Get a white (clean) cloth and rub the soot off the sparkplug.
Then look at the color of it. I found this is a easier way of checking the color than trying to hold it up to the light and look at the color.
Its not a ideal way by any means, but its a good guide for a quick check.

Chocolate brown is what you are after.

I believe I have already mentioned the name and address of the shop from where the purchases are made. Its near Opera House,in south Mumbai.

Tires I purchased the rear from Metro Tires right next to alibhai's shop. Those guys are good. However, if you planning to pick stock tires only, you can also check out any of the authorised retailers of MRF for pricing. For me 2700 was a sweet deal and also the fact that I had some work over that area so didn't bother going anywhere else. The front stock costs 2100 in Metro tires as last quoted to me.


Cheers,

Initial ownership report yamaha fz-s limited edition

Hello Guys! Am going to post my initial experience with my new ride the yamaha fz-s limited edition.This is the first report,so would apologize any mistakes i've done. Bikes are always passionate to me. I started bike riding since i was in 9th standard! Initially I had passion pro(self,alloy) which had a great time with it. Its mileage was one of its USP's Though looks and performance were too outdated. I always wanted to get a bike which should have power to looks ratio. Mileage doesn't matters most. So, it was my birthday and I need a bike which should match my requirements. After lots of efforts and genuine reasons, My dad finally accepted to get down a new bike. So, my requirements were:

1. looks
2. good performance in city.
3. handling should be breeze.
4. low maintenance.
5. mileage( of course i had passion pro so i became like mileage-conscious). but can be tolerable.

So Here are my Verdict:
As i needed a bike for city ride, I decided to go with 150cc bikes and with a maximum budget of 85k.

Bajaj Pulsar 150:
Great performance and mileage, cheap spare parts. But evicted because of poor sales service network in Hyderabad, Less resale value and poor plastic parts(I don't mean to hurt anyone).

Honda Unicorn:
Great after sales service, great usability in city, good performance, handling, mileage. But poor looks and too old as a bike(looks are for an old man).

Honda Unicorn Dazzler:
Same as its sibling cb unicorn. But removed from my list(though many recommended) but waiting period was an issue.

Tvs Apache 160:
Good performance,good mileage,cheaper spare parts, a very VFM bike. But removed it immediately due to its looks(headlights were just yakk) loved those angel lights( LED day time lights). Also, it had several vibration issues at 50-60 speeds and uncomfortable seats. And after sale service in hyderabad is just like buying the bike from showroom and servicing is done at a local road mechanic shop ( this was my friends opinion). So, completely removed from list.

I already evicted hero motocorp bikes as I already own their product and wanted to try some other brand.

Yamaha FZ-S:
Great bike, Great looks,Great performance in city,Great service chain network. This bike has checked all boxes in my list.

Owner-ship report:
Me and my dad went to yamaha showroom for a glance of the bike. I already chose the color (i.e., black cypher green).Had a talk with the dealer and gave the enclosure of price list to us which was 83,560/- OTR. and asked us to bring all the required documents.

After a week, We went to showroom again with all required documents. To my surprise there was an limited edition blue color FZ-S. I just asked my dad to look at the limited edition bike. He too was pleased and we both decided to go with it. Asked dealer, the total amount of limited edition and it was 1500/- more over ordinary FZ-S. So, The final decision we chose was the limited edition fz-s. Payed the amount and dealer asked us to come in evening for delivery. The total amount was 85,060/-OTR. Filled 1 litre petrol by them and left for home. Here are some pro's and con's according to my opinion and experience.
Pro's:
Great handling due to its wider tyres.
Good performance in city(due to its 13.7nm torque).
Ofcourse great looks which any other 150cc bikes won't offer.
Superior digital console.
Smooth ride(as if you are riding a honda bike).
Con's:
Gets too dirty when water comes in contact.
You can here chain sound more than engine sound.
Mileage would be a matter(I can't complain on it). Coz of tyre and torque
Wider and flat tyre which increases wear and tear of tyre in future.

