, the FZ25 is officially the most affordable 250 one can buy in the market today.
Simple mechanicals
Yamaha hasn't gone the high-end, tech-savvy way with the FZ as it did with the R15. So, it gets regular telescopic forks up front, a monoshock with a box-section swingarm at the rear, non-ABS brake setup, and a single cylinder, 2-valve, air-cooled engine mated to a 5-speed gearbox. This might make the bike seem dated to many, but the upside to simple mechanicals is that it will be easy to fix and will have cost-effective maintenance. The latter will be a big draw for many upgraders.
Light weight
The FZ25 weighs under 150kg. For a 250cc that's fantastic. That's until you look at its simple mechanicals and realise that it barely has any tech to add weight in any case. But, in the real world, this would mean it will be easy to ride and park; will return good fuel economy; and should cloak its perceived power deficit quite nicely. It will also be easy to pick up in case someone bins it in a public parking lot.
Features
As is the case with the Bajaj Dominar, one of the big talking points for the new Yamaha FZ25 is its all-LED head lamp. We haven't seen its illumination efficiency yet, but it is the first bike in its class to sport one. And, that should be worth some applause. The FZ25 has all-digital instrumentation as well which has readouts for two trip meters, instant and average fuel economy and time. There's a reserve trip reading too, besides a digital speedometer and an all-digital tacho. What's missing is a radial rear tyre and as mentioned earlier, ABS.
Dynamic promise
The FZ25 is based on the Fazer 250 which is sold in Brazil. Compared to the latter, the FZ is certainly better looking, but it also uses a different chassis with revised suspension settings. It gets different tyres as well. As a result, claims Yamaha, the new FZ25 is not only extremely flickable at low city speeds, it makes for a stable and involving bike to ride the twisties with too. And given our experience with the FZ16, we have no reason to doubt Yamaha's claims. We really hope this makes for a fun to ride machine.
The FZ pool
One of the reasons Yamaha is so bullish about achieving its 4,000-5,000 unit monthly target with the new FZ25 is the large pool of FZ16 owners it already has in its fold. Yamaha says, it has enough indication suggesting the FZ16 owner typically looks at upgrading in three years' time. Given the sales for the FZ16 range has been in the region of 15,000 units a month on an average for sometime now, that's a huge pool to tap into.
