Pics: Black Rock Studio
‘Dad, I’m way too tall for that bike,’ said Kyle, and rather eyeballing the Indian FTR that we were also riding on the day. “Son, you are 15. That’s your option for today.”
That was the chat between father and son when we took Yamaha’s FZS-150 to the FK track just off Snake road. At 15, Kyle is still too young to get a licence, so we introduced him to a few laps at the very tight track. After a small grunt of protest, Kyle climbed aboard and took off on his first sighting lap. The instruction was to follow Jason to see the lines and then come in. Well, that’s the last we saw of him. 10 laps in, he was trying to get his knee down. By lap 12, dad was having visions of a brand new bike going sliding down the track…
When we finally got his attention he came in… all smiles. “Man! That was fun. It’s not big, or powerful, but man… It’s FUN! Did you see me through the twisties, the more you ride, the better it gets..”. And so, the bench racing started…
And that’s what bikes need to be – FUN! That’s how we hook the youngsters and keep them interested…
What’s the FZ about?
Built mostly for the bustling Asian market, Yamaha has built a peppy, efficient, comfortable bike that slots perfectly into the South African motorcycle scene. We have seen many of them sporting top boxes and being used as commercial vehicles, which is a shame really, when we were lighties, we’d donate a lung to ride something as good looking as one of these. It is gorgeous with modern styling, sleek lines and up to date LED technology. The Yamaha FZS-150 is powered by Yamahas “Blue Core” fuel injected 150cc engine.
What’s a Blue Core Engine?
According to Yamaha, “Blue Core is Yamaha’s advanced engine technology aimed at improving fuel efficiency without compromising performance. It enhances combustion efficiency, reduces friction, and optimizes cooling, resulting in better mileage and smoother rides.” Shifting through the 5-speed gearbox is easy with a soft clutch.
On paper, the engine makes 16.3 hp power and 14.5 Nm of torque, but take it for a ride and it feels quicker than that. It is also very easy to handle thanks to the light, responsive chassis. Disc brakes front and rear saved young Kyle from veering off into the surrounding mine dumps and the hydraulic suspension kept everything in good shape.
At the time of the test, Kyle was approaching 6ft. He saw a maximum speed of close to 100 Kph. We then popped Stefan, who weighs less than a newspaper into the saddle and told him to send it. He saw 120 on the clock. “Quality fit and finish, this bike feels great!”
That’s not bad. And it runs, literally on the sniff of an oil rag – roughly 49 kilometres per litre, so with that 15 litre tank, you are going to go quite far.
Park the superbike at home. Buy one of these. Use it to work and back every day – you’ll save a killing on fuel, which will give you enough left over to ride the big bike every weekend!
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