Brings me then to the most talked about
aspect of the bike and that is its styling. Scaling down any big
bike is an exercise which is fraught with danger for minimizing
the proportions is an ardous task and if not attempted correctly
will ruin the whole set-up. As such the top rate styling penned
by GK Dynamics deserves the greatest applause because not only is
the bodywork individualistic but the harmony in the flow from front
to rear is maintained in a seamlessly pleasing manner. The hard
points of the tank (a plastic shroud for the actual item underneath
it!) along with the large side panels (crafted as pseudo-beam type
frame components) run up to the exquisitely crafted tail unit replete
with the stylized grab handles and that silver strip adorning the
seat split is a fine detail as well.
The reason behind the plastic outer shroud
for the metal fuel tank is that it was easier to craft with its
array of curves and bulges to deliver that toned muscular look.
The central black strip running the length of the plastic fuel tank
shroud is a detail that the TVS Apache RTR has made a virtue of
but on the Yamaha one can make out how effectively it has been used
in conjunction with the flow into the saddle.
Yamaha's Fazer and FZ1 big-bore naked roadsters were panned (for a while)
in Europe for their blatant plagiarism / dubious inspiration of the MV
Agusta Brutale's naked looks, especially in the treatment of the front
end. The headlight of the FZ16 continues this theme but it is now so very
much a part of the overall style package that it doesn't look contrived.
If anything, it sets the tone and the visual tenor for the bike the moment
you feast your eyes on it. The predatory stance with its "don't-mess-with-me"
look is in the devilishly delicious manner motorcyclists are prone to
admire and revel in.
The FZ16 will come in three body colours at launch and while the red
and the black are the most universally accepted shades, there is an all
new orange hue (termed Flaming Orange in Yamaha-speak) which should set
hearts aflutter. I liked this shade the minute I set eyes on it and even
though I am most partial to red, this time round I fell for the orange
flame. Thank the heavens that I brought my set of sunglasses to keep from
being dazzled silly by this new spirited shade which makes s strong impact
on the senses.
What is also very important is that if you can see from the version shown
at Auto Expo, there have hardly been major changes to the overall design.
Shows that the time since then was spent wisely in tweaking things in
the wind tunnel, in localizing the aggregates and also in getting the
build finish and quality spot on.
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