The 150cc motorcycle segment is already a heated place, competition is cut throat and rivals keep updating their products. While the Pulsar 150 continues to remain the champ in this class, Bajaj Auto is readying a comprehensive update which is only likely to go on sale by the end of this year or even next year. Honda has found a lot of success withe CB Unicorn but the Dazzler flopped miserably and hence they got the Trigger which is doing decent numbers. The CB Trigger has posed a serious threat to Yamaha’s popular 150cc bikes, the FZ series. Yamaha showcased the FZ-S Version 2.0 Concept at the Auto Expo and the bike has been spotted sans any camouflage, signifying a launch is near the corner. This is good news as Yamaha has finally turned back its attention to motorcycles.
A quick look at the uncamouflaged picture reveals the new headlight and new air scoops. Quite a few body panels have been carried over from the old bike (like the front mudguard and the likes) but the split seat is new and so is the instrument cluster, which is an all digital unit. Although not visible in the picture, the spy shots have revealed the narrower rear tyre which will aid in improved efficiency, the only major gripe of the old model being its mileage, which was marginally less than rivals. A new muffler has been added and the bike is expected to meet BS4 emission norms. The recent update to the R15 also made the bike BS4 compliant.
Yamaha hasn’t changed the engine on the FZ, it continues to be the same 153cc, air-cooled mill but now gets a fuel injection system and dual throttle cables. In the past few days, Yamaha has been all over the news for revealing its plans to develop a low cost fuel injection system. This is being developed to extract performance and efficiency at the same time from all its bikes. There won’t be any major hike in power though, any increase, if any, is likely to be marginal. The current FZ produces 14 PS which doesn’t make it the most powerful bike in its class but the motor is torquey and pulls cleanly in city conditions with decent pep for the highways. One can expect a marginal price increase with the new FZ, competition coming in the form of the Suzuki Gixxer and the current crop of 150cc bikes.
Picture Source – IamaBiker