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New Yamaha FZ FI Version 2.0 Review: Sinewy Sequel

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Lord of the streets, they said. In its time, the Yamaha FZ 16 would safely walk away with that caption. It taught others of its ilk a thing or two about street credo, with its FZ1 derived, muscular bodywork devoid of unnecessary stickers and that meaty, low profile rear rubber that was the talk of the town for ages to come. It rode and handled brilliantly too, except for the slightly lackluster performance. The FZ S followed later, and added a bunch of stickers and a subtle front visor but lost the original’s character. Times have gone by and now it’s time for am all new version – Version 2.0 in Yamaha speak. There’s also a prominent FI suffix, indicating its fuel injection tech.

>>Read how it’s closest competitor fares, the brand new Suzuki Gixxer>> 

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Styling, instrumentation and ergonomics

The new 2014 Yamaha FZ FI version 2.0 (the nomenclature is quite a mouthful) looks not too different from the last FZ, which is never a bad thing. Actually the original’s style was close to perfection, so this one looks like the old one jeweled up with a sense of futurism that doesn’t really tug our heart strings that hard. The perfectly sculpted tank is retained, but other panels have undergone considerable surgery.

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A pair of sharply styled tank extensions partly shrouds the engine. The rear panels are all-new as well, and are equally sharp and contemporary. The tail piece is new, but has a familiar feel. The floating tail lamp is still around, but this time around it nestles inside a cool metal and black extension. We wish it were an LED outfitted job though. The indicators have grown and the head lamp has been mildly re-tweaked with an edgy flavor. The small visor stays on to look cool. The seat is new, and is now a two step, split affair- the pillion portion can be completely removed to access a small storage space beneath.  A pair of new grab rails joins the party as well. A dual tone paint job and some new graphics paint the complete picture.

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The old, stubby, yet funky exhaust has been done away with and in comes an all- new one which is equally short but is more rotund. It has also been smeared with complicated surfacing that we’re not too fond of. There’s also a new mud guard that looks pretty accomplished because it safely covers more than half the rear tire- some would prefer otherwise.

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While the earlier instrumentation looked pretty hip for its time, this one doesn’t disappoint either. It’s a rectangular console with excellent readability in the sun that compactly integrates all the things that you need to know, as well as all the tell-tale lights. But the lack of a clock is one glaring omission. The switchgear quality is average, but the palm grips are superb and form excellent touch points – like on the old FZ.

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The seating position is relatively crouched forward, yet reasonably upright for a commuter and manages to convey the broad footprint of the bike through the wide handlebars. The rider foot pegs are slightly rear set, while the pillion seat manages to be more comfortable than the outgoing one.

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>>Next page for more features of the 2014 Yamaha FZ FI Version 2.0 in detail>>

 

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