The FZI6 began, the main aim of Yamaha's designers was to give it a massive street fighter look one that oozes a macho appeal with a brutish expression. The end result, without a doubt, seems well on its way to becoming a rage for the next generation. Yamaha have left no stone unturned in cloning the looks of the bigger FZI here. The short exhaust was possible by placing the collector box (termed as 'midship' by Yamaha) below the engine. This also provides better mass centralization by lowering the center of gravity. The paint quality is one of the best we have seen and the beefy 4Imm diameter front fork tubes with a 100mm tyre give the FZI6 a big bike look when seen from upfront. The wide front tyre is well complemented by a 140mm one at the rear a first in India.

Swing a leg over the bike, rest your bum on the sofr and wide seat and you can't help but notice the wide chunky tank. Make no mistake; the designers have used a dummy plastic outer shell to give it a muscular look but the actual tank sits below it and holds twelve liters of fuel. The flat and wide handlebar is finished in matte black and nestling above it, India's first all digital instrumentation console, looks great. Thumb the starter and be teady for an altogether different riding experience.

Powering the FZ is a 153cC engine that shares a similar platform with the Gladiator. Yes, this unit is completely unlike the one found on the RIS. The FZ was made keeping city riding and low and midrange torque in mind rather than outright and high revving performance. With 14PS of power on tap along with an impressive 13.6Nm oftorque (at just 6ooorpm), Yamaha engineers have tuned the engine more for flicking through traffic, the occasional stunts and stress free, fast commuting. Shifting through the slick five-speed 'box, you are immediately impressed with the strong power delivety. It does seem to run out of breath after say 75000rpm, but keep her between 4000-5000rpm and slicing through urban traffic will never be the same.

Slotted in fifth, the bike picks up easily from as low as z8-30km/h without jerks or chain snatching. Throttle response is terrific and the FZI6' s strong low and mid range thrust easily fools you into believing that it is a much more powerful bike. Outright performance is impressive with the bike taking just s.ssec for the o-6okm/h run. This is the best in the 150CC segment, barring the RIS. Flat out, Aspi managed to clock a true mkm/h with the digital speedometer showing an indicated n8km/h. Complementing the strong engine is the bike's handling. It is simply superb and makes you want to have some fun while riding. In traffic, the FZ has you giggling inside your helmet and marveling at just how enjoyable urban riding can be. I say urban because this is not a highway motorcycle.

Sure it's more than quick enough and will have the speedometer going beyond IIokm/h, but the rider is totally exposed (even when completely crouched). This motorcycle wasn't built to travel in straight lines. It loves curves, comers and twisties. Yamaha engineers have focused on mass centralization. The broad flat bar as well as the wide forks and tyres, all amibute towards the way she behaves. The FZ has the agility of a gymnast and tracks through bends like a car on a rollercoaster. Cutting through slow moving vehicles is an easy affair and because you sit ahead is great too. Jousting with buses, taxis and cars has rarely been as rewarding. Show the FZ a set of twisties, and she begs to be pushed. Blasting and leaning through tight, undulating bends is a joy.



The main stand does spoil the party a little, but the sticky tyres and superb handling make up for it. Let me add that the FZ might just become the stunter's choice as well. The FZ raises the hooliganism bar on two wheels in India. Make it do anything and it responds back positively like a swaggering beast. It makes you push her further - simple stoppies convert into long ones, rolling burnouts don't bother her and wheelies are just so easy. The bike is forgiving too and makes even amateur riders feel like pros. The stiff suspension further aids in the way she behaves, though you can adjust the rear mono-cross suspension to suit your riding needs (surprisingly the RIS comes with a non-adjustable rear suspension).

Yamaha had chosen south Goa's roads as the venue for the FZI6's first ride experience. The route included everything a rider would ever require to gauge the bike on various parameters. From lovely ghat sections to flat out straights and ample bad stretches as well. On the 70 odd km ride, we found the suspension to be just a tad too firm for our liking. However, adjusting the rear mono-cross suspension by a step made the ride perfect. The bike absorbs undulations well and you feel secure by the big bike feel that the beefy forks up front impart.

Overall comfort was on par with the rest of the segment, however, we felt the seat (which initially feels soft) isn't good for long stints. The soft sponge used for padding gives in easily and your bum starts paining after a while. The wide tyres have been made especially for the FZ by MRF and even on wet roads, grip wasn't much of an issue. Infact, while riding back with Sanjay to the hotel, I happened to pass over the omnipresent cow dung on a curve and the bike held on.

The FZI6 is not just another motorcycle in the 150CC segment. Yamaha has surely raised the bar when it comes to providing a bike that looks awesome and performs reasonably better than its similar engine capacity counterparts. For the looks alone, I would recommend this bike to what can be termed as India's new youth. But Yamaha has blended in an unbeatable combination of handling and engine performance as well. Add to it, the brilliant build quality and standard features that the bike comes loaded with and I am sure if you are looking for a practical, yet fun bike that's easy on the wallet too, the FZ is the answer.

The icing on the cake here is the pricing. An all India exshowroom price of sixty five big ones is a small premium over the 150CC class. Additionally, six ftee services and a two year / 30,000km warranty mean that you get a bike worth every penny. The FZI6 is an urban tool that will make the fair sex drool all over it. You will be in love with comers all over again and dump your car each time you have to commute. If you want to be daringly different, the FZI6 invites inspection particularly in flaming orange.