Yamaha FZ150i: Reasons to buy

Yamaha has got a plethora of products to offer for its Malaysian customers. It has got mopeds, automatic scooters, street bikes, and super bikes. The FZ150i belongs to the street bike category, and it has been in the market for many years now. Yamaha did provide a decent upgrade to the bike in the past, and even today the FZ150i seems to be a good purchase if you are looking for a naked motorcycle in 150cc segment. Here we will try to make things a bit easier for you by mentioning a few reasons why you should buy the Yamaha FZ150i.

1) Because it is a Yamaha 

Yes, you read that right, because it is a Yamaha. We mean that Yamaha is known for building sturdy, rock-solid, and reliable products. The heart of a motorcycle is its engine. And Yamaha’s engines last forever, of course when maintained properly.

When Yamaha updated the FZ150i, it decided to keep the engine untouched. Even today, the FZ150i continues to run on the trustable 150cc, single cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that has got SOHC and 4 valves. It produces 16.3 horsepower at 8,500 rpm and generates a peak torque of 14.5 Nm at 7,500 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

The fuel injection system makes sure that the right amount of air-fuel mixture goes into the combustion chamber to get a perfect balance between performance and efficiency. Overall, the engine of the FZ150i feels very refined and smooth with no drama at all.

2) Instrument cluster

Today, when most of the motorcycle manufacturers are providing full digital instrument clusters, Yamaha has kept the traditional tachometer in the FZ150i. And we are grateful for that. It is a totally different experience and feeling to see the needle passing the numbers quickly to reach the redline. The tachometer on the FZ150i is similar to what we see on bigger capacity Yamaha motorcycles. So, that is pretty cool. Apart from the analog tachometer, there is also a small display that shows all the necessary information like fuel level, odometer, etc.

3) Performance

The FZ150i has been designed to tackle the streets of the city. It has got enough power to help you pull out of a corner smiling. Perhaps, for some, 16 bhp does not sound much, and yes, we agree, it is not a big number, and neither is the bike. But like they say, ‘Riding a small motorcycle fast is more fun than riding a fast motorcycle slow’, right? There is enough torque to keep you away from unnecessary gear shifts in city traffic. It also helps you to pull an overtake pretty easily.

When it comes to stopping, the Yamaha FZ150i comes equipped with disc brakes at both the front and rear wheels, so that would not be an issue. Also, the wide tires - 90/80 - 17 M/C 46P tubeless for the front and 120/70 - 17 M/C 58P tubeless for the rear - provide a firm grip on the tarmac to help you shed speeds faster.

4) Ride quality

Like we mentioned, the engine of the Yamaha FZ150i is butter-smooth, and so is its ride quality. The fuel injection works phenomenally and there are no jerks or stutters in low revs. The on and off throttle transition is smooth. The suspension setup - telescopic at the front and monoshock at the rear - provides a seamless ride.

5) Looks

We kept this in the last because looks are subjective. What is ravishing for one, could be hideous for the other. So, generally speaking, the FZ150i has got some decent fashion sense. It is not something that would cause people to turn heads. You would be satisfied with it because most of the time you would be riding it, which means you would be seeing the cockpit of the bike, and that is pretty cool. By this, we do not mean to say that the FZ150i is ugly.

The side view of the bike is very stylish; everything seems to be installed in proportion. The black exhaust looks great. The new fuel tank cap is sporty. The alloy wheels are pretty decent as well. It is the front, specifically the headlight, that does not match to the rest of the profile of the bike. But it should not be a deal breaker, considering the other good points of the FZ150i.

So, these were the few reasons why we think the Yamaha FZ150i is a good purchase in the 150cc segment. It comes from Yamaha’s house and has got a good rapport so far. You can buy one for a starting price of RM 8,610 (excluding taxes).