Yamaha FZ16 (FZ V1)

Yamaha FZ16 or as most of us would prefer to call it the ‘FZ V1’ became a reality in the market in a year 2008. It became the love of many within the first hour not to mention the first glance. Honestly, the first time I saw one parked close to my favourite FZ V1 was like a dream come true. Standing there with its apparently planted posture and that bare, broad street fighter tank, it was as though Yamaha handed us a city roads thrill in a small offering. It was not the flashiest of bikes out there granted but it seems to speak to the city bike in us and just like that one day it was no more. Yamaha then chose to design an improved layout and like a sudden the marvel turned into nostalgia, a show piece of sorts.

Design & Look

The FZ16 was a bike with presence yes real presence I can say. We are talking about a design that was risky and innovative one that could be called unconventional for bikes of this segment. It had these really big tyres, those massive tyres, this short and stubby exhaust that muscular tank and it was not as big as you thought it should be. Honestly, I thought to myself like, “This bike should be on poster.” And for many of us it ended up on the wall or as a background picture on a smart phone.

But it was not only about style in this case. Where Yamaha resonated with something core to people with the FZ16 was the concept of how it made you feel seated above it. Only riding one felt substantial as if one was seated on a much larger contraption – but not a heavy one. It had this lovely proportions of a balanced weight that nestled the bike on the road and a number of us got a psychological lift while riding it for our daily commutes and leisurely weekend rides. I had the impression that bike and rider are one entity, something which not every bike in the presented category could provide.

Engine & Performance

Let’s get real At 153cc, the FZ16 was not designed to be muscular. If you were going to become a wheeling and dealing type on the highways then nobody was going to be left behind or that was okay. For city rides, though? It was perfect. The torque was buttery smooth, and overtaking was nothing more than a walk over a needle’s eye. This promise was not stated the FZ made while you twist that throttle “I will not leave you hang.” It did not have to be fast that is the last thing you would want in a large vehicle of this kind – it had to be dependable and steady. The bike was not bought to race, it was as if it knew the roads you were on and matched your speed to it.

Why We Miss It

Yamaha over time introduced newer versions more radiant than each other as they substituted the FZ 16 with those with enhanced looks. And yeah they had something close to this appeal but where was that pure unpolished sexiness? This reminds me of when some ideas get too out of hand or really complicated for a reasonable purpose or function? Well that’s kind of what happened here. The FZ V1 was basic, blunt and topical which is why so many of us still have some where in the back of our minds a memory of it. Once in a while you would see someone flying past and that twinge – “They don’t build bikes like that anymore,” Daniel says.

They were not the most memorable elements however so what made the FZ16 stand out? It fell somewhere between an ultralight road bike a mountain bike, and a BMX bike without attempting to meet every rider’s needs. It knew what it was a non-luxury mid-size car that had the spirit to perform best within metropolitan areas. Anyone who once had one would surely have an idea of what I am talking about. It is like having that friend that is always there no fancy gestures, no fluff, just there and always reliable.

The FZ16 Legacy

But with the successive models coming up and more modifications and additional features being incorporated in the Yamaha FZ models FZ16 continues to be on a charmed list. Having one in stock condition nowadays is almost impossible most are customised or are being babied by their owners who cannot part with them. That is why this plot is a classic one of the peculiarities of which is the main characters’ personalities.

Knowing this is probably better said to be Yamaha’s best known bike it is something that I might not easily say as being their best. Perhaps not in every technicality but in terms of character, it is hard to match much less better. This bike was not just designed to get us from one place to another place—it was designed to be memorable. Well, checking and compiling the rankings I would say Yamaha did a great job.