Yamaha FZ-RAVE

Since the Yamaha FZ's debut in 2008, it has gained a lot of followers, thanks to its muscular styling and refined engine. Today the FZ family has a total of eight bikes, out of which the FZ Rave is the latest member. It comes with a sporty design, projector headlamp, contrasting rims and the same 149cc engine. But this segment is evolving rapidly, with rivals offering a better package with more features. We find out whether the FZ Rave offers enough to justify your hard-earned money:

The FZ Rave shares major bits of design with other FZ bikes. The same chunky tank design with faux air inlets makes the FZ Rave look muscular for a 150cc motorcycle. However, this design has been seen on the Yamaha FZs since the third generation, which was launched back in 2019. And even the fourth gen, isn’t dramatically different to look at. Hence, not only the FZ Rave but a whole revamp of the series is needed desperately.

As far as the differences to the other FZes go, the Rave gets an aggressive, sharp looking headlight with a projector headlamp that gives the bike it a mean look. The small taillight is minimalist. More importantly, its contrasting rims add drama to the overall look of the bike - in a good way. 

FZ Rave comes in two shades: Matte Titan and Metallic Black. Personally, the Matte Titan colour looks better because it stands out more.

The Yamaha FZ Rave has a rather simple list of features, which is quite disappointing if you ask us. Here's why:

The bike gets a simple LCD cluster which can be read well under harsh sunlight and displays all basic information, like tachometer, speedometer, trip meters and time. That said, the bike misses out on a few modern features, some even available on other FZ models, like Bluetooth connectivity, traction control, a USB charging port and a gear position indicator. 

The projector headlamp illuminates pitch-dark roads well and offers a decent throw. That said, on dimly lit roads, the spread isn’t as wide, forcing you to concentrate a bit more than what you would have liked to.

In terms of safety, the bike is equipped with single-channel ABS.

The bike gets a wide seat that holds up well for long hours of commuting. However, the seat has a slight forward slope that inadvertently makes you huddle up to the tank. For me, the reach to the handlebar was slightly far, and I had to bend forward to be able to hold the grips.

The pillion seat is also wide and comfortable but not made for long rides. The space between the riders and the pillion is slightly tight, not giving the pillion enough room to move around.

Its accessible 790mm seat allows even riders who are as short as 5”4’ to touch their feet on the ground. What’s more, it's only 136kg kerb so the Rave is easy to muscle out of the parking lot or even move around in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The FZ Rave’s 149cc air-cooled engine is popular for its refinement. The 12.4PS of power and 13.3Nm of torque may not be headlining numbers, but the power delivery is linear and predictable. This makes it really confidence-inspiring for new riders but will make you quickly feel bored if you like your bikes to be sporty.  

The engine is very tractable, pulling effortlessly from speeds as low as 20kmph, that too in 4th gear. You’ll appreciate not needing to shift gears constantly in rush-hour commutes. 

The Rave is capable of hitting a speedo-indicated 100kmph, but the engine feels super stressed holding that kind of speed. 75-80kmph is its sweet spot. It’s not really a machine that likes to stay at high revs, so vibrations start creeping in through the handlebars and footpegs and it’s strong enough to feel irritating. 

We rode the FZ-X in city conditions, and it gave us a mileage of 55.1kmpl. Since the FZ Rave shares the same engine, you can expect similar fuel efficiency from it.

Suspension

While the telescopic fork is well-tuned to absorb bumpy roads, bad patches without losing composure, the rear monoshock feels a little too softly sprung. Hitting speed breakers at slightly higher speeds causes the bike to wallow, leading to an unsettling ride. Perhaps if Yamaha had firmed up the shock tune slightly or improved its damping settings, the experience would be better. More so, this wallowiness is going to be amplified with a pillion rider. While correcting the preload settings should do the trick for the most part, it will still not feel settled.

Braking

The front and rear disc brake combo on the FZ Rave is spot on, and confidence-inspiring. The front brake has a progressive bite. There are no jerks, and it feels reassuring while slowing down or even in a state of panic braking. 

The rear brake, however, feels vague as you need to put in a lot of effort for it to bite properly. This is definitely not a deal breaker, but it will require a few rides to get used to it.

Handling

As mentioned earlier, the FZ Rave’s light kerb weight really makes it shine when it comes to its agility. The bike responds to your inputs well, so making U-turns and filtering through traffic feel effortless. Even while shifting lanes on highways, the bike feels fairly stable.