paul
12-24-2008, 07:28 AM
A man weighing about IOokg chooses the less powerful of the two bikes offered to him and is still damn confident about his choice the FZI6. Peculiar, but that's Bunny for you. I srruggled to control my smirk as we set off for this shootout. True to his traits, Bunny is hardly bothered or concerned. The fact that he is pitting his choice against the outright winner of our previous 150CC shootout winner the Apache RTR 160, though in the FI guise this time, will only help make things a bit more interesting. We're planning to ride about I20km away from the city, shoot the two bikes and evaluate them through various traffic conditions. Well be swapping bikes at regular intervals and riding them in similar conditions. It goes without saying that well be neutral and not give any brownie points to a particular bike just because it was our initial choice. I'm cool, assuming it'll be more difficult for my counterpart to stick to that rule with a power deficit of nearly zPS.
Rightthen, through the city first. 09:00 am may not be the best time to commute through the metropolis, but with all the 'executives' swarming the roads on their way to work there could hardly be a better opporrunity to gauge a bike's tractability and manoeuvrability. The experience aboard the
FZ16 with its straight handlebar is quite unlike anything you would have ridden on Indian roads so far. Not many commuters are used to that sort of a handlebar design and positioning, but ergonomically, it's spot on. The seating posture is slightly upright when compared to other sporty offerings in this segment, which is a good thing almost everywhere except the racetrack. The spunky IS3cC mill has oodles of low and mid-range power so you don't have to bother your toes much to shift gears. The bike pulls strongly in high gears at low speeds. What's more the handlebar design makes it a breeze to turn the bike at low speeds. The Apache RTR with its relatively sportier stance, clip-ons and a peaky engine doesn't quite match up to the FZ's dexterity in the city. By the time we exit the crowded streets to meet the highway, I know Bunny's choice has its nose ahead of the Apache.
The RTR comes into its element on the highway. The oversquare screamer engine loves to be revved. A higher engine capacity coupled with a high-revving mill means that the RTR is about a second quicker than the Yamaha to the quarter mile mark with a substantial advantage of about rokm/h in terms of top speed. Plus, the FZ having traded top whack for mid-range grunt, doesn't pull very reassuringly above gokm/h. The bike, however, is as quick as the RTR to the 0¬60km/h sprint and has better high speed stability owing to its longer wheelbase and wider tyres. The refinement levels at high speeds on the Yamaha are much better than the TVS which help it cover some lost ground on the highway. But the RTR, without a doubt, has a substantial advantage over the FZ on empty, stretched lengths of tar. The score stands at I-I by the time we are through with our highway ride and prepare to climb the inviting Khambakti ghats ahead.
149
The Apache, as was proven in our performance bikes track test in August '08, is an able handler. It finished marginally behind the much more powerful Pulsar 220 and managed to beat the Karizma convincingly while lapping the MMSC
racetrack. The orientation of the Apache with its screamer engine, sporty seating position and all the other racing bits like rear sets is more towards performance. The FZ, on the other hand, is aligned more towards being a well-rounded 15OCC machine that tries to appease the enthusiast and the style aficionado alike. But even with having to do so much, the FZ holds its own when it comes to keeping its line around fast comers. The well sorted chassis, the strong mid-range power and the wide, grippy rear radials make sure that the FZ doesn't fail to bring a smile on your face around winding roads. Knowing what the FZ is meant to do, the extent to which it goes in trying to keep up with the Apache is commendable. Nonetheless the latter, with its revvier, more powerful engine and more focused running gear is decidedly faster around the comers. We were not very pleased with the rubber the Apache wheels were shod with. Better tyres would definitely have made us attack the apexes more confidently and would have widened the gap between the two bikes even further. The wide radials on the FZ, on the other hand, helped it immensely in preventing the Apache from getting out of sight. The short wheelbase of the Apache makes it take the sharper comers with elan but is a slight handicap while negotiating the fast, long turns. The FZ fairs well around both types of corners. There isn't much of a chance for you to get ahead of the Apache on a FZ on winding roads especially if you're climbing up. But equipping the screamer bike with better tyres will enhance its handling traits by a good margin.
The FZ has a smaller engine than the Apache and it produces about zPS less. Naturally, we expected the Yamaha to offset the TVS's performance advantage by delivering better fuel efficiency. Surprisingly, that was not to be. The Apache, even with its high-rewing engine and power advantage offers better fuel efficiency than the Yammer. Attribute the difference to the latter's lower gearing or the inherent notoriety of the Yamaha motors for not being too fuel efficient, but the Apache goes longer for a given volume of fuel. We're as baffled as probably you are, but that's how it is. The fuel injection on the Apache RTR FI seems to have made a big difference. The big redemption for the newest 150 on the block comes in the form of its, err, form. The bike looks gorgeous. The sculpted, muscular tank, the naked streetfighter looks, the beautifully designed FZ1 replica exhaust, the amazingly well proPQrtioned rear, the chunky res, the Intimidating headlamp, the menacing appearance - the FZ doesn't set a foot wrong in the styling department. I looked at the bike over and over again to think of a suggestion to improve its aesthetics. I managed to come up with some too, but evety single time I considered them, I found them too preposterous to mention. It's a flawless exercise in design and this fact alone is good enough to shroud the bike's lacunae - though it hardly has any. It's a beautiful piece of machinery. The Apache too is a nice looking, aggressive, sporty bike but the FZ is just too sensational a design. Add to the package India's first fully digital instrumentation, meaty front forks plus an immaculate finish, and what you have is a bike that outdoes any other Indian two-wheeler on the styling and equipment front.
