At the Yamaha FZ25’s launch event, Yamaha officials made it clear that the motorcycle is targeted more at current FZ-S customers looking for an upgrade rather than customers entering the segment for the first time. That might as well be the case, because the FZ25 is up against mighty stiff competition which includes the homegrown TVS Apache RTR 200, the aggressive KTM Duke 200 and the soon-to-be-relaunched Bajaj Pulsar 200NS. And with intent of focusing on hard fact, we will peg, on paper, the new Yamaha against its formidable TVS and KTM rivals.
The heart of the matter
At the crux of every debate about which bike is better is its performance, especially in the case of these bikes because they belong to the first tier of the performance motorcycles segment.
The Yamaha FZ25 is powered by a 249cc air-cooled engine with two valves and SOHC; the TVS Apache RTR 200 by an 197.75cc air- and oil-cooled engine with four valves; and the KTM Duke 200 with a 199.5cc, liquid-cooled engine with four valves and DOHC. All three engines are single-cylinder units.
The FZ25 may have the largest engine of the lot, but this, unfortunately, does not translate to the highest power figure. The FZ25 produces 20.9hp at 8,000rpm, while the smaller-engined Apache RTR 200 produces 20.05hp at 8,500rpm and the Duke 200 a whopping 25hp at 10,000rpm. It does, however, produce most peak torque of the three at 20Nm, though the Duke 200 (19Nm) and Apache RTR 200 (18Nm) are not far behind.
The FZ25 does not even get a weight advantage. At 148kg, it weighs the same as the Apache RTR 200 and significantly more than the 130-odd kg Duke 200.
On paper, then, the FZ25 does not make a compelling case for itself against its chief rivals.
Chassis and Suspension
The FZ25 is built on a diamond frame, the Apache RTR 200 on a double-cradle split frame and the Duke 200 on a steel trellis frame. The Duke 200’s steel trellis frame gives it a substantial weight-saving advantage, though all three are more or less on par in terms of chassis quality.
The FZ25 and Apache RTR 200 both ride on telescopic forks up front and a monoshock at the back. While the Duke 200 too gets a rear monoshock, it has an upper hand over the two in terms of the front suspension set-up – it gets upside-down telescopic forks.
The FZ25’s brakes rack up poorly against the competition on paper. While it makes do with a 282mm disc in the front and 220mm disc round the back, the Apache RTR 200 gets 270mm and 240mm petal-type discs at the front and rear, and the Duke 200 enjoys 300mm and 230mm discs respectively.
In terms of dimensions that matter, the Apache RTR 200 has the shortest wheelbase at 1,353mm, followed by the FZ25 at 1,360mm and Duke 200 at 1,367mm. The FZ25 offers the lowest ride height at 795mm, followed by the Apache RTR 200 at 800mm and Duke 200 at 810mm.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
