Bike : YAMAHA YZF R15
Year : 2010
Category : Entry Level SportsBike
Specs:
About the bike:
Yamaha’s re-incarnation in the Indian market was a classic example of its dominancy in the world market. In 2008, India had its first ever production sports bike in the form of the YZF R15. After two and a half years of existence it still boasts of the achievements and capabilities with its head held high. Yamaha carved out a track tool right out of its handbook and gave the bike all that is needed to make it into the real sports-bike segment, yet maintaining a balance of value and quality. In the two years of existence this little track scorcher has burnt lots of rubber on the streets and even made its mark on remarkable tours and adventures. Let us find out, what makes it the leader in its class.
Features :
• Liquid-cooled Engine: Gives it the extra horses
• EFI: Fuel Injection enhances its efficiency and emission standards
• DiASiL Cylinder & Forged Piston: Lightweight, durable & dissipates heat well
• DeltaboxTM Frame: Born from MotoGP, it takes handling to the next level
Styling & Finish:
Well many would refer to looks of a bike being subjective, but a person not looking back at the R1 lookalike is almost like a guy not looking back at the hottest girl in the mall. The fully faired, twin headlamp bike takes its styling from its big ‘R’ brothers. However, many enthusiasts were disappointed not to see a R125 replica. Considering its performance and features list, the consolation isn’t too bad either. However, looking at the bike from its rear end, it seems that the Yamaha designers must have been too much indulged in lending a good rear to the FZ. The lights and tail finish is nothing edgy or out of the box, and the smallish rear wheels further makes it ordinary. But, that won’t be a big concern as the way it looks from the side and front, will leave a very deep scar on your haters.
The R15 was styled to be a performer, and it seriously does perform the way it looks. The aggressive seating position, racing clip-ons, the rear set foot-pegs and the aerodynamically designed fairing adds to the rider’s confidence and ensures definite ergonomics for track riding. The front windshield and the fairings make sure you can cut through the wind like a falcon. The clear type windshield, further lets you look in front while tucked in. The speedo-console is another very neat and beautiful gadget which more or less looks like a R125 lift off. With a white back light, it has a very good looking analog tachometer dial. The digital display shows large speed readings, along with Oil level & the odometer. The R15’s console also has two Tripmeter counters to keep track of your getaways.
Engine & Performance :
Now let us move on to the most important section for a sports-bike, its performance. At its advent, Yamaha was criticized for fitting the YZF-R15 with a 150cc engine. Many buyers while considering faster bikes, either tend to overlook the R15 for its smaller engine or are almost ignorant of the fact that it runs only on a 150cc mill. But Yamaha kept its formula intact and boasted of one of the fastest bikes in India. How?? We can once again look back at the spec sheet to find a very important figure for this bike “129.8 ps/tonne”. Yes, that’s the exact figure that talks about the bike’s capabilities. Yamaha built a 17ps, liquid-cooled, Electronically Fuel Injected engine, with a wet multi-plate clutch and 6-speed transmission gear box, and they bundled all these in a 121kg marvel.
On your first crank of the engine, you are almost unaware of the bikes capabilities, as it sounds like any other 150cc bike. Travelling through the city traffic, you might even find smaller and weaker bikes finding your machine a match to them. But once the throttle is at your will, the bike sings a different song. You will find a very linear torque delivery throughout its rev line, however that low end push is a little less for the city biking enthusiasts. Once you hit the 6000RPM mark, this bike transforms into an entirely new avatar, and you can literally feel a push. The powerband of the R15 lies in the 7500-8500 RPM, hence overtaking on the highway is not even a concern. The amazing throttle response aided by the fuel-injection technology, makes cornering for a newbie tad easier. The engine is redlined at 10,500RPM which is good enough to push this speedster to a speedo-indicated 138kmph (maximum speed attained by us).
Commenting on the engine, we’ll have to look into the fact that the R15’s engine has the highest power-to-cc ratio. But, Yamaha played the trick by providing liquid cooling on this work-horse and making it a very crisp yet awesomely refined machine. Even after riding for hours, the characteristics from the YZF is absolutely identical to the way it kicked off from its starting grid. The gear-shifts and the clutch operations are at par with premium quality sportsbikes. You can easily shift gears even at very high RPMs like 7500-9000RPM without a glitch.
