Bike India Team

Scooting about

November 29, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Women’s need for a friendly and reliable two-wheeler for daily commuting is as high as men’s and the market may pose the problem of plenty with its plethora of models and variants. We make an attempt to zero in on something that will answer the conveyance needs of an urban college student or a workaday lady
Words: Gasha Aeri Photography: Sanjay Raikar

No two ways about it. Variomatic scooters allow you the freedom of putting your mind to better things than keeping a track of the gear you’re riding in. There is no question of shifting up or down. Ease of use and practicality in the increasingly maddening Indian traffic are the hallmark. Besides, they look trendy, feel light and offer some decent storage space as well. However, the million-dollar question is which one of the lot would a girl buy? Especially a girl weighing anything between 40 and 60 kg, aged between 16 and 29 years, looking for a daily commuter and footing the fuel bills herself.

We got a clutch from which we selected the best four, namely, the Honda Dio, Suzuki Access 125, Mahindra Rodeo and TVS Wego. I’ve seen my friends ride every single one of these, but there were a few characteristics I wished to look at before making my own choice. So, hit the gong, blow the trumpet and let the tussle begin.

Agreed that, for a girl, looks come foremost in respect of an automobile. As for our contenders, each has a distinguishing point that earns them brownies. Having been there for the past seven to eight years (and proudly so), the Honda Dio still looks chic and trendy. The graphics and that big headlight play a big part in that. A salutary combination of a European design (exported abroad as the Honda Lead 100) and practicality make the Dio a model that one comes across in a large number in the parking space of colleges and shopping malls alike. On the other hand, the Access and Wego, subtly styled, straddle the thin line between a ‘girlie’ and a masculine scooter. The Rodeo manages to overtake the aforesaid two with its petite form, but fails to catch the Dio’s tail. So, the winner here has to be the Dio.

After the frills and fancy dresses comes durability. Whereas the Wego, Access 125 and Rodeo have a metal body, the Dio comes with a plastic body. This means that, in case of an unfortunate crash entailing body replacement, the Dio’s repairs will be cheap. Another smiley won. However, unlike in the Dio, washing the foot-board does not require much effort in all the other scooters thanks to the additional rubber mat.

Simple yet handy meter clustre of the Access goes well with the subtle looks of the scooter	The backlit meter clustre in the Rodeo provides it that chic and peppy feeling and you even have a digital clock which no other contender offers
With a telescopic front, Access takes care of the rider, the bumps and itself very well	Not like it leaves you with a sore back, but Rodeo is just a little less comfortable than Access and Wego
Access has the maximum under-seat storage on offer	Nothing like the luxury of not getting off the seat for fuel fills and putting other knick-knacks, as Rodeo stores them right in front

Next come manoeuvrability, kerb weight and ease of use on city roads. I struggle for space on the crowded roads of my city and parking space is not easy to come by either. Sometimes I even have to lift up my scooter physically when my neighbour carelessly leaves his bike kissing its tail. I don’t want to pull an elephant to carry me to work and I need to weave through cars at a traffic signal. The Rodeo and Wego score in this respect, while the Dio falls a step or two behind and the Access hides the weighing scale under the table.

Suspension makes a lot of difference when you have to ride over ditches with interstices of tarmac. Everyone else but the Dio score a point here. The Dio needs to take a crash course from big brother Aviator in this respect. Still sticking to the leading link suspension when everyone else has moved on to the telescopic fork, the Dio surely doesn’t want old-age wrinkles to show.

The brakes are yet another important consideration. The Rodeo and Access must surrender their lone point here. The Wego responded quite satisfactorily, but the Dio took the biscuit.

Riding posture was comfortable on all four, but pulling them out of the parking lot was another story. Whereas the Dio and Access kept me on my toes on account of their high saddle, the Wego was a little better and the Rodeo felt the most comfortable, as I could touch the ground with my foot.

The next consideration was good storage space. While all of them offer under-seat storage to accommodate a full-face helmet, the Wego’s front compartment comes as a welcome addition. However, I couldn’t care less to use the key to open it every time I needed to take out the water bottle. The Rodeo walks broad-chested and flaunts a cubby-hole compartment in front, very convenient and handy. This also makes me voice another interesting feature of the scooter – its fuel tank inlet in the front saved me the effort of getting off my perch every time I went to the petrol pump. The Wego’s fuel tank inlet is also not placed under the seat, as is that of the Dio and the Access, but it needs to be opened with a key. The Access offers greater under-seat storage than the Dio, but not as much as the Wego and not as easily accessible as the Rodeo.

