YAMAHA FAZER 8 SPORT

Yamaha Motors had us flummoxed for some time now. While most manufacturers have been churning out model after model, Yamaha did not seem to be making any significant move. Until now. Yamaha Fazer 250cc, which was unveiled at the Auto Expo, is to get an early July launch. This is one gutsy move from the company for despite the Libero not receiving much applause for its futuristic styling, they have sculpted the even more adventurous looking Fazer. This bike makes no bones about shrieking a presence. Internationally, this particular insect-like styling trend is doing the rounds and that's just where the goggle-eyed snout of the Fazer comes from.

Yamaha Fazer 250cc is possibly ahead of its day in the nascent motorcycle market, though full marks are due to YMI for bringing modern trends. The Fazer is surely not a design every one of us will swoon over but it's best left described as distinctive. Attention to detail and fit-finish, however; should be evident even to the blind and is stunning, with any amount of praise to these being an understatement. The twin-head light 'fly'-screen sticking out in front is unique with more than a semblance to that particular insect. There's an aluminium triple-clamp and twin-pod instrumentation housing a rev-gauge, speedometer and all the usual idiot lights.

The large tank of Yamaha Fazer 250cc is highlighted with scoops flowing into its functional knee-recesses. The filler is the cute bowler-hat design from the Libero. The tank runs down into bubbled side-panels and reverses into a trick-looking integrated rear-end. The 727mm seat is well padded, ending in a striking alloy grab-rail, also playing bodyguard to the tail- cluster. A smoothened aluminium sub-frame section mounts the pillion foot-pegs below to which the chopped cruiser-like silencer adds its bit.

The four-stroke two-valve engine is enhanced in many ways over previous Yamaha units here. It meets stringent Indian 2005 emission norms, assisted by pumping oxygen into the exhaust port to burn any unburned mixture. This unburned air is drawn directly from the air-filter box, bypassing the carburettor and intake while a reed-valve prevents the return of waste gases via the same path. Exhaust gases are further cleaned by a catalytic converter within the silencer.

The carburettor is a Mikuni Constant Velocity unit with butter fly and employs a unique valve that reads increased cylinder-suction and compensates by automatically adjusting the mixture.

This provides smoothness no matter how bad the riding situation, surely a boon for the daily stop-and-go conditions prevalent in our gullies. Then there's YTPS, abbreviation for Yamaha Throttle Position Sensor, which functions to boost economy. Yes, ignition timing varies in sync with engine-rpm for the Yamaha Fazer 250cc, but now the throttle position also factors in adjusting this critical burn period.

Our brief sojourn with the Yamaha Fazer 250cc showed the engine to have a pleasing nature and wide, evenly spaced ratios. Make no mistake, we too argue in favour of that useful fifth gear if on no other grounds, then simply because the competition does offer them. When riding the Yamaha Fazer, one quickly recognises it as a well-mannered machine, though the short mileage and limited terrain we were allowed to use made it impossible to truly push the bike and analyse it for its handling capabilities. The frame is the conventional single down-tube diamond-type metal, with a box section swinging-arm. This Yam feels nimble and sturdy, with ride quality as good as can be expected.

Motorcycles are a rite of passage for most young boys. It is the first true freedom they find to get out and go places and literally the first motorized vehicle many of them own because of the economics involved in owning a vehicle and the fact that most young boys are not well off financially.

The Yamaha YZF-R6 or the R6 as it is more commonly referred to is a sporty and fast bike that is going to excite almost anyone that sees it or rides on it. The heart pumping bike in 2006 touted a staggering 17500-RPM redline. If that were indeed the actual RPM of the engine, the bike would be up somewhere close to the performance of a high tech and high dollar formula one race car.

The bike is listed as having a 600 CC engine styled as a 4 stroke with 16 valves and liquid cooled, dual overhead cams and the new models incorporate titanium valves. It is fuel injected with a six-speed transmission and a final chain drive to get the torque to the rear wheel. There is a nearly 5 gallon tank that allows a decent cruising range and has a dry weight of only 366 pounds so it should be easy for anyone to maneuver.

It is styled like the traditional racing bikes and will turn almost any head that happens to see it streak by on the road or anyone simply walking by. It is a very attractive looking machine, which explains it's almost immediate popularity when introduced back in 1999 and also explains why it continues its popularity today, ten years later.

These machines maintain their value and resell fairly well which makes them an anomaly in the motorized vehicle industry where only a handful of vehicles actually maintain worth. There is also a huge following out there of people who enjoy customizing this bike and so there is a plethora of after market accessories available for the bike so you can truly take the production machine, which is no slouch to look at, and make it an extension of your own personality by adding or subtracting parts that show who you are.

You can get everything from replacement fairings to bar ends to exhaust, seats, mirrors and lights that will go together to further accentuate the bike you have or to allow you to totally redesign the ride to be something no one else has. All of these modifications are bolt on parts so all you have to do is remove the old and replace with the new. That makes changing your look simple, sweet and fast and it's something that you could almost do every year so it looks like you got a new bike every season. Wouldn't that make all your friends jealous?