Possibly Hinting At A New ADV Style Motorcycle?
Although Yamaha shifted away from using the ‘FZ’ nomenclature for their line-up of naked motorcycles (FZ-07, FZ-09, FZ-10) and opted for the new ‘MT’ namesake, the FZ name is still alive and well in Asian markets with Yamaha’s FZ 25 providing great sales figures for the brand.
The current FZ 25 is powered by a single-cylinder SOHC 249cc engine and produces around 21 horsepower. Those power figures may seem minimal if you’re from North America, but Asia has a huge market for small displacement motorcycles, and brands typically rely on high-volume sales in this category for a sizable portion of their profits.
Yamaha has taken the next step of trademarking the ‘FZ-X’ name, and I think that is a pretty clear hint at the fact that the brand is aiming to bring an ADV or ‘offroad-oriented’ version of the FZ 25 to market.
Off-road, small (to mid) -displacement motorcycles such as the Royal Enfield Himalayan, BMW G310 GS, and the KTM 390 Adventure have all seen great sales success overseas. If Yamaha plans on bringing the FZ-X from dream to reality it will be in direct competition with some very well-established bikes in this category.
Why slap on LED lights in a separate ugly housing when they could be integrated into the hand guards? I hope the designers have another look at that.