Now to fuel efficiency. While the Wego and the Rodeo refuse to account for a little more than 40 km per litre of petrol, the Access is slightly generous and offers two km/l more. However, the knight in shining armour (Honda Dio) won my heart with the figure of 50 km/l.

I simply cannot ignore the fact that if not a great top speed, I most certainly need good overtaking speed on city roads. The Access and Rodeo justify their heavier engines very well and the Wego doesn’t stand very far behind either, but the Dio has to keep pace with just a smile.

Did you say, ‘Any other features?’ How about a tachometer, digital watch, mobile charger, side-stand indicator and colour-changing backlight? Too much, right? But not to Rodeo, whose grin spreads from ear to ear. The Dio asks one to pay extra for a basic accessory like the side stand when the other scooters offer it as a standard feature.

Analog meters, but a little better styled is what makes for the forheads of wego	CAPTION version of theTypical Honda meter clustre and nothing more, that’s Honda Dio for you
CAPTION version of these bikes is better than their pervious iteration and the improvements are	Still using the leading link suspension, the ride on Dio on a bumpy road was far being comfortable
CAPTION version of these bikes is better than their pervious iteration and the improvements are	CAPTION version of these bikes is better than their pervious iteration and the improvements are

The last (and by no means the least) point is the price tag. Being the cheapest of the lot, the Dio certainly deserves more than a second thought. A refined engine, Honda’s reliability, swift and nimble handling for city roads…. the list is long, but the other camp is equally well prepared.

The Access wins with its bucketful of torque, good ride quality and punch. But its price tag makes a sizeable dent in my pocket.

The Wego really impressed me with its ride quality. Alloys and a longer seat impressed both myself and my father, as he wanted to win an all-expense-paid lift to his office behind me! However, fuel efficiency doesn’t let the Wego share the podium space with the Access.

The Mahindra warrior might be my wonder machine if I want gazillion gadgets all around me while I care for my ride quality as much as I do for Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua. Too much of everything killed the cat.

So, let’s end the suspense as I decide to buy a Honda Dio in the olive green and black combination for myself. For those who can afford to shell out a little more, the Access can be the next preferred one of the lot. The Wego, for a 110-cc scooter that it is, finds fuel-efficiency and price pitted against it. And the Rodeo can be useful for my little sister, who wouldn’t clock as many kilometres on the odometer, but would be mighty thrilled by all the buttons and twinkling lights.

So, here’s a triple toast. One for me, one for my new Dio and one for the road!

Two- Wheeled Debut

November 24, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Mahindra Two Wheelers are out to capture their share of the huge motorcycle pie in India. Will their Stallio prove its worth in the intense competition among commuter bikes?
Stoty: Adhish Alawani Photography: Sanjay Raikar

As has been reiterated ad nauseam, India is one of the largest motorcycle markets in the world. Not just that, the Indian two-wheeler market is being looked upon as the fastest growing and rapidly emerging one as well. There are an unimaginable number of two-wheelers running on the roads of our country and over a million are being sold each month.

Statistical data tell us that of this gargantuan number of motorcycles, the maximum are commuters. Yes, precisely the ones that the motorcycling enthusiasts tend to term as ‘boring’, ‘undramatic’, ‘unprepossessing’ or ‘bland’. Nevertheless, the ground reality cannot be ignored and every manufacturer has to deal with it.

Hero Honda have established themselves at the top by claiming the largest share in the market. Local players like Bajaj Auto and TVS are doing well and international brands like Honda and Yamaha are quickly catching up with them.

If one analyses the percentage share of each of these brand-names, one will realise that they do not have a cut-throat competition among themselves. However, one cannot deny the fact that everyone is putting in their best efforts to overtake the first rival ahead. And in this huge battle for higher sales and better market shares, we have a new entrant that is attempting everything possible to grow and create its own space in this extremely aggressive bazaar.

