[vabs78]

Originally Posted by islero

I've ridden it. Its fast, but sounds quite ordinary. That is one of my few complaints with the bike.

Greate! How about a TD report?

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by veyron1

Now, granted that the R15 has better, nay, FAR better plastics. Does that warrant the sticker price? I think not.

Yes if you take into account the amount of technology that has gone into it. A Pulsar 150 costs 59k's + ex-showroom Delhi, compared to 97 k's + for the Yamaha.
Over and above Pulsar you are getting.
1) Rear Disc Brake
2) Sophisticated fuel injection system with 6 hole injectors. I am sure R15's fuel injection system is more advanced than the P220.
3) 6-speed gearbox and Yamaha makes some of the best gearbox's in the business. Ride a gladiator once, it has the best gearbox bar none, honda included.
4) Aerodynamically designed full fairing.
5) Delta Box frame which is ahead of any other bike in India.
6) Clip-Ons
7) Water cooled engine (The one P220 is oil cooled)
8) Aluminium footpegs
9) R1 esque console.
10) Twin 35watt head lights
11) Sticky rubber unlike crappy Zapper on all the others.
I have still come to Yamaha quality and engineering.

Do you still think its overpriced?

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

7) Water cooled engine (The one P220 is oil cooled)

What do you mean by this ?

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by srishiva

What do you mean by this ?

The entire engine so to speak is enclose in a water jacket whereas in case of P220 only the engine oid is cooled to maintain its viscosity under high heat conditions.

[Ajaybiz]

That is oil cooler not oil cooled engine

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

That is oil cooler not oil cooled engine

Oil cooler cools the engine oil... the engine in esence runs "cooler" because of the cooler oil and hence oil cooled.

[islero]

Originally Posted by vabs78

Greate! How about a TD report?

I had posted a ride report on xbhp a couple of days ago.... am posting it again here. Mods, I hope this is not a problem.

I got to ride the R15 on the track..... and noted these points about it.


- Great looks!!! Especially in the blue colour, because the side panel on the black ones is normal black-bumper style plastic, whereas it is a beautiful metallic-blue and white on the blue one.

- Superb ergonomics: at least for the track. Down tilted handlebars, and extremely rear-set pegs. Don't know how easy it will be compared to other bikes in rush hour traffic though

- Although the bike does not look all that small in person, it certainly does feel very small when astride it. Incredibly light, too.

- The engine is extremely refined, without absolutely no vibrations or harshness to speak of. It revs freely, and has a good punch in the mid to upper range. Unfortunately, I was not able to sample it's low-revs performance, which will determine its city driveability. The power is very good, the bike pulls really well.

- The handling is just mind blowing!!!!! Trust me, none of the other indian bikes come close to the way this bike handles. It just leans in and holds its line with absolutely no fuss. Adjusting line through a corner is a cinch because of the low weight. There is no loose feeling at all, nothing to make you lose your confidence in any way. Crazy lean angles are absolutely no problem.
This particular characteristic will prove to be a boon in city riding too, because the bike is so light that I think you can just scythe your way through the traffic. However, the turning radius is yet to be verified, which is probably the deciding factor in its city chuck-ability.

- The clutch feels light, and I don't remember it at all, which means it must have been perfect. Gears also feel light to engage, no notchiness.

- The exhaust note leaves much to be desired. A very muted and civilized sound, like some commuter bike. I hope Yamaha takes initiative to rectify it on this count.


Verdict: A short first ride, but enough to convince me that this is truly an amazing bike. The premium one pays is entirely justified.
Any other Indian peformance bike will feel heavy and cumbersome after a go on this. And because it is only 150 cc, it might return better mileage figures than those 200+cc bikes.
Do I recommend it? Hell yes!! But, some important factors determining its city useability are yet to be determined, for eg the ride quality, turning radius etc.

Showboater or track animal, this bike is the one for you ( if you have the budget)

Otherwise, RTR!!

[vabs78]

Thanks for the report islero. This is exactly what I was expecting from the R15.

[bblost]

I saw one yesterday night in the Pallavakkam (Chennai) area.
Bike was ridden by a person.
Riders were helmets.
This person did not. :(

anyways, the bike looks kinda ok and I feel it will be a hit with rich college kids.

but overall I like the yellow Karizma better.

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by islero

I had posted a ride report on xbhp a couple of days ago....

Buddy can you tell me the size of R15, i read in some blog that it is smaller than apache 150.

BTW, can you tell me what is your height?
Can tall people who above 6 ft sit on this bike comfortably?

Please comment on this.

raj

[aaggoswami]

Good review!

I hope that this is the bike people want from Yamaha.
The handling is probably the bike strongest point. It needs to prove itself in the typical city riding conditions.

[Nikhilb2008]

I saw one near Sweet Chariot Cafe yesterday. I think deliveries have started for those who booked long back.

[Killer]

My street riding impressions of the R15:

Start her up and the throttle response feels a little sluggish but dont loose heart, this is because the powerband is much higher in the rev band. To the inexperienced rider puttering around at lower rpms in traffic, it would be easy to think that the Bike doesn't really make much power, Its just a 150cc Bike and thats true but i also realized the Bike is deceptive that way. The R15 wants to be ridden aggressively, keep the revs up and there is decent power up there. I noted that if you give it some stick you will find yourself bouncing off the revlimiter pretty quickly in the first 3 gears, all this without any drama with the Bike remaining perfectly composed. The motor feels almost electric, quietly buzzing away at lower revs and quick to pick up revs at the riders command. Even as you approach the redline in the lower gears there are no vibes of complaint from the engine, whereas other indian bikes make it feel like work to get there, the R15 happily hits the revlimiter and leaves you wondering why it wasnt set a couple of thousand revs higher. With all this refinement you dont really feel like you are moving very fast but if you keep an eye on the dash, triple digits show up pretty quickly. 5 gears are all you're going to need in the city and due to a lack of room i couldnt really sample 6th, we will have to wait a little longer to verify just how fast this baby goes. [/FONT]

If you were to ask me what i liked best about the R15 though, the engine performance would have to take a back seat, this Bike is about its handling! The R15 is brilliantly balanced and returns fabulous feedback to the rider, you cant help but feel confident throwing this machine into a corner. Add a solid set of brakes and tires to that and you have a complete package that whets the appetite. Seating posture felt comfortable and just right for me, not too agressive or laid back, oh by the way i'm 6ft tall. The Bike is light and very flickable, just the way i like it. The streets offered little challenge and I cant wait to test it on the track to see what its really capable of.

Additional info:

- The headlights on this Bike are very nice and quite powerful, i liked them
- Plastics are quite cheap to replace contrary to what most people think. A good chunk of the side fairing (and incidentally the piece that would bear most of the brunt in the event of a fall) costs around Rs 400. Similarly the front headlight is around Rs 700, the windsheild around Rs 300 and the footpegs too a very cheap to replace. Thats good news for those worried about crashing the bike

In summary, this Bike isn't for those people looking for something to drag race around in, the R15 is about a lot more than that. If one were to go around indian forums / orkut etc or even step out into the street and watch traffic light hooligans do their thing, Its questionable whether the majority of us really have the mental maturity to realize what this Bike is really intended for. Having said that, i know what i want in a Bike and the R15 delivers the goods for me.

[Mpower]

Good review Killer. Now how does a stock R15 compare with a RTR FI w/ imported rubber.

BTW, what brand tires does the R15 use.

[Veelubai]

Mpower - It uses some MRF tubeless tyres which are specially developed for the R 15.The size is 100/80 R 17[rear].Weird size I guess.