Sabyasachi Biswas

The Yamaha R15 has been one of the most popular 150cc motorcycles for quite some time now. And not without good reason too – with Yamaha’s racing DNA in its system, it has been a swift and agile machine. And the first generation R15 proved that one does not need fat tyres to perform better or go faster. It proved that small and slim tyres on a well built machine can be rock solid around corners too.

In 2011, the bike saw a major facelift (and dubbed Version 2.0) – new middle cowl, tail cowl, split seat, LED taillights, new exhaust pipe and the most noticeable of all, big, fat rear tyres. This redesign only etched deeper the supersport tattoo into the bike’s skin. It had to be, because in some ways, the tail section of the first gen motorcycle did not complement the front fairing.

And although enthusiasts would’ve loved to see a little more power output with a facelift, the only new additions to the v2.0 in 2013 are in the form of new colour variants.

As a design inspired by the legendary YZR-M1, the R15 is undoubtedly quite a powerful machine. The fuel-injected 149.8cc motor churns out 17PS of peak power at 8,500rpm and a peak torque of 15Nm at 7,500rpm.

These numbers mean that the engine propels the R15 forward real hard once the lights turn green. Simply put, the acceleration is characteristically Yamaha – one flick of the right wrist and the bike’s halfway to the moon. And with that long aluminium swing-arm, it’s easy to manoeuvre too.

The V2.0 ‘update’ of 2011 gave the R15 a bigger 220mm disc at the rear and improved braking quality, which wasn’t bad at all to begin with. The adequately tight clutch and the 6-speed return-type gearbox show quick and responsive shifting.

Since this is a track inspired (and track ready too) machine, cornering is a breeze. It oozes oodles of confidence while leaning deep into corners or banked curves while doing flat-out 80kmph or more. The long swing arm, refined cycle parts and the fat 130/70 rear wheel take care of everything.

The R15, as mentioned before, contains track-racing DNA from the engine to the drivetrain to even the tail-section. It has also asserted it’s dominance as a class-leading premium 150cc, but now it faces much bigger competition in the sub-2 lakh motorcycle segment.

The competition is in form of the KTM Duke 200, a mean naked streetfighter bike with a significantly higher number of horses and phenomenal specs for creating chaos on the streets. It’s time the folks with the three tuning forks get a 250cc motor up and running and take the fight to the 250cc segment.

For now, Yamaha enthusiasts can get the R15 v2.0 in four new colours- a new Thundering Green (Special Edition) R15 Version 2.0 will be available at a price of Rs. 1,12,750. A MotoGP inspired special edition Racing Blue priced at Rs. 1,13,750 and standard colours Raring Red and Invincible Black are available at Rs. 1,10,750. The prices are ex-showroom Delhi.

sabyasachi.b@thehindu.co.in

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