New Yamaha FZ Rave Review – Your First 150cc Street Fighter?

One look at Yamaha India Motor’s motorcycle lineup, you will see 8 FZ models listed on the website, for some reason. Logically, there should be just 4 FZ models with further variants instead of 8 models – 3rd Gen FZ called FZ FI, 4th Gen FZ called FZ-S FI Version 4.0, FZ Rave and FZ-X. Price range for FZ is between Rs 1.14 lakh and Rs 1.43 lakh (Ex-sh).

Bang in the middle of this 8 FZ model lineup, we have FZ Rave, which is the newest FZ version in India. It is the least confusing model in this lineup too, as it has a unique design of its own and does not have variants to further convolute the nomenclature. We experienced the FZ Rave for a couple of weeks in Pune city and here is what we think about it.

Yamaha FZ Rave Review

In November 2025, Yamaha launched FZ Rave in the country for a price tag of Rs 1.17 lakh (Ex-sh). Now, prices have been hiked and FZ Rave today costs Rs 1.23 lakh (Ex-sh). At the launch, there was a slight confusion as to why Yamaha called this bike FZ Rave instead of FZ-S Version 5.0 because it is essentially a new face, which is exactly what Version 4.0 was over Version 3.0.

In markets like Brazil, Yamaha calls this motorcycle Fazer FZ15. In India, Yamaha FZ Rave comes with two colour options – Matte Titan and Metallic Black. We had the latter, but we wished Yamaha offered the colour options Brazil gets. Especially the Solid Grey. Sticking with FZ Rave in India, we consider it to be the best-looking FZ models on sale in the country.

The main highlight of FZ Rave is its revised fascia which now gets a new headlight cluster. There’s a projector LED headlight and a nice-looking LED DRL setup on top which sort of looks like a sporty sunglass. There’s a neatly designed short headlight cowl too. Both colour options come with Orange painted alloy wheels as standard.

Other than these, FZ Rave is almost identical to FZ-S FI Version 4.0, which was almost identical to FZ-S FI Version 3.0. FZ Rave continues to get all the main stays of previous FZ motorcycles including muscular fuel tank, wide street style handlebar, fat 140-section rear tyre, attractive graphics, comfortable seat, a stubby exhaust and more.

Specs & Powertrain

The 149cc air cooled single cylinder engine has a SOHC 2V/cyl head config, which is the same as other FZ models. This engine is rated at 12.4 PS of peak power at 7,250 RPM and 13.3 Nm of peak torque at 5,500 RPM, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. The clutch action is light and is quite effortless, which is a boon in the city. The 136 kg kerb weight makes this motorcycle very manageable in day-to-day situations.

For its intended use as a premium commuter or a street fighter, this engine suffices as it brings a decent amount of performance. Gearbox is smooth and hassle-free. Vibrations are par for this segment and the engine does not feel strained or stressed out in daily commutes. This engine is quite fuel efficient too, but we did not do a dedicated mileage test.

Ergonomics, Ride and Comfort

Yamaha FZ Rave retains the comfort factor of its predecessors because it is more or less the same motorcycle in terms of functionality. It is friendly to riders across heights. I am 6 feet tall and I had no problems with ergonomics this bike offered. Seating posture was upright and did not induce any discomfort in the city.

This is not particularly a tourer, but FZ Rave’s ergonomics should not be an issue on longer highway runs too. Footpeg positioning was just right for a street fighter motorcycle. I could neatly align my knees below the tank shrouds. Wide handlebar provides good leverage to steer the motorcycle and the seat was decently comfortable on city commutes and light highway touring.

Ride quality is well sorted and the bike did not bottom out on bad patches of roads that one frequently comes across in Pune city. The 165 mm ground clearance is sufficient, unless you wanna go off-roading. It is flickable in the city and can prove to be quite a bit of fun too. Braking performance is par for this segment too. There are disc brakes at both ends and a single-channel ABS that only acts on the front wheel.

Should You Buy One?

Instrument cluster is a fully digital unit with a reverse LCD architecture. It is the only real fly in the ointment in Yamaha FZ Rave’s otherwise excellent packaging. This cluster does not even get a gear position indicator, which Brazilian model does. This cluster is not legible in all conditions and leaves much to be desired. Maybe a FZ Rave TFT variant would not be a bad idea, sharing the same cluster from FZ-S FI Hybrid and FZ-X Hybrid.

While the turn indicators and headlights are LEDs, tail lights are not. High beam flasher is integrated into the headlight switch, rather than being a dedicated switch for index finger. Also, fuel filler cap is not hinged on Yamaha FZ Rave. This means you have to hold on the filler cap every time you refuel.

The desirability factor with Yamaha FZ Rave is quite high. It looks sportier and more sophisticated than FZ-S FI and FZ-S FI Version 4.0 and the Orange painted wheels add to the overall funky aesthetics. Rivals include Bajaj Pulsar N150, Hero Xtreme 160R and others. The Yamaha badge, youthful appeal, muscular road presence and sorted mechanicals work in FZ Rave’s favour.

If you were locked in on an FZ, but choosing between the different variants, FZ Rave is an easy recommendation, because it is pretty much the same bike as the Version 4.0 and Version 3.0, with a new and desirable headlight, which establishes an all new identity. An identity we liked over other FZ variants.