In short, within its limited specifications, the engine puts up a tremendous show.
Handling & Ride Quality:
Here’s another aspect where the R15 is a clear winner. The way it handles and attacks corners is significantly better than any other bike. Due to its short wheelbase and rear set racing foot-pegs, you can actually lean on to any corner with ample confidence. This is where even the tires speak out and punishes its critic. MRF has done an amazing job in manufacturing these soft compound low profile tubeless tires that provide amazing grip on those 100/80 rear tires, even on wet roads. The only drawback you might find is while off-roading, those tires seem to lower your confidence on gravels and stones!! The R15 could have easily been a traffic cutter if the flashers would have been elsewhere, as you might easily injure them in an attempt to be a nimble commuter.
The most amazing fact again for this bike is its ergonomics that enhance its straight-line stability. Even with a short wheelbase and skinny tires, the bike behaves exactly as the rider wants it to, giving it that extra edge on high speeds. The very aggressive sitting posture further boosts the rider’s confidence on high speed riding. However, the rider’s adjustments to this style of biking is very important, which otherwise will give you shoulder pains. On attaining a proper posture the ride can be very comfortable. The rear suspension on the R15 is a Linked Mono-Cross type, which means it can self adjust to prevent any bottoming out. It not only provides sheer ride comfort, but also aids handling as sudden bumps on fast corners are taken care of. The brakes are also class leading ones from Nissin; with a 270mm front disc and a 220mm rear disc brake setup, the R15 can be brought to a halt very easily. Both the front and rear brakes are perfectly functional and offer excellent stopping power at emergency conditions. The soft compound tires provide that extra security as it combines with the Nissin discs to provide good traction with the surface, thus enhancing the braking performance.
Maintenance & Mileage :
The R15 comes with a 2years’ manufacturer warranty and 6 free services for the first year or 18000kms. Though it may look very expensive, maintaining an R15 isn’t the costliest of affairs if you are aware about the bike. The company recommended Engine Oil is 20W50 Semi-Synthetic Engine oil, and it needs to be changed at every 3000km. The parts associated with its technological advancements are the only ones that come costly. Like the oil filter comes for Rs.430, though you don’t need to change it at every service interval, they are good to last 10,000kms. The R15 comes with an O-ring chain, which is less affected by dust & moisture, but also is more susceptible to get dirty; hence a chain cleaning at regular intervals of 500-700kms is necessary.
Even after being an entry level sportsbike, this kid will not set you back with any black hole in the pocket. The bike we tested returned a healthy mileage of around 38-40kmpl, after riding on all kinds of terrain and traffic. Thus, maintaining the R15 isn’t as difficult as it might look and the strategic placements of its cosmetic parts like the fairings, visors, etc as disintegrated parts can even save you from a huge bill in case you have a bad day on the road.
Approximate mileage 38-40
Regular Service charges Rs.500-600 (at free services)
Rs.700-800 (at paid services)
Overall Impression :
When seen collectively, the R15 gives you a feel that no other bike manufactured in India can currently give you. The racing dynamics are true to its heart and Yamaha have not shown any deviation from making it an ultimate sports machine in its class. Its undoubtedly a winner on the tracks, but we have also seen its robustness at different terrains and environments. Xkmph has applied & tested the R15 at almost all forms of touring and it has come out with a green signal every time. However, taking an R15 to rugged conditions needs some extra efforts from the biker as well, as it is not a bike that can be recommended for off-road touring.
Overall, the engine smoothness, excellent parts quality, reliability and advancements on the technological part make this a revolutionary bike in the Indian Market, and is sure to rule hearts for long, atleast till we have a bigger sibling!!
Pros: Great power-to-weight ratio
Pin-point cornering
Very refined engine performance
Vibrations are almost absent
Class leading braking performance
Liquid cooling enhances engine life
Cons: Seating posture is difficult for taller people
The bike being very light is somewhat weight-sensitive
Headlights aren’t very strong
Rear mud-guard is too plain
Pricing & Competition :
City Price
Delhi Rs. 97,425 (ex-showroom)
Other bikes in the league:
Though there are currently no other sports-bike in its segment, but the buyer can consider the Pulsar 220 & Karizma ZMR if the price is a concern. The only other bike that feels like an R15 (if not better) is the Ninja 250R.
