Yamaha FZS 25 Review: First Ride

With its stunning design, the Yamaha FZS 25 demands your immediate attention. But does it deliver in terms of performance and practicality as well?

The 250cc motorcycle segment is an interesting one in India, for it mostly comprises those riders who feel that the smaller 200cc segment has become a bit too mainstream, a bit too common, but hesitate to venture into more powerful segments. For such riders, the 250cc segment offers the best of both worlds – enough power to keep the soul content on those empty stretches of tarmac and great practicality for daily riding. However, all this is on paper. So, to see how well does it all translate into real life, I took the new Yamaha FZS 25 for a ride, and… 

A Visual Treat

Let’s start from the beginning. The Yamaha FZ 25 was updated last year to make it BS6 compliant and give it a bit of visual makeover. Consequently, the current FZ 25 now has a meaner look, courtesy of a new LED projector headlamp, which seems a bit outlandish at first but becomes quite likeable very soon. The rest of the bike, though, remains more or less the same as the old BS4 version. 

Now, the FZS 25, the version I rode and tested, is even better visually, thanks to the addition of brush guards on the handlebar, a tinted windscreen, golden painted alloy wheels, and some exciting exterior colour combinations. Overall, the FZS 25, especially in this dark matte blue and gold combination, looks really butch and, might I say, is arguably the best-looking bike in the segment.

Smooth as Silk

Impressed by its look? Well, wait till you ride it. Because the FZS 25 is a sporty streetfighter with a gem of an engine. The 249cc single-cylinder motor is very smooth and super responsive, and folks at Yamaha have tuned it to ensure that it offers exceptional levels of torque in all gears. 

You can easily rev up the bike to 7,000rpm in each gear without feeling any vibrations through the handlebar or seats. Although the FZS 25’s 20.6bhp and 20.1Nm of torque are relatively lower than some of its rivals, at no point does it leave you wanting for more. The engine remains silent at low speeds – an aspect of the engine that continues even when it’s pushed hard, and before you know it, you find yourself riding at the speed of 120km/h. 

The five-speed gearbox is smooth and shifts quickly. However, I think that another gear will help it extract more performance from the top-end of the engine.

Effortless Rider

The Yamaha FZS 25 does not disappoint in terms of ride and handling either. Although the suspension setup is slightly on the stiffer side to make it as sporty as possible, it’s hardly a problem because its soft, wide, and very comfortable seat makes riding comfortable and effortless – it’s only while going over sharp speed bumps or deep potholes that you notice the stiffness. 

Speaking of the seat, the two-piece saddle has been ergonomically shaped to offer near-perfect pelvic support. Couple this with the slightly higher-set foot-pegs and foot controls, and what you get is a sitting position that allows you to really lean on to the handlebar for that sporty feel. The handlebar, though, can do with a slightly angular setup. The straight-bar design makes it a little too wide and, therefore, tiring when manoeuvring through slow traffic.

But…

With so many positives under its belt, the     makes a strong case for itself. But like all things in the world, it does have a few things that need improvement. For example, I think that the factory-fitted MRF Nylogrip tyres are a bit too hard – softer-compound tyres might add to the overall ride quality. Also, Yamaha uses a negative LCD instrument cluster, which features white lettering and digits on a dark background. While it may seem modern, it’s not very practical for everyday riding conditions. Neither is the display very bright and nor does it look very appealing to me. Plus, the surrounding indication lights are too bright in comparison, which aggravates the whole problem, especially on foggy winter nights.

So, while there’s still some room for improvement, the Yamaha FZ 25 scores very well in terms of things that really matter – design, performance, and practicality. Overall, it’s a highly recommendable 250cc naked motorcycle, with a starting ex-showroom price of ₹1.52 lakh, which makes it cheaper than some of its direct rivals. So, if you are looking to upgrade to a 250cc offering, the Yamaha FZ 25 is unlikely to disappoint you. 

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