[azifali]

After a lot of contemplation and exploring various options including CBR 250, Pulsar 220 and a bullet, I booked the Yamaha on Sept 10th, right after the launch.

The bike was displayed at Ampa mall in Chennai, right after the launch and caught a glimpse of it.

Here was a properly shaped entry level sports bike with all the right tech and decent power. I must tell you that I hated the Yamaha R15 V1 and loved V2 as soon as I saw it.

After more than a month of wait, I got the bike delivered yesterday evening with a little over 22km on the Odo..

Nevertheless here is a basic review from a non-biker:

Looks: The bike looks very good from most angles. The fairing is full sized, tyres are fatter compared to the earlier version.
Road presence is awesome because of its size / shape.

The rear has shaped up well though a little impractical (I'll tell about this a little later).

Fit and finish: is best in class among similar bikes of its class. The bike feels solid, no parts look cheap and generally is very well made.

Handling: Is great; I can't say much because I have not ridden the previous version, but generally you can ride with confidence.

Ride: Is a bit stiff and I heard a tough "whack" when it fell into a small poth hole. I expected the ride to be softer after test riding the P220. I am hoping that this gets better because it is NOT easy to ride this bike especially when you're used to commuter bikes;

The engine bay starts to emit a lot of vibrations (again, not sure if it is common on this bike) and heat at low speeds and thats something to watch out for.

Power: The bike rides well and feels powerful enough. The mid end grunt is decent; I read that the older bike had to be revved hard but I did not find that issue in V2.

I could take off at will but never really opened the throttle as the engine is still being run in.

Practicality: As of now - the bike feels a little impractical for everyday stop and go traffic so I have not yet disposed off my dio. there seems to be a problem of feet getting stuck in the stand on the left or hitting the back seat when you're getting out..

Maybe its just me.. :-)

Overall: Having ridden Pulsars, owned other bikes including Yam 135, RE, TVs bikes, Suzuki Samurai (back in the 90s) and now recently a Honda Dio... I can safely say that this is the best bike in this segment (and slightly higher) in India.

Though.. I wish the power was a wee bit higher :-)

[PM - B]

@azifali

CONGRATULATIONS,

Wishing you many tens of thousands of happy riding. Do post pics.
Do update the thread with your ownership experience and specifically post engine run in.

[BANDHAV]

What color?

And please post few pics.

I have spotted two v2 at different times in Red-white combo and must say it looks absolutely gorgeous, Yamaha have managed to get the stance/style everything right this time.

How I wish this had a bigger engine, maybe a 250, with a sticker price of a bit above CBR 250, I would have lapped it up without a second chance.

PS: I am keen on changing my sparsely used Hunk with something bigger and better for weekend rides and R15 V2.0 and CBR are main contenders.

[xtremeshock]

Congrats on the beautiful piece of machinery.

Even I would suggest not disposing off your Dio as yet. I have the V1 and even I have kept my Dio. This bike is not really good for stop and go traffic, but once your on the open road/late night rides, this bike really puts a smile across your face.

What say, when you are done with the first service, we go cruise around the MMRC track and then you can see what the bike is capable of.

Please put pictures.

[a2k24]

true! the size and styling of the bike begs for a bigger engine. compared to the CBR 250 the R15 V2.0 has excellent build and finish.

[bigron]

Congratulations on the new bike. Some pics please. Get some aftermarket cans and maybe an air filter to improve whatever slight gains that can be achieved . Ride safe.

[MAS]

Congrats Azifali on your new possession. Do post good pictures of the bike. As you are a first time biker, did you experience any pain in the back, hands when riding the bike?

Drive safe and enjoy your brilliant piece of machinery

[GreaseMonk]

@Azifali, are you facing trouble with the RTO registering the bike?

[Pr_007]

The new V2 is really good, but the only stupid thing is the rear is toooooo high and if you make your friend or GF sit on the back it is like they are flying in the air or in no way connected o the driver..

[azifali]

@bandhav - the color is red and white..yes i wish it was a 250 but alas...

@xtremeshock - not yet selling the dio...I am planning to improve the dio up a bit and keep it for sometime..

not sure of the track..I have had a dozen accidents on various bikes. :-)

@MAS - first time biker on a real bike..ridden many other bikes years ago..feeling some pain in wrist...especially in stop and go traffic it is really bad.

Back pain yes..I did feel some backpain. Maybe it is because I am riding after a long time or Maybe it is because of my own body definition. But I must say the bike is very comfortable on the highway.

Talking about the highways, I took it out for a long ride today..Chennai bypass all the way to Vandalur (30kms) and then to OMR (18kms) and return via OMR (about 35kms).

The vehicle is smooth and rides well on the highway. In stop and go traffic, it is a little tough to maneuver with the helmet on and the heavier weight of the bike.