Bunny had road tested the FZI6 issue. And now I know why he was so confident of his choice. I'm glad to say that the FZ is a more competent RTR adversary than any of the I50S that tried to contend for its crown in our previous shootout. The RTR itself is a potent machine. It's been a long day at work and both the bikes have dazzled us with their respective virtues. It1l be a tough call.
Rightthen, through the city first. 09:00 am may not be the best time to commute through the metropolis, but with all the 'executives' swarming the roads on their way to work there could hardly be a better opporrunity to gauge a bike's tractability and manoeuvrability. The experience aboard the
FZ16 with its straight handlebar is quite unlike anything you would have ridden on Indian roads so far. Not many commuters are used to that sort of a handlebar design and positioning, but ergonomically, it's spot on. The seating posture is slightly upright when compared to other sporty offerings in this segment, which is a good thing almost everywhere except the racetrack. The spunky IS3cC mill has oodles of low and mid-range power so you don't have to bother your toes much to shift gears. The bike pulls strongly in high gears at low speeds. What's more the handlebar design makes it a breeze to turn the bike at low speeds. The Apache RTR with its relatively sportier stance, clip-ons and a peaky engine doesn't quite match up to the FZ's dexterity in the city. By the time we exit the crowded streets to meet the highway, I know Bunny's choice has its nose ahead of the Apache.
The RTR comes into its element on the highway. The oversquare screamer engine loves to be revved. A higher engine capacity coupled with a high-revving mill means that the RTR is about a second quicker than the Yamaha to the quarter mile mark with a substantial advantage of about rokm/h in terms of top speed. Plus, the FZ having traded top whack for mid-range grunt, doesn't pull very reassuringly above gokm/h. The bike, however, is as quick as the RTR to the 0¬60km/h sprint and has better high speed stability owing to its longer wheelbase and wider tyres. The refinement levels at high speeds on the Yamaha are much better than the TVS which help it cover some lost ground on the highway. But the RTR, without a doubt, has a substantial advantage over the FZ on empty, stretched lengths of tar. The score stands at I-I by the time we are through with our highway ride and prepare to climb the inviting Khambakti ghats ahead.
149
The Apache, as was proven in our performance bikes track test in August '08, is an able handler. It finished marginally behind the much more powerful Pulsar 220 and managed to beat the Karizma convincingly while lapping the MMSC
racetrack. The orientation of the Apache with its screamer engine, sporty seating position and all the other racing bits like rear sets is more towards performance. The FZ, on the other hand, is aligned more towards being a well-rounded 15OCC machine that tries to appease the enthusiast and the style aficionado alike. But even with having to do so much, the FZ holds its own when it comes to keeping its line around fast comers. The well sorted chassis, the strong mid-range power and the wide, grippy rear radials make sure that the FZ doesn't fail to bring a smile on your face around winding roads. Knowing what the FZ is meant to do, the extent to which it goes in trying to keep up with the Apache is commendable. Nonetheless the latter, with its revvier, more powerful engine and more focused running gear is decidedly faster around the comers. We were not very pleased with the rubber the Apache wheels were shod with. Better tyres would definitely have made us attack the apexes more confidently and would have widened the gap between the two bikes even further. The wide radials on the FZ, on the other hand, helped it immensely in preventing the Apache from getting out of sight. The short wheelbase of the Apache makes it take the sharper comers with elan but is a slight handicap while negotiating the fast, long turns. The FZ fairs well around both types of corners. There isn't much of a chance for you to get ahead of the Apache on a FZ on winding roads especially if you're climbing up. But equipping the screamer bike with better tyres will enhance its handling traits by a good margin.
The FZ has a smaller engine than the Apache and it produces about zPS less. Naturally, we expected the Yamaha to offset the TVS's performance advantage by delivering better fuel efficiency. Surprisingly, that was not to be. The Apache, even with its high-rewing engine and power advantage offers better fuel efficiency than the Yammer. Attribute the difference to the latter's lower gearing or the inherent notoriety of the Yamaha motors for not being too fuel efficient, but the Apache goes longer for a given volume of fuel. We're as baffled as probably you are, but that's how it is. The fuel injection on the Apache RTR FI seems to have made a big difference. The big redemption for the newest 150 on the block comes in the form of its, err, form. The bike looks gorgeous. The sculpted, muscular tank, the naked streetfighter looks, the beautifully designed FZ1 replica exhaust, the amazingly well proPQrtioned rear, the chunky res, the Intimidating headlamp, the menacing appearance - the FZ doesn't set a foot wrong in the styling department. I looked at the bike over and over again to think of a suggestion to improve its aesthetics. I managed to come up with some too, but evety single time I considered them, I found them too preposterous to mention. It's a flawless exercise in design and this fact alone is good enough to shroud the bike's lacunae - though it hardly has any. It's a beautiful piece of machinery. The Apache too is a nice looking, aggressive, sporty bike but the FZ is just too sensational a design. Add to the package India's first fully digital instrumentation, meaty front forks plus an immaculate finish, and what you have is a bike that outdoes any other Indian two-wheeler on the styling and equipment front.
Bunny had road tested the FZI6 issue. And now I know why he was so confident of his choice. I'm glad to say that the FZ is a more competent RTR adversary than any of the I50S that tried to contend for its crown in our previous shootout. The RTR itself is a potent machine. It's been a long day at work and both the bikes have dazzled us with their respective virtues. It1l be a tough call.