When you go through this review please be patient and make some time to go through the entire essay.
A sizable portion of Imperial Japan’s history is testimony to the fact that the Japanese have largely been a race of unconquered people up until the 18th century when they eventually fell pray to scheming European and American colonizers. However their supremacy in the art of war has been beyond the slightest of doubts since time immemorial and that has been displayed in numerous conflicts, even as late as the World War II theater. Why they are a master race of warriors? Well they know a thing or two about high precision Engineering and metallurgy! I mean who can ignore the Katana, the quintessential sword!
Ever since the Japanese stormed the international auto markets with their brands of two and four wheeled performers, they have never let down the users, be that a 9 to 5 office goer or a tarmac tasting, swashbuckling racer! When it comes to biking the BIG 4, namely Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, have always had precision "surgical" machines to offer. But sadly India has never been a serious theater for the Big 4 since her independence from the Raj up until recently.very recently that is.But what do we have now? We have the Yamaha R15!
1) Styling: Are you a true blue racing devotee? Then this is for you. Are you a young chap out to impress lovely ladies? Then this is for you. Are you a suave, chiseled gentleman who always keeps his cigarettes in the left shirt-pocket? Then this is for you. Yamaha could not go truer, more accurate with the styling aspect of this bike. If the R15 V1.0 chose to impress with its subtle marriage between racing and commuting ergonomics, the V2.0 took a racier approach manifesting in a form that made it almost identical to its liter capacity sibling the R1. And mind you, every bit of the styling, from the twin headlamp cluster to the air scoops, from the up swept exhausts to the pushed-back foot backs - every bit of it has been crafted keeping functionality in mind. You wont find a single area of the design that makes you feel "guess they went a bit over the top with this bit".my rating 12/10.you need to seriously lean in to the corners to know how the turn indicators do not actually touch the tarmac!
2) Engine and Performance: It has been quite a while since the R15 was launched in the Indian market. A lot has happened between then and now. We have been indulged with the KTMs, the new Pulsar siblings including the fuel injected Pulsar 200 SS, the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, the Kawasaki Ninja siblings, the Hyosangs and so on and so forth; each bike in a league of its own and screaming quality and performance. But do you ever lose taste for say Hayderabadi Biryani because you were given some nice Chinese for lunch? No! The R15 may have an apparently tiny heart, but you got to ride it to understand its magnanimity! You got to ride it hard to unleash the beast within, a beast that toasts on the tarmac like a razor gliding upon a bearded jaw. Yet it does not let you feel pain, not even a tad bit! Slight vibrations can be felt between 60kmph and 70kmph. But after 70kmph all the way up to 135kmph all you have is BLISS.if the road permits you ring the throttle. I have had my share of biking time on the baby KTM RC200 and the bigger KTM RC390, both quite capable machines in their own rights. In terms of acceleration or time taken to sprint to triple digit speeds or top speed for that matter, the KTMs outperform the R15 by a noticeable margin. But what instantly strikes you in case of the R15 is the uniform distribution of power and torque output across the entire rev-range. You never feel out of breath, you never feel that you are choking your ride. You are reassured by the calmness of the engine time and again and after a while you begin to sing merrily in unison with your machine. The MRF tyres that do duty on the R15, both the V1.0 and V2.0, serve well to create an unbreakable bond between the bike and the tarmac. Even the leanest of turning angles will keep you planted on the bike at torching speeds. And please - DO NOT THINK that Fat tyres give better grip! That is a HUGE misconception!.my rating 12/10
3) Maintenance: You got to love your bike. Nonetheless the R15 is not a demanding bike by any means; you need not pamper it. You just need to take it to periodic trips to the workshop for oil change and stuff. Things wont fall off in the middle of the road because you were a 1000 KMs late for the scheduled pit-stop!(Enfield users, I am teasing you with this!). And then who can not vouch for the legendary Yamaha build quality?.my rating 10/10.be careful about the mechanics employed by your local dealer though. They have this tendency of swapping parts with bits manufactured by underrated substandard manufacturers!
4) Fuel Economy: For a thorough bred racing machine that produces 17BHP of raw power(this figure may seem small compared to the stock Enfields and KTMs and Pulsar AS/SS 200 series, but when you experience the way the power is delivered you get to realize that panache emanates not from beastly outbursts but controlled relentlessness) the fuel economy is splendid at an average of 30Kms/liter of petrol.my rating 10/10
5) Comfort: The bike, the V2.0 in particular, is a dedicated racing machine and gives a damn to the pillion. Expect your girlfriend to complain and eventually refrain from riding behind you on this machine. For those of you who are not used to a dedicated racing stance, you may find your wrists aching after a while. But do not worry, you get used to it and after days spent patiently adjusting with the stance, you get to find the sweet spot on the seat. after that it is all about hitting ignition and zooming ahead!.my rating 10/10
6) Handling: I will say two words and not more - "SURGICAL PRECISION"! .my rating 15/10
As I approach the end of this looooong review and as I remember to laud you, my readers, for patiently bearing with my blabbering, I need to mention a very important bit - the Daytona racing kit. You get to have the entire Daytona modification kit for around 35 grands from selected dealer outlets. But its worth spending that kind of doe - every bit of it. From high lift racing cams to lighter exhaust pipes, you get what you pay for - things ooze with quality and when you eventually hit the tarmac with the Daytona racing kit installed you get to reach Mecca my dear friends! The performance leaps to uncharted territories!
Those of you who might face difficulties shelling out close to 1.5 lakhs for the bike can try a used R15 too. This bike is indestructible and however thrashed and banged it may appear from the outside after prolonged rape, the bike remains a granite wall on the inside. A thrashed R15 V1.0 can be had for a mere 50K anywhere in India and you just need to spend another 10-15K to get it back on the racing track.
Do comment on and share my review if you have found it useful. I love riding and talking about bikes! Ciao!