Yes, it’s a sapling. Mahindra Two Wheelers came into existence some time back and started out in the market with their scooter options. However, there was no doubt that they had to take up the motorcycle aspect seriously if they wanted to grow. As a result, the company invested a lot of money and brains into the development of a mass machine, the Stallio, which could start earning them respectable sales figures across the country. So then what is this Stallio?

It is a typical commuter bike, one that would grab the attention of the average Indian customer who is willing to shell out not more than Rs 50,000 and, in the bargain, is also expecting modern (read different) looks, good fuel-efficiency and least maintenance cost. Styling has always been a subjective matter and the case is proved very well with the Stallio. Take a look at it in the pictures and you will hardly feel like complaining about anything in its design. It is not radically new and striking, but, then, it is not supposed to be. It is a commuter and it does don the commuterish attitude.

Take a closer look and you might come across bits that might appeal to some in a positive way, while others might just be put off. For instance, the tanpad-ish plastic on the tank with a weird design on it. We were personally not impressed by it. However, when we asked a few people on the streets what they though of it, we were in for a surprise. They appreciated the new bit and insisted on having it. The narrow petrol tank feels a bit too slim in between the thighs. The instrument cluster from the Rodeo (with digital bar-type tacho and digital speedometer) is funky and, thankfully, does not change the backlight colour as it does on the scooter. White pilot lights are stunning, but they come across as a little mismatch with the yellow headlight.

White LEDs for pilot lights look good

The digital console is the same as that on the Rodeo scooter

The 106-cc engine should deliver good fuel efficiency

The tail-lamp looks much better than most of the other design elements

Come down to the engine and we have a 106-cc engine pumping out 7.3 PS of peak power and 8.0 Nm of max torque. The bike doesn’t feel quick under outright acceleration. Once we do the performance testing, we might get an exact idea of its acceleration time, but, taking into consideration an extremely hard-to-twist throttle, we are not really looking at quick pace timings. We can also ascribe this partly to the clutch lever, which is equally hard to operate. The engine feels all right and within its own territory until 6,000 rpm. However, post that mark vibrations can be felt through the seat. Nonetheless, let us not forget that being a commuter, hardly anyone is going to go high on revs like that. The Stallio’s suspension is slightly on the stiffer side, which feels better with a pillion on board than while riding solo.
We know that this a commuter and it is going to be sold in a market where people accord priority to fuel-efficiency over everything else (barring a few sensible ones, who also consider quality of the product as a whole). Mahindra talk of promising fuel-efficiency figures and we sincerely hope that these work out in the bike’s favour. With a tag of Rs 46,000 (approx OTR, Pune, for alloys and kick-starter), the bike is priced at par with some of the old players. How the Stallio proves its mettle in the long run is the million-dollar question for Mahindra, which, only time can answer.

The Congestion Challenge.

November 8, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Saeed Akhtar pits the Mahindra Rodeo in a race against Mumbai’s famous local trains and BEST buses.
Photography by Sawan S Hembram

One of the nicer things about living in a metro is the plethora of options at your disposal in every aspect of life. From consumer products to dining and entertainment, you are literally flooded with options. And this has fringe benefits too. Like being able to take various modes of transport to work. And when we are talking about a city like Mumbai, the array of choices becomes truly bewildering. On the one hand, you have the usual taxi-cabs, auto-rickshaws and buses and, on the other, you have Mumbai’s famous local trains, the city’s ‘lifeline’. And then there is the slightly better-off class who prefer to commute on their own two and four-wheelers. But which mode of transport really is the best? To settle the matter once and for all, we decided to have an only-one-of-its-kind shootout wherein we will pit the three most popular modes of Mumbai transport against each other in a purely scientific test.

The plan was straightforward. Starting from the same place, three commuters (including myself) would take three different modes of transport – a scooter, a bus and a local train – to reach our destination, an office complex in Nariman Point. The winner? Ah, that’s easy…..whoever takes the shortest time to reach Nariman Point wins. And since commuting is also about convenience and saving money, we factored in those parameters too. After much deliberation it was decided that Ravi would take the train, Minocher would take the bus while I would take the Mahindra Rodeo and document the experiment.

The three musketeers all ready and primed for the race

ON FOUR WHEELS:Minocher prepares to board a bus

With the intention of proving each of their chosen means of transport the best, the three of us started from Samatanagar, Kandivali, at exactly 8:30am on a weekday. As expected, I was off to a flying start even though it took me some time to don all the protective gear. A word of advice to our dear readers here. Please don’t underestimate the importance of donning protective gear at all times, no matter whether you are popping down to the shot round the corner or revving your bike’s nuts off on a racetrack.