Limited Edition adds some customized paint jobs:
Body-colored midship muffler
Body-colored Rims
Body-colored Side body panels
Body colored headlights.
Gold colored disc calliper
limited edition sticker and a logo
body graphics.
Let pictures do the talking

one question about the tires,though this may have been discussed,
the fz in indonesia a.k.a byson gets 120mm rear,which is upped to 140 in India,so what about going for more 10mm i.e. the ktm's 150/60 section.it is also a radial tire and just 10mm more than the tires which our bikes run so it is not that heavy as the looks might suggest.my primary reason is not jacking up the looks,but i have read in many auto mags that the tyres on the ktm provide exceptional grip,better than the r15,s tires and much better than the cbr's.so if someone can go for pirelli's 140/70(which is a heavy tire),why not consider the 150/60 revz-c.
please note that friction doesn't depend on surface area,it depends on mass.

My bad, I overlooked the shop details. Thanks. I will check at the MRF outlet close to my place first before going to south Mumbai. Although I will probably be going there to pick up some parts and riding gear for a friend anyway. Rs 2700 really does sound like a good deal which makes it Rs 4800 for a set. Hope to do it on the weekend after this one.

Hi,

I would like to see it this way. You have different types of shoes to wear. You can opt for boots for the rugged terrain, sports shoes for atheletic needs, formal shoes for formal occassions. You cannot use boots for atheletic needs as it is not designed for that and will hurt your foot or slow you down coz of weight design and other factors. Similarly sports shoes are useless for rugged terrain trekking.

So in short you use shoes as per your needs. Similarly Regarding tires what are you looking for? Rugged terrain you need harder compound tires. FZ stock tires are light sports shoes which allows our respective rides to literally eat corners. A prospective upgrade for better cornering and gripping will be PSDs. I am not sure how the 150-60 profile will affect the riding, handling characteristics of your ride. But so far tried and tested have been Dunlop Tuffgrip, Stock MRFs, PSDs by rider Deville.

Usually my personal preference will be tires with profile close to stock. Yes although Yamaha provides FZ/Byson in other Asian countries however in Indian they chose 140-60-17 size and I believe that besides looks, they chose it for a reason to match Indian conditions. Minus the irritating punctures issue which for some reason they forgot to take care of. Besides that we cannot deny the fact that they do provide ample amount of confidence on corners.

Unless you are not at all comfortable with the stock profile then you can try the other tried and tested tire brands which have been mentioned here on this thread based on your requirements. Do bear in mind super slick tires will have a very short life.

Going for the right tire as per your usage will also affect the braking, handling, braking distance of your ride by a huge margin. I can vouch for it as the moment I have shifted to newer rear, her characteristics changed. Going for a higher profile will affect her.


Hope I was able to get my perspective across.

Cheers,

Thanks for putting the tire friction and profile discussion.. Made me read some bit.

Found out one reason why the thin tyre of R15 v1 was called better gripper than most of the tyres available that point of time.

Point 5 on this site has the answere.. 6 Common Tire Myths Debunked - Popular Mechanics

Copy pasting from the site so that ppl who dont want to digress from this site can read what is written over there...

5. Low-profile tires fitted on large-diameter wheels improve handling.

The truth: The short sidewalls of low-profile tires

Not to mention the larger rolling outer diameter will put your speedo out by a X%
The drivetrain will have to work harder now to turn the heavier wheels & tyre combination (Unless you are running light weight forged rims) If you have gone from a 14" rim upto a 18" rim and tyre combination you will notice this.

Low profile sidewalls are fantastic, However you have less "cushion" when you hit bumps (less sidewall to absorb the shock of the bump) and not to mention the greater chances of "Kerb Rash" on your rims, This is when you park too close to a kerb and your rim gets damaged.

On the upside, there is less chance of your tyre peeling off the rim under heavy cornering Vs stock highprofile sidewalls.

The densities of the rubber doesn't really come into play, Its the hardness that you should focus more on.
The harder the tyre the longer the tyres life but less grip and the opposite for softer tyres.
Saying that, the harder tyre will have less rolling resistance resulting is a *gasp* better mileage than a more sticky tyre. The amount of mileage gained is open for debate, Then again keeping the correct tyre pressures will also help in extending tyre life and fuel economy.

