When we did our last 150cc segment test (Sultans oF Zwing), many questioned our judgement in not including the RTRFI in the test. The contention was that our eventual winner, the Yamaha would get roundly thrashed by the excellent TVS which had proved repeatedly that it had the performance and the attitude needed.
As we explained at the time, TVS could not, one way or another, reach a RTRFI to us on time, so we had to, erm, make do with the vanilla RTR. And even as I say 'vanilla RTR' you can see that the bike has enough character to make that phrase sound odd, no?
Let's get stuck into it then.
Styling and design
Despite all the usual disclaimers about styling and design being subjective and all, there is, for once, a clear winner here. The Yamaha FZ16's very existence began with the styling package so there's no surprise that it trumps the rather well-proportioned, but diminutive TVS. From the sculpted tank (cover) to the fat tyres, the FZ drips style. The RTRFI for its part, is hardly what you would call plain jane. The bold middle stripe, extroverted tank extensions and compact package look good. But thing is, they've been in the market for a while and familiarity breeds, well, less points. In fit and finish terms, the Yamaha is ahead as well. TVS has never been remiss on this front and I have to say, the RTRFI is no exception. But, the Japanese bike is noticeably better.
Score FZ 1 FI 0
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