There used to be the good old days when Yamaha used to rule the motorbike arena with its RX series of bikes. But then model after model,all their offerings were not well accepted by the public and they were completely outclassed by even the local manufacturers. And then after a long sleep, suddenly they seemed to wake up and as a brand building exercise,they launched the R1 and MT01 superbikes. Though they did not rake in more than a few buyers and profit, the important thing was that it showcased the brand Yamaha to the Indian public.
Then came the R15 which took advantage of the local manufacturers short comings and launched a world class bike but albeit with a small engine and cut-down parts to keep the prices low and increase sales numbers. Though it did manage to rake in quite substantial number of sales numbers, it was not at the price which many wanted it to be in. It was not suited for practical and everyday usage here in Indian roads.
Now they have announced the launch of its new motorbike, the FZ-16. It has what the typical youngster wants from his motorbike - attractive and unique styling, performance and most importantly the price. It seems Yamaha wanted to take a head-on fight with its other 150 cc rivals which it has failed miserably so far. On paper everything looks good including ex-showroom price of around 65k. And the wide rear tires, chubby silencer and stylish looks should attract many to the showrooms.
But the biggest question on everyone's mind is whether they will be able to transfer all that hype into real world good results. Especially after the delay in the delivery already that has been taking place, they have a seriously tough job ahead to provide better service and practicality.
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