Evo Fleet: Yamaha FZ25
After a lot of coaxing, he finally gave in. It has been months since Aninda was being ‘harassed’ by me, to ask Yamaha for the FZ25. Finally, in September Yamaha finally obliged and handed us the keys to the bike. Why the FZ25 of all bikes, you ask? Because I have clocked over 70,000 kilometres on my own Fazer, which is almost nine years old. Secondly, I know how reliable and comfortable the FZs are, be it in the city or around twisties. Especially because my daily rider is a 200 Duke. Mind you, I am not complaining, I love my Duke but sometimes in life, you need to sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. Which isn’t really possible because of the KTM’s frantic nature. The FZ has been a
revelation though. And I can vouch for it because I have already spent over 2000km on its saddle.
Wondering why we are introducing the FZ after four months? Blame the front bent rim that kept it away. Riding to Lavasa, every Saturday night has become a ritual. The first time it happened in the city itself though, when I was being a fool and riding at high speeds over broken tarmac, all thanks to the deadly monsoons we had encountered earlier this year. Realising my mistake, I managed to get it repaired from a local mechanic the very next day. The very next weekend, a friend on his 390 Duke tagged along to Lavasa A It’s about time I finally stopped and smelled the flowers Yamaha FZ25 and at Mutha, we went over a pothole at just about 40kmph and there it went again!
The KTM survived but the FZ’s rim gave way, again. Thankfully, I managed to ride back for 40km with a flat tyre to hand over the bike to Monarch Yamaha. However, the insurance claim service and other procedures took over two months and the bike was handed back to us in the first week of December. Yamaha has promised us that it was a one-off issue and quality won’t be a concern in the future again. However, all that has not hindered the progression of my FZ 25’s odo. In fact, its absence has kept me longing for the bike more than ever.
The incident hasn’t deterred me from heading to Lavasa and I’m even contemplating a Goa trip, soon. Life has been good so far after the FZ has come back and I am looking forward to doing a lot more, including a trip to Mumbai this weekend. And you’ll also see the bike sans the saree guard in the next report.