ON MANY WHEELS:Heading towards Railway Station

A disaster waiting to happen. But this is what drives
the legendary spirit of Mumbai.

SUNNY SIDE UP – Traffic lights in Mumbai double up
as race grids and commercial venues for hawaker’s

As I pulled away on the Rodeo, Ravi and Minocher also took off in their own ways. While Minocher headed straight for the nearest bus stand, Ravi was not so lucky, because the Kandivali railway station was located approximately three kilometres from where he was and, therefore, he had to take an auto-rickshaw to the station. Here he discovered the first flaw of travelling by train the hard way. The train doesn’t come to your doorstep, you have to go to it, just as the thirsty one has to go to the well, not vice-versa. In Ravi’s case, it meant taking an auto-rickshaw to the station and then waiting patiently. And when it arrived, it was so crowded that travelling in a can of sardines would have sounded a better prospect for him. For the uninitiated, just the simple matter of getting onto a train can transform an atheist into believing in the concepts of afterlife and righteous retribution. Also, the number of thefts and pickpockets might make one start believing in vigilante justice. Shudder.
Meanwhile, Minocher was left waiting for the bus that would take him to our common destination. Now, the buses in Mumbai seldom display the route and stops in English, preferring instead to display them in Marathi or Hindi, so the people who don’t know these aforementioned languages have to be especially careful. One also has to be choosy in selecting the right bus stop as buses don’t stop at every stop, choosing instead to stop at their discretion or simply when they see a large crowd. In theory, buses marked with their numbers painted in black commonly stop at all routes while those marked in red stop at specially designated bus stops only. It is also a good idea to have small change in your pocket before boarding one.
As for me and my trusted steed, it was pretty smooth sailing from the word ‘go’. Of the trio, the two-wheeler is the only option here that will take you right from your doorstep to your office parking bay and back. That alone scores enough brownies to make the other two commuting options seem downright pointless. If you are riding something like the Mahindra Rodeo, you can stow away your bag and rain gear under the seat. Heck, the Rodeo will even accommodate a laptop or a full-face helmet.
Call it the superiority of two-wheeled locomotion or sheer luck, I was the first to arrive at our designated meeting point outside the office building at Nariman Point, Mumbai’s premier business hub. In the course of this run, I had travelled past some of Mumbai’s most iconic landmarks like the P D Hinduja National Hospital at Mahim, the Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi, the Haji Ali durgah and Kemp’s Corner. Having completed the 37-kilometre stretch in one hour and 25 minutes approximately, in rush-hour traffic, it was time to sit back and prepare some scathing epithets for the other two competitors who dared to question the superiority of the two-wheeler. And so, cold drink in hand, I waited. And waited. And waited some more.
At 10.05 am Ravi, our train chap, finally pulled in. In a taxi-cab. Turns out that his preferred mode of transport could get him to only a couple of kilometres from Nariman Point, its route ending at Churchgate. I couldn’t help sniggering a bit, noticing that he could do with a much-needed bath and some sleep, the inevitable effects of a train journey. By the time Minocher turned up it was 10.20 am and we were all left in no doubt as to which one was the winner. In meticulous detail, he proceeded to explain how he had to change routes and buses in order to reach Nariman Point.
After noting down all the pros and cons we encountered during this run, there was only one conclusion. The Mahindra Rodeo beats the local train and the bus fairly and squarely on almost every parameter. Be it speed, comfort or sheer convenience, there is no beating it. While Minocher took an hour and 50 minutes to complete the run, Ravi did the same distance in an hour and thirtyfive minutes. While the Rodeo with me on board did the same run in a mere one hour and 25 minutes. In monetary terms too, the Rodeo made the most sense here. Minocher had to fork out Rs.85 for his bus adventures while the train journey left Ravi poorer by Rs.65. Whereas it took me less than the price of a liter of fuel ( Rs. 55) to accomplish this trip. Even setting aside the price difference, the benefits of commuting two-wheels outweighs being ferried around in a train or bus. Besides, you can’t put a price tag on freedom of mobility, can you?

