Yamaha Fazer 25 Review
Bike Tested: Yamaha Fazer 25; Road Test No. 895; Test Location: Navi Mumbai
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 1,47,202/-
The Yamaha Fazer 25 makes little sense as the FZ25 is just better in almost every way
It’s been a long time coming for Yamaha to launch a quarter-litre machine. With the R3 gone, a void needed filling and to fill that, they gave us the FZ25 – a wonderful street-fighter motorcycle. A very capable motorcycle but didn’t quite solve the purpose of a quarter-litre machine due to the high price. To further add to the mix, Yamaha didn’t waste time and got the Fazer 25 to make its debut as the sports tourer we’ve all been waiting for, but is it really?
Motor Quest: The Yamaha Fazer 25 is a full-faired sport touring version of the FZ25, both being mechanically the same. It is currently Yamaha’s only full-faired offering under Rs. 10 lakhs in India.
The motorcycle looks beautiful from certain angles
Styling – Right off the back I can tell you, the overall design of this machine is not ordinary. Good or bad? I’ll leave that for you to decide but personally, I don’t quite like it. The LED headlight is the same unit found on the FZ25 but this one has two additional LED strips that supposedly help make it more visible to oncoming traffic. That being said, I see it more as a missed opportunity on having integrated turn indicators. Look at the front for a while and you will notice how the rest of the design has been built around its headlamp and ending immediately once you reach the tank, beyond which it’s an FZ25 again.
The Fazer 25 does have quite attractive looking wheels
The design of the Fazer 25 could have been executed much much better
The Yamaha Fazer 150, that is still currently on sale isn’t exactly much of a looker and doesn’t deliver that tourer feel, especially with its semi-fared body. This being a full-faired machine, the Fazer 25 still can’t deliver as the design looks a little too busy to look good, kind of like a Bajaj Pulsar RS 200. The paint scheme doesn’t exactly do justice to it either. I’m guessing they took inspiration from Iron Man’s choice of colours which does manage to get your attention. I feel the Soulful Cyan colour looks much better than this Rhythmic Red but then again, that’s my personal opinion. Apart from of all of this, the Fazer looks rather purposeful and ready to tour. More on that later.
The tachometer is barely visible since its all wedged up against the top
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The instrument cluster is the exact same one found on the FZ25 and has no changes to it. It feels a little narrow to use with the tachometer wedged up against the top of the screen. It does get a few basics and some more information but here is the catch, you can never access that information side by side like you can on something like the KTM Duke 200. The bike only comes with one slot to display your odometer, twin trip meters, real-time mileage, average fuel efficiency and a clock but neither of this can be viewed at the same time. You would constantly find yourself pressing that tiny hard button trying to toggle through the information to go between your clock and efficiency figures and let’s not forget, the lack of a gear position indicator which doesn’t sound very tourer like or even a shift light for that matter. The switchgear feels decent to use and again is the same as its naked counterpart.
The riding position is very upright and feels comfortable at low speeds
Ergonomics – The seating posture is quite upright and comfortable and there is decent legroom. The mirrors which otherwise provide decent visibility find themselves compromised if you’re revving too high or wearing a riding jacket. Which again, isn’t very tourer like but Yamaha to add to the tourer nature has given it a dual horn which may or may not be on your list of priorities at this point. The pillion comfort is good with the seat being wide and well cushioned. I was quite surprised to not find any bungee hooks for saddlebags on this motorcycle as it is positioned as a sports tourer. As for the FZ25, the ergonomics were bang-on for an upright seated tourer and it’s the same for the Fazer 25.
The engine packs good low-end punch and feels quite torquey
Performance – Boy oh boy! Was I happy about Yamaha coming up with something in the quarter-litre segment! It’s got the exact same powertrain as the FZ25 with no changes to it. But here’s the thing, it still feels pretty sluggish post 130 km/hr and the increase in weight might have something to do with that but the engine produces the lowest power in its segment. There is no such thing as quick overtakes, it’s just an overtake. At slow speeds, the mill feels quite refined and pulls strong all the way up to 6000 RPM but the moment you’re past it, you realize that it starts losing its breath and has none left in the top-end while it redlines at 9500 RPM. The vibrations start as soon as you rev anywhere above 7000 RPM, beyond which the footpegs and fairing start to buzz. These do eventually make their way to the handlebar which doesn’t exactly feel relaxed while touring at higher speeds. Maybe this is what Yamaha wanted all along, more on that later.
The Yamaha Fazer 25 feels very peppy to ride in the city
The Fazer 25 isn’t a highway muncher, rather more of a highway nibbler
Yes, you really feel like it could use another gear each time you start riding and I must specify that anything around and beyond 7000 RPM sounds and feels terrible. Once you accept this bike as a motorcycle for the city, all of this is something you can live with. We managed to achieve a speedo indicated top speed of 143 km/hr (137 km/hr on the VBOX) but it took its own sweet time to get there once past 125 km/hr. The gearbox is quite a smooth shifting one and apart from a few false neutrals, it gave me no hassle whatsoever.