You were right, the new tyres made a world of a difference! I couldn't stop riding around the city and can't wait to take it out of the city for the next ride.

I paid 5000 rupees for the set. Was a little more than the price you got quoted but I didn't mind because I bought it from Mahim and saved me the trip to south Mumbai. Also, the MRF show room close to where I live quoted the same price but didn't have stock of the rear tyre. He said they weren't getting stock of that tyre for a few weeks now and that they've been putting the exact same tyre but 150 instead of 140 on FZs. I didn't want to up the size of the tyre so I went searching till I found the correct size.

Anyway, bottom line is, the whole feel of the ride has changed and how!

Guys have anyone tried to attaching digital clock in FZ16?

Since FZ doesn't come with integrated digital clock in the console it's really difficult to see time during long rides from wrist watch coz it rotates downwards and jacket & gloves encloses it always.

So I'm looking for digital watch with following features:
1. Big display with light
2. Water proof
3. Easy instalment in handlebar or console

please help if you have tried.

Glad that you are happy. Please do post an update post 150 kms of run in how it has affected the overall response of the bike in terms of braking, cornering, suspension feel and braking distance. This will allow fellow gentlemen riders to get a perspective how important the function of a good tire is besides doing its rotation. How it affects the overall behaviour of your ride the moment you give her a new pair of shoes.

Cheers,

G Shock or Timex.
Put the strap through the center of the handlebar and tighten it.
I've seen someone post up instruction on attaching a watch (without its straps) onto the speedo panel on xbhp.

What precaution you should take when riding in the hills?

Hi Guys, one thing I forgot toask here..Last month I was riding in thehills, read Darjeeling & near Sandakphu. The altitude of Darjeeling isaround 7100 ft and Dhotre which is near Sandakphu was at 8500 ft, my FZ shows terrificproblem when going upward, it’s kind of struggling to build rev. The engine wasnot smooth; it’s kind of missing air, with lots of fuel smell & back fire. Infew cases to cover a small high pass I have to push the bike in 1^stgear also. But during riding down I didn’t face any problem. It was as smoothas hell in 1^st & 2^nd gear with full engine breaking.Even I found some blue smoke when I was in 8500 ft, I was scared but when I randown to the plain it was fine.What could be the problem, I believesome my friend here already covered Khardugla with their FZ, what precaution youshould take when riding in the hills? Please share your views.KB

I am actually quite surprised that your bike is giving trouble just at 8500 ft which to me is more or less reflecting to a wrongly tuned carb. Regardless. If the engine is coughing and giving you trouble at such an altitude, you need to have a knowledge of how to retune your carb on to the leaner side as in lesser fuel to the ratio of air. If you can master that then she won't give you any trouble. At high altitude, unlike ECU controlled bikes like of R15, CBR150R or a Duke 200 our carb'd bikes are more prone to change in altitude, temperature and pressure. At higher altitude, the density of air is lesser thus from what i can understand, your bike was coughing cos of lesser air and more fuel going in the chamber leading to incomplete combustion. ECU controlled bikes don't have this issue as the brain or the ECU will automatically adjust the fuelling settings according to the readings it gets from the sensors.

Anyways, i guess spending a few days with your favourite mechanic/SVC should help you understand the process better.

Cheers,

DearSHV18,
I know some basics of Carb Tuning. My bike used to ride on 3 full turn (factorysettings)of air screw. But in the hill, I tried opening even 6 turns (moreopening = more air), but nothing changed. Then I contact the YFS Service headat Kolkata over phone, He advised me to open the carb and up the needle jet byone mark to flow extra fuel. I somehow was not satisfied by his guideline and didn’tattempt to do that modification as my bike was already smoking blue mean noncombustion of fuel due to lack of O₂, the spark plug was full of petrol,so adding more fuel was useless. Even I cleaned the Air Filter just before Istart my ride, so there was no chance of Air filter clog.
The only thing I understand after this ride, FZ (could be only mine) is nottuned for hills, it is designed to ride in the plain. So, I might need somemodification to overcome the issue, maybe a free flowing air filter. If you guys have any solutions please share

KB