A Gripping Tale

November 3, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

BIKE India smokes some fresh rubber at TVS Tyres’ facility in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, and rediscovers interesting facts about the wheel. You can smell a lot of fun already, huh?
Testing: Aspi Bhathena, Words and Photography: Sarmad Kadiri

We have been testing motorcycle abilities most of the time, but this month decided to give it a rubbery twist. How about testing an intrinsic part of the bike’s anatomy that ensures your comfort by always being in touch with the tarmac? Tyres! It is a very vital component, because no matter how great the chassis or suspension setting, it is tyres that can actually make or mar a bike. Yet motorcycle makers do not produce such an important part themselves and depend on tyre manufacturers to acquire the right tyres for their bikes. Keeping all this in mind, my boss Aspi and I hopped on to the first flight to Tamil Nadu and headed straight for some karmic testing at TVS Tyres’ well-equipped facility in Madurai, the temple city.

Just by way of background, TVS Tyres are the largest OEM suppliers with a lion’s share (almost 37 per cent) and also happen to be the largest two-wheeler tyre makers in our country. We wanted to test their newly developed after-market tyres that are about to hit the Indian market. They seemed very excited about the newly developed tyres and we thought, why not put them to the BIKE India acid test? Yes, it’s a bit more vitriolic than normal acid!

In the tight two-day trip, we utilised the first day learning and understanding the technology. We went around the facility and saw rubber take the shape of a tyre. The TVS Tyre team, led by S. Gopalakrishnan, GM (R&D), acquainted us with the entire manufacturing process of two-wheeler tyres and also showed us their latest products and the work they had put in to develop them. A little bird informed us that the 90-year-old firm is also developing radial tyres for bikes and even a dual compound tyre. To elaborate upon that, the dual compound has a soft compound rubber on the side tread for road grip and a harder compound layer on the middle tread, which improves fuel efficiency and life of the tyre. Nice. After the factory tour we emerged a more knowledgeable duo. By the way, did you know that about 72 materials are used in the manufacture of a single tyre? We did, and, of course, now you do. Enough gyaan! Day two was when we got into action.

Next morning we reached TVS Tyres’ test track very early. The track is a few kilometres away from the Madurai plant. Here we got both an exclusive preview and an opportunity to test the new range that is in the pipeline. According to the company, these tyres have been made using different compound combinations and extended polymer to offer a better feel and improved grip. We tested four different types of tyres, namely, the Standard, Sample A, Sample B and Sample C.

We began with the OEM tyres (Standard) that are currently supplied to manufacturers like Honda for the CBF Stunner and to TVS for the Apache RTR 180. Then we swapped the tyres from the newer range. Sample A had a little extended polymer, but had the same compound as Standard. Sample B had the same amount of polymer as Standard, but had softer compound. Lastly, Sample C had extended polymer and ran on softer compound. We also tested tyres from the competitors to get a fair idea of where TVS Tyres stand.

After hours of testing under the unforgiving Madurai sun we decided to call it a day and shared our conclusion with our friends at TVS Tyres.

Here’s an extract:
There were just two places on the track where we could actually push the tyres. First was the quick right-left-right immediately after the first right-hander, where we got to push the front end. When the tyre grip was good, we could flick the bike and easily change direction. The second was the long right-hander, where we could test the rear tyre. The tyre that emerged as the most promising was Sample C, for it held the line and kept the bike very composed while we did quick manoeuvring.

The Standard tyre, on the other hand, was struggling during the same sharp turns even at lower speeds and the rear tyres lost grip round the tight corners, screaming and protesting. In comparison, Sample C with its strong construction and soft compound inspired confidence and, interestingly, the right-hand turn exit speed also increased by seven km/h! The newly developed Sample C was up there or slightly better than its competitors as it demonstrated a good combination of grip and feel.

Obviously, TVS Tyres, treading the right track, have carved out a fine product that can rock the boat for competition. Now what remains to be seen is when TVS will launch the salvo. Will the competition be caught off-guard or are they already preparing for a counter-attack? Either way, it’s an exciting time for the Indian bike enthusiasts and we’re definitely not complaining!

Twin Paradox

October 18, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Roland Brown gets an impression of Yamaha’s 800cc urban brawlers, the FZ8 and the Fazer8
Photography: Alessio Barbanti & Paul Barshon

The ingredients of a top ride are pretty simple, if you ask me: a quick, sweet-handling bike; a twisty and traffic-free road; and preferably some sunshine.

