The Yamaha R15 has been on sale in India since 2008 and is the Japanese bike maker’s premium 150cc sports bike. Underpinned by the same deltabox frame from the v-ixxion and eschewing a design from the larger R1, it has been popular with those who want efficiency with a whole load of sportiness. Yamaha facelifted the bike in 2011 and dubbed the new version as R15 V 2.0.
At the heart of the R15 is a 150cc single cylinder unit that produces 17bhp and 15Nm of torque. The engine transmits power via a six-speed gearbox and a chain drive. It gets telescopic forks in the front and a monocross unit at the back. When it was launched, the R15 was one of the first bikes to offer a rear disc brake and continues to do so even on the facelifted model. The front unit is a dual piston 267mm disc while the rear gets a dual piston 220mm unit. Standard features include pilot lamps.
The Yamaha R15 competes with the CBR150R, Hero ZMR and the KTM Duke 200.