Photography: Arvind Salhan
Yezdi! It is no doubt one of the most iconic and loved motorcycle brands of India. With its resurrection about a year and a half ago, the company launched three motorcycles, - Adventure, Scrambler and the Roadster. The Yezdi Adventure is a budget ADV of Himalayan proportions! Pun intended, of course! We spent some time with it and here is how it felt to ride – on the road and off it as well.
Also Read: 2023 Yezdi Motorcycle Range: What Has Changed
No, it is not the Royal Enfield Himalayan! Yes, it is the Yezdi Adventure.
Now, where have you seen the silhouette of the Yezdi ADV before? Of course, on the Royal Enfield Himalayan! If you look at it from a distance, it looks like a spitting image of the Himalayan. Imitation they say, is the best form of flattery.
Round LED headlight, short windscreen, tall stance, tall front mudguard and the wide handlebars give it a butch appeal. The headlight guard and the knuckle guards are optional extras.
The Yezdi looks every bit the part of an adventure bike. The fuel tank though is designed more in accordance with the older Yezdis and the size and shape of the engine is something that makes it very clear that it is in fact a Yezdi and not a Himalayan.
The metallic frame on the fuel tank is a compulsory optional extra and while it does look good and adds a sense of raw appeal, it also adds significant extra weight and is not exactly helpful in case of a crash.
The circular LCD instrument console on the motorcycle is quite nice and sporty. It looks and feels robust, set in a rectangular plastic box.
The bigger display on the console has readout for speed, revs, riding mode and fuel. While the smaller display shows time and can be used for turn-by-turn navigation when connected to the phone. The Adventure is the only Yezdi that gets Bluetooth connectivity. Now the riding modes, there are three – road, rain and off-road. And on the off-road mode, the ABS on the rear wheel can be disconnected with full effect to allow for rear wheel lock-up.
The other useful feature on the bike are the two charging ports. One USB and one Type-C outlet each, which is quite thoughtful from the manufacturer.
A cool little feature here is the hinge for changing the viewing angle of the instrument console. It has an adjustability of 15 degrees and you can adjust the angle according to your seating or standing position and your height as well. Quite nifty, but under the harsh sun, legibility may be an issue.
The engine on the Yezdi Adventure is one of the more distinguishing features on the bike
The 334 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine, we have seen it earlier on the Jawa Perak, but the internal componentry is quite different. Of course, this is tuned differently too, making 29.8 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 29.9 Nm at 6,500 rpm.
There is a decent spread of torque across the rev range and the engine is slightly peaky in nature, which means it loves to be revved.
The engine is game for building up speed quickly and the 6-speed gearbox definitely needs to be engaged with. So, in the time that we had the Yezdi with us, we had a few revelations! The Yezdi feels quite fun and engaging to ride, maybe more so than its doppelganger, but that’s a story for another day.
The motor has enough poke and grunt to keep you entertained while riding in the city and even out on the highway. Sitting on triple digit speeds comes easy and even then, you have enough juice left to make that overtaking manoeuvre.
We found that the bottom end doesn’t quite have the punch that you are looking for, but the mid-range is definitely solid and the top-end has just about enough grunt. There are a few vibrations at around 5,000 rpm and then again at the top end, but that’s far from being a deal-breaker.
In our time spent with the motorcycle, we managed to get about 33 to 35 kmpl, with a mix of city and highway riding, which gives you a range of about 500 to 510 kilometres on a single tankful. We think it is decent enough.
Coming to the cycle parts, the Yezdi ADV is kitted out with a 21-inch wheel up front and a 17-inch unit at the rear. The bigger wheel up front helps going over big obstacles and the wire-spoke setup helps dissipate the shocks while going over obstacles or even jumps for that matter.
The cycle parts on the Yezdi Adventure are similar to that on the Royal Enfield Himalayan
The front end is suspended on 41 mm telescopic fork and has a travel of 200 mm while the rear gets a monoshock with 7-step pre-load adjustment and has a travel of 180 mm. That’s at par with ADV standards. On the Yezdi, the front suspension is pliant and can take some abuse. But the rear, that is a bit too soft. More on that, in a bit.
The seat height on the Yezdi is 815 mm. And it offers a comfortable perch
The way the suspension is tuned, it keeps you nice and comfy on the perch. The rear monoshock is a tad too soft and it has a bounce which may be a deterrent on rocky trails. At 815 mm, the seat is tall, and it may bother shorter riders. But the overall ergonomics is comfy, and it works well as a touring motorcycle. With a kerb weight of 198 kg, it isn’t exactly light, particularly, when you are going off-road. On tarmac, the weight is not an issue but when you do go off-road, you will feel it.
The Yezdi doesn't shy away from corners, it in fact enjoys them. But don't go hunting apexes on it
On tarmac, show it a set of corners and the Yezdi doesn’t flinch. In fact, it has decent cornering ability. And the ride is comfy too for most part, but the rear does bounce around a bit too much for our liking and takes time to settle.
The Yezdi ADV makes light work of a rocky incline
The Yezdi feels quite solid and can take a beating on tough terrain much thanks to the 21-inch and 17-inch wire-spoke wheel combo along with the suspension, which takes everything in its stride. We let the bike run over loose mud and rocky inclines. The bike didn’t even break a sweat! Plus, the generous 220 mm ground clearance along with the metal bashplate further inspires confidence when riding off-road.
The nature of the engine on the Yezdi ADV is peaky and which is why you need to be careful when you choose the gear in which you are traversing the terrain
Keep the revs high on surfaces with loose traction and you will sail through. For rocky terrain, just put it in first gear, stand up and let it go. The motorcycle is quite capable and won’t flinch from obstacles in your way.
The Yezdi rides nicely on mild off-road trails
The overall quality on the motorcycle could have been improved, with the coming of the OBD-2 norms. It still feels a little rough around the edges. With an ex-showroom price of about Rs. 2.20 lakh, the Yezdi Adventure sits squarely in the RE Himalayan territory.
The Yezdi Adventure is a good-looking motorcycle
But where it loses out is the massively wide sales and service network that its chief rival has to offer and better resale value too. Motorcycles in the entry-level ADV segment have a smaller ownership-span, with people upgrading to a bigger motorcycle in a few-years’ time.
It is far from being flawless. The design definitely could have been, well, different, for the lack of a better word. Bottom end grunt could have been better and like me if it sheds a few kilos, it will be an even better rounded motorcycle. But it is engaging to ride, handles decently, and has decent kit too. Along with the Himalayan, it makes for a good option in the budget ADV segment.