There is good initial punch and the bike is short geared
Let’s look at the characteristics of the motor, for instance, peak torque of 20 Nm kicks in at 6000 RPM and the engine gets noisy and stops being refined past 7000 RPM. Peak power kicks in at 8000 RPM but the motor is done revving at 9500 RPM and most of all, the constant feeling of wanting a sixth gear each and every time you’re at triple digit speeds is always there. As you can tell, this isn’t the best highway cruiser as it always feels like it’s either lacking a gear or running out of breath, it’s only in the city that all of these factors don’t matter and the powertrain feels great. The motorcycle goes like you want it to. From the moment you get on this machine, it’s quite evident that it’s set up more for the city and less for touring.
This motorcycle doesn’t offer great stability at high speeds
Riding Dynamics – The Yamaha Fazer 25 isn’t the kind of bike that you enthusiastically throw into corners but it does like to change direction and cruise well at the same time. The problem here is that the suspension is soft but maybe a little too soft for our roads. At low speeds, it’s very comfortable but as you get going, the soft setup lets you feel a lot of undulations on typical Indian roads. The motorcycle feels a little unstable at higher speeds and robs you of the confidence provided to you at lower speeds. The brakes feel decent and since you can’t really go too fast, the feedback is strong, bites hard and can handle dropping anchor at the speeds it is capable of.
The brakes don’t fail to bite when you really want them to
The Fazer 25 feels unsettled at high speeds and through fast corners
At higher speeds on the Yamaha Fazer 25, you feel discomfort due to the wind hitting you. In case you’re wondering why that’s happening even though there seems to be a very helpful visor given, well truth be told, I was very disappointed with it. The visor barely provides any protection at triple digit speeds, even while riding in a tucked in position, go figure! However, while being kept at double digit speeds, the motorcycle feels like it is in its elements. I see how Yamaha wanted to set it up for comfort but unless you’re riding something really sluggish, most people ride at triple digit speeds once they’re on an open highway and that’s something I would have liked Yamaha to address. The tyres could have offered a little more grip but it’s a small complaint since that can be dealt with.
The Yamaha Fazer 25 has a lot of potential that’s held back
Let’s face it, no one enters a corner at slow speeds. Once you build momentum on this machine and enter the corner hot, your immediate reaction is to slow down mid-corner because of how unsettled the ride feels, so I suppose it just likes riding in a sort of relaxed manner. As I rode the Fazer 25 more and more like I previously said, this is probably how Yamaha wanted to set it up all along. Maybe a city tourer is what they were intending to make all along. Once you look at it from that perspective, it all makes sense. The bouncy ride at high speeds but compliance at low speeds, the lack of agility through corners but the confidence to zip through traffic and the power in the low-end and a little in the mid-range but none at the top, ‘city tourer’ is what comes to my mind after taking almost everything this machine has to offer.
The front design is where the Fazer 25 attracts polarising opinions
Verdict – The Yamaha Fazer 25 isn’t a very good highway tourer due to its lack of proper protection from the wind, low agility and the lack of top-end power. It does fall short on the touring front but is a great city bike and does extremely well out there. There is a slight problem though and it’s the existence of the FZ25. It not only offers the exact same engine but is more agile due to its lighter weight and offers similar wind protection, especially in the concrete jungle. So if a city bike is what you want, save the extra money and get yourself the FZ25 but if a highway machine is what you need then look elsewhere as you might find better alternatives.
It’s exactly the same as the FZ25 once you move behind the tank
What’s Cool
* Ergos and the riding posture are really comfortable
* Braking feedback is amazing and the bike stops where it needs to be
* Tiny LED unit along with twin LED strips and dual horn make it “revolutionary”
What’s Not So Cool
* Wind protection isn’t what is expected
* Engine sound and the exhaust note aren’t the best
* Ride is too bouncy at higher speeds, bike swivels whilst doing top speed
This motorcycle is good but its biggest competition is its own sibling
Yamaha Fazer 25 Specifications
* Engine: 249cc, SOHC, 4-stroke, 2-Valve, Air-Cooled
* Power: 20.09 BHP @ 8000 RPM
* Torque: 20.00 Nm @ 6000 RPM
* Transmission: 5-speed
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Frame: Diamond
* Suspension: Telescopic Forks (Front), Swingarm Monocross (Rear)
* Tyres: 100/80/17 (Front), 140/70/17 (Rear)
* Brakes: 282 mm Disc (Front), 220 mm Disc (Rear)
Yamaha Fazer 25 Dimensions
* Wheelbase: 1360 mm
* Ground Clearance: 160 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 14-litres
* Kerb weight: 154 kgs
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