Yamaha SZ-153

Having ridden on the tidal wave success of the FZ-160 and the R15, Yamaha India mustered up enough confidence to look back to the mass segment - Commuter friendly machines. Even though Yamaha already has quite a number of Commuter friendly machines, but given the current market share of those machines, let's not talk about them (even though I still cannot figure as to why Gladiator Type SS/RS did not managed to pull the moolah as it should have been, given it's potential).

So, in comes the first step towards the second innings of Yamaha India's effort to make a stand in mass market in the shape of the Yamaha SZ-153

So, what's the new Yamaha SZ-153 all about. It's all about power commuting. Yes, that's what it is. It's not in the league of the Pulsars, the Hunks, the CBZs, the GS150Rs or Yamaha's own FZs.

It's simply out and out commuter oriented 153cc, light weight motorcycle, which would not only give the average commuter, burrowing through the traffic mess, more power band width to make space and go, but it would light on the rider's pocket too.

This clearly explains the absence of front disc. If you think from the psyche of an average commuter, then in crowded areas like Delhi-6, a front disc can cause more problems than comfort. The awesome braking power that a front disc generates can easily lock the front wheel at low speeds causing a crash. A sufficiently powerful drum brake would be a perfect fit because -

1) It's not that insanely powerful like the disc so, there would be more confident braking by the average commuter.

2) The drum brake acts at the center of the wheel, so, even if the front wheel locks, the wheel would have a lesser tendency to bank right, again saving the day for the rider.

It's like building budget homes. When you are targeting a particular segment, why give jacuzzi when they need more space in their budget and increase the price??

The Engine
A quick look at the engine spec tells you the entire moto of the bike. In some of the on-line forums I've been through, where the bike has been already re-viewed, the bike has been fired for the engine. Even though it shares the same engine as on the FZ-16, the engine on the SZ-153 produces a top bang of 12.1 PS @ 7500 rpms.

Max Power - 12.1 PS @ 7500 rpms
Max Torque - 12.8 Nm @ 4500 rpms

Now, I would request all the biker dudes, to quickly scan through all the 150 cc motor bikes available in India from Pulsars to FZ (or even count R15 in this comparo) and see which other bike gives this kind of Power:Torque ratio, where the peak Torque is a tad bit more than the peak Power and coming at 4500 rpms.

This is the sole fact that leaves all the 150 cc bikes way behind. Depending on how the gear ratios have been placed, this bike would be far more relaxed than it's competitors and far more zippy when required. The Torque is placed exactly where it's most required. This also mean lesser gear shifts up and down and thereby more fuel efficient performance.

Dimensions
At a 132kg, it's the second lightest 150cc bike available in the country, after the Bajaj Discover 150, which means that bringing the Power-to-Weight ratio into picture, the bike has an upper hand, and the only competitor of this bike is the Bajaj Discover 150.

Overall
Finally, from a package stand point, the Yamaha SZ-153 is a very good package and should bring back some ground for Yamaha in the budget segment of Indian biking. Rest how the market reacts to this bike in the presence of the Bajaj Discover 150, needs to be seen.

Some wallpapers-

Till then - YES!YAMAHA

Images and Specs Courtesy - Yamaha SZ-153 official website