The 150cc segment should be ready for some mayhem. The new FZ16 is here and ir's jusr like rhe one we saw ar rhe lasr Auro Expo. (ex¬showroom) ir cannor win rhe price war againsr rhe likes of rhe Pulsar or Unicorn or Apache. Bur what does do is bear rhem ar looks. Afrer a while, you ger used ro rhe second glances. Before rhar you're jusr roo busy ogling ar rhe bike yourself.

The FZ 16 is Yamaha's desi version 8 of rhe global FZ naked mororcycle b5 design. And boy, if you've gor ro copy, rhen rhis is rhe way ro do ir. Couple of monrhs afrer rhe launch of rhe epic R15 sporrsbike and rhe Gladiaror upgrades, Yamaha has complered irs year's three-bike launch promise wirh rhis FZI6. Ie uses a 153cc single cylinder air-cooled (ending rumours of a liquid-cooled) unir rhar's a snug fir on rop of rhe five speed gearbox. Yamaha has gone ro grear lengrhs ro give rhe bike that "naked" look. Mosr of rhe mechanicals are righdy packed in rhe engine area. Look from the side and you'll realise you have ro rry harder ro find space ro pass your hand rhrough ir rhan wirh orher bikes. The fuel rank is oversized and almosr pips rhe handlebars as rhe rallesr poinr on rhe bike. The ourer covering of rhe rank is made from a special plasric rhar allowed designers ro include more design elemems, while rhe acruaJ sreel rank is housed wirhin. lr's a rhoughrful rouch. The enrire cover is made from rhree pieces, which should make replacemenr cheaper or so Yamaha would like us ro believe.

There's no fake fairing here. lnsread you ger a snazzy V-shaped headlamp. The only bir of bodywork ar rhe from is rhe air venr, which direcrs cool air ro rhe engine. Yamaha says rhis was essenrial ro keep rhe remperarures in check, given our kind of wearher and craffic condirions.

While mosr of rhe bike looks well rhoughr-our, rhere are some iffY birs like rhe insrrumenr clusrer, which cries too hard ro look snazzy. The layour is good bur you need ro look hard ro read, say, the rpm, in broad daylighr. Switches and mirrors are srandard stuff bur with the exception of getting parking lights as seen on cars before gerting rhe full beam. Yamaha could also do away wirh the 'Monocross' sticker decal on rhe side.

Compared ro rhe Yamaha R15, rhe FZ 16 is a rail bike. The stance is clearly on rhe sporty side and regular commurers may feel a bir srressed around rhe shoulders aner an hour-long ride. Srill ir's manageable. The wide handlebar helps quire a bir and turning the bike isn'r a worry. A lesson for other manufacrurers Yamaha has done away wirh the nonsense of offering drum brake and kick sran oprions on the bike. Adeast for rhe momem, the FZ will come fully kitted.

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Fire the engine and you need a slight turn of the throttle ro bring rhe beasr ro life. There's no mushy purr of modern Jap engines. Insread, you have a rhroary growl. Vibrations are down roo, thanks (Q rhings like a single-axis balancer inside the all-new engine. This has also allowed rhe engineers ro place [he powertrai n sans the rubber mounrs, for a sturdier frame, which in rurn, has helped improve handling. Phew.

One of the highlights of this bike is the exhaust system. It has 105m of its pipe passing through a chamber just below the engine in a loop, which evenrually leads ro the short bur srour exhaust end. End result berrer rorque characteristics. The five-speed gearbox slots in quick and you get all the feel of riding a fast bike. Acceleration is smooth forthright. Max rorque kicks in at just 6,000rpm and you can finish the dash to 60kph in just over five seconds. The trouble stans pOSt that. Although the FZI6 boasts a top speed of 115 kph, gerring there is a laborious process. The lack of top end whack is especially felt when trying ro overtake at 90kph and above, and it's probably the only time you may feel a bit let down by this mororcycle's otherwise impressive performance.

Hold on tight while riding this bike as suspension is on the stiffer side. This one roo, gets a single rear monoshock, which Yamaha calls Monocross a legacy of their
morocross bikes of yore. It's more complicated than the Honda Unicorn's shock, with nine suspension serrings. The bike you see here had the facrory serring of third from the softer side and it still felt stiff. This is particularly hardarse-slapping on rough roads.

The bike feels tightly held rogether and you can run over the bumps and craters. The pillion seat, however, is more comfortable than it looks. In a first for India, Yamaha has equipped the FZ16 with 140/60 R17 rubeless rubber at the rear. With ample grip, it also makes for an impressive-looking rear section, which makes the bike stand out from the rest of the segment. And maybe even from those bigger engined than itself. Which is this bike's selling point.

The FZ 16 is a bit on the costlier side when compared ro its other 150cc classmates. But Yamaha has ensured that this does not put a spanner in the works of a bike that looks as smashing as this one does as it goes about its job. At 65 grand, if this does not bail Yamaha out of sales doldrums, then I wonder.