It’s no coincidence that this thought occurs to me as I’m screaming the FZ8 out of yet another smooth bend on a gorgeous Provencal morning, wondering not for the first time if there’s anywhere in the world better for motorcycling than this part of the south of France.
The FZ8 is playing its part, too, which is probably just as well. For if any manufacturer has ever needed a new bike to succeed, it’s probably Yamaha right now. The world’s second biggest bike firm had a horrendous 2009, losing more than US $2.3 billion, which cost its President his job. That seemed a bit unfair given that the firm built some superb bikes and won MotoGP and World Supersport championships plus a first ever Superbike title.
Yamaha’s problem is that all they make apart from motorcycles are other big boys’ toys such as jet-skis and electric pianos, which are equally expendable in a recession. Unlike Honda and Suzuki, they don’t produce many cheap, small bikes, which are still being
bought in some countries. Nor do they make cars, which some people still need. And unlike Kawasaki they don’t build useful ships or trains either.
At least Yamaha have managed to come up with a pair of new models, the naked FZ8 and half-faired Fazer8, which look suited to these impoverished times. The 779cc fours are intended to plug the gap between the entry-level, 600cc XJ6 and Diversion, and the 1000cc FZ1 and Fazer. (The FZ6 is discontinued.) And because some parts are shared with the larger machine, the new bikes were relatively cheap to develop.

Most of the 16-valve engine is new, including the cylinder head and camshafts. The bottom end is based on a 2008-model YZF-R1, including the crankshaft and cases. The clutch has been scaled down with fewer plates, allowing a lighter action. The injection system has intake trumpets of differing lengths — the two inner ones slightly longer than the outers — as Yamaha claims this improves low and midrange delivery (though they couldn’t explain why it’s better than having all four of medium length).

Some chassis parts are borrowed from the FZ1, including the aluminium beam frame and swing-arm. Suspension is relatively simple, with non-adjustable 43mm usd forks, and a shock that’s tunable only for preload. Bodywork — in white, black or blue — is new, although styling has a strong FZ family resemblance, both with the cut-down FZ8 and the Fazer’s taller, half-faired look.
Looking shiny and smart with a hint of menace, the FZ8 seemed an appropriate bike to be launched in Marseille, which has been smartened up from its days as the location of The French Connection but still has bits you wouldn’t want to ride through after dark. A brief spin through the city revealed that the Yamaha would make a good getaway bike. Its upright riding position gave good visibility, it engine pulled cleanly from low revs and it wide bars made it easy to flick through the traffic.

The FZ8 also worked well when I wasn’t in a hurry. It’s reasonably light, and its tank and seat are slightly narrower than the FZ1’s, so average height riders should be able to get both feet on the ground. Footrests are set 10mm lower and 15mm further back, adding some welcome legroom. Pillion passengers won’t be so happy, though, unless you’ve paid extra for the accessory grab-handles.
Like any sporty bike the FZ8 was happier out of town, on the twisty roads in the mountains north of Marseille. Its engine produces a maximum of 105bhp at 10,000rpm, which was enough for some entertainment on those traffic-free roads. Power delivery was midway between grunty big-bike feel and rev-happy middleweight; rather more the latter, with a kick at about 6500rpm.
Below that figure the delivery was crisp but not particularly strong; enough for reasonable acceleration in the lower gears but nothing dramatic. Crack the throttle at about four grand in first, for example, and the Yam accelerated quite briskly, its front wheel only
starting to come up when the revs reached that magical six-and-a-half grand zone.
This meant that when the going got hot through those blind mountain bends, it was vital to work the sweet-shifting six-speed box to exit turns with the revs up, or risk losing several metres to the rider ahead who had. Provided it was ridden right, the Yam accelerated with an addictively smooth feel as its tacho needle nudged the 11,500rpm redline, accompanied by a stirringly gruff bark from the airbox and black-finished four-into-one pipe.
On one straight the FZ8 howled up to an indicated 225km/h on the digital speedo, and was still pulling slightly although its true top speed is around that mark. As with any naked bike the lack of wind protection meant it tried to pull my arms from their sockets in thrilling fashion even before I was going that fast, slightly reducing the chance of trouble with the gendarmes. The drawback is of course that longer distances would become a pain in the neck, though that wasn’t a problem on our twisty route.

Handling was pretty good, with the Yamaha’s agility again proving useful when flicking round the inevitable gaggles of multi-coloured cyclists. The bike was stable at speed, and its suspension was soft enough to give a smooth ride, even on one short stretch of pot-holed road on the otherwise smoothly-surfaced route. Steering was light, thanks to reasonably sporty geometry (25 degrees rake, 109mm trail) plus the leverage provided by the wide and slightly raised bars.

The Yamaha certainly cornered well enough to be fun, but when ridden hard it lacked the tautness of a good sports bike, and unlike the FZ1 it doesn’t give much scope for fine-tuning. When under pressure the Kayaba forks felt slightly soft and vague, especially when braking into a turn. And although the Soqi shock generally worked well, it occasionally felt a bit harsh when the bike was accelerating hard out of bumpier bends.
That front-brake blend of 310mm discs and four-pot calipers was respectably but not outstandingly powerful. (We didn’t get to try the ABS that will be fitted in some markets.) The Bridgestone BT021s had enough grip to get the footrests scraping quite regularly, though I doubt that most riders will find that a problem.

The highlight of a memorable day was following another rider through a series of 150km/h curves on the D3 near Ollières, the bike railing through with the power on while I gripped the raised bars tight with the adrenaline flowing. That section was followed by a couple of long straights on which the Yam sat smoothly at an indicated 170km/h until my neck muscles were starting to complain.

A naked bike isn’t likely to be outstandingly practical, but the FZ8 was useful in most respects. Fuel capacity is 17 litres, good for 200km or more which is fine for a naked bike. The seat was comfortable, mirrors excellent, finish good. The list of accessories includes flyscreen, heated grips, crash bungs and a centre-strand, plus the grab-handles that the Fazer gets as standard. There’s also a top-box, though strangely no hard panniers.
The FZ8’s biggest drawback is predictable: it’s expensive. The yen’s strength has hit all the Japanese firms, especially Yamaha, whose prices have rocketed in the last year. What’s worse for Yamaha is that, to take one obvious rival, Triumph’s outstanding Street Triple is substantially cheaper in most markets. The FZ8 is a stylish and capable bike. But even if demand for big boys’ toys picks up again soon, I can’t see it doing much to save Yamaha’s new President from some sleepless nights
Riding the Fazer8

On a gorgeous spring day in Provence, it was fun to charge around on the naked FZ8, but Yamaha’s new four comes equipped for cold climates and winter weather too. The Fazer8 is basically the same bike with the addition of a protective half-fairing. It also gets those pillion grab-handles as standard fitment. In some markets it will come with ABS as standard, in which case it will also get a belly-pan to hide the anti-lock parts.
Apart from looking a bit less sexy, the sensible sister also felt slightly heavier and less agile, though its handling was still perfectly acceptable. The Fazer (I’m sticking to that from now on) accelerated with just as much enthusiasm, too; the only difference being that this time I had a fairing and screen to keep the wind off my chest, with impressively little turbulence.

This allowed effortless cruising at 150km/h, which had soon become tiring on the naked bike. It’s a key difference that makes the Fazer a potentially excellent long-haul machine, although it would be limited by the tank’s range of not much more than 200km, depending on riding style. Some riders will be disappointed that although a top-box is available, the accessory list doesn’t include hard panniers.
For charging along the mountain roads of Provence on a warm day the Fazer was not quite as entertaining as its naked sibling, but I know which model I would prefer for a long trip, or any ride on a cold day. Like the FZ8 it’s a sound bike. But unfortunately for Yamaha it suffers from an identical problem of being too expensive, in this case when compared to more powerful and cheaper half-faired machines including Honda’s CBF1000 and Suzuki’s new GSX1250FA.

Captions
At least
Yamaha have managed to come up with a pair of new models which look suited to these impoverished times

On a gorgeous spring day, it was fun to charge around on the naked FZ8, but Yamaha’s new four comes equipped for cold climates and winter too
The instrument console on both the FZ and Fazer8 are identical
The redesigned half-fairing with floating panels is tastefully done up
The 310mm discs and four-pot calipers upfront. ABS is optional in some markets