@Greasemonk - the vehicle dealer said its going to take atleast 10 days...they haven't got approvals or something.

The rear is indeed high..you can't take guys unless you want to get intimate with them :-) rest said with some basic pics..will upload better pics soon..



At the showroom



Brought it home late evening..


[IMG]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/318654_10150436583735030_716715029_10881171_567084 198_n.jpg</IMG>
Short night next night..

Will post better pics soon

[amrisharm]

Great looking bike indeed, and great choice of colour. Also I just have a question, every person looking for a bike in this segment has the following choices, the ZMR, P220, CBR250, Bullet and the R15. Can you give us an idea of why you eliminated the others from your list and came to pick the R15?

I currently ride a 2008 P220fi and am also thinking of changing my ride. So your inputs would help me and others immensely.

[azifali]

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Great looking bike indeed, and great choice of colour. Also I just have a question, every person looking for a bike in this segment has the following choices, the ZMR, P220, CBR250, Bullet and the R15. Can you give us an idea of why you eliminated the others from your list and came to pick the R15?

I currently ride a 2008 P220fi and am also thinking of changing my ride. So your inputs would help me and others immensely.

That's a great question.

Let me answer this in the most simplest manner:

I have owned a bullet several years ago. The road presence is awesome and the owners are of a separate cult that worship the ride ;-). The biggest issue is that the quality of the overall vehicle is always at question.

A few braking issues (again it was many years ago) and several other quality issues coupled with the fact that there are long wait times ruled out the bullet for me.

I test drove a P220. I liked the absolute power. Other than that it looked like a well finished bike and great value for money.
What I didn't like was the weight, colors, jaded looks and the fact that there was nothing really new about the bike. Plus the ride was very coarse and loud.

I would have bought the P220 if the wait times for R15 were too long.

CBR 250:

I did not test drive this bike but a lot of reviews suggested that a) its looks (plastic) and the torque / acceleration compared to its hp is very poor.
Long wait times (i heard several months) was also a big turnoff.


ZMR: Never considered it..never liked it :-)

I also did consider slightly larger bikes - but the fact that my usage might be insignificant led me to buy a bike which

a) had sufficient horse power
b) looked good, preferably a fresher design

I think R15 nailed it.. with both these aspects even though the overall hp / engine capacity could have been much, much better!

[salunkhe.vizz]

Congratulations on your new ride Azifali. Please do post your initial riding impressions, servicing costs and ample of pictures with each new post - as of now we have very few v2.0 reviews on TeamBhp. So the more your inputs, the better it is for prospective buyers.

What was your final onroad price ? And what run-in method are you using ?

[azifali]

Its been a while since I posted this, so here is an update..

I know the simplest method of running in :-) -driving slow..below 4k RPM :-) and keeping it below 60..or even slower..Sorry guys but I will need your help in the best run in method for a bike like this.

@salunkhe.vizz the final onroad price is about 1,21,000..

I used the bike for a few more long rides. The riding comfort is there and the bike cruises well but there seems to be a loss of grunt (not sure if the word is right) when I slow down..so I have to downshift atleast 2 more gears to pull forward.

The rains in Chennai have revealed one bad part about the bike - the suspension is a little too hard for a single rider (while I am quite heavy)..the bike doesn't quite like any poth holes on the road and falls short of throwing me off..

Is this common with R15s?..

I will post some nice pictures of the bike after I get some of the dirt off the bike..

Few other comments: The horn is very effective (I read that the prev version was not so good), the bike attracts a lot of attention, looks slightly bigger than the CBR 250 and the headlights are also very effective against road drivers (of Call taxis, transport guys) who love to ride on the opposite side of the road..

[Cayman360]

Originally Posted by azifali

I used the bike for a few more long rides. The riding comfort is there and the bike cruises well but there seems to be a loss of grunt (not sure if the word is right) when I slow down..so I have to downshift atleast 2 more gears to pull forward.

The rains in Chennai have revealed one bad part about the bike - the suspension is a little too hard for a single rider (while I am quite heavy)..the bike doesn't quite like any poth holes on the road and falls short of throwing me off..

Is this common with R15s?..

I will post some nice pictures of the bike after I get some of the dirt off the bike..

"loss of grunt when I slow down" - I experience this every morning on the ride to work, even when cruising at 60-70kph. Yet on the ride back home in the evening, the engine is well warmed up from the morning ride, and responds like a cheetah, even with slowing down and getting back on the throttle!

"The bike doesn't quite like any poth holes on the road" - I've found my V1 to be very compliant over broken roads, but when it falls into a pothole, it does hurt - its the sudden fall that is jarring (are other bikes better in this regards?), but if the road surface is broken, the bike will just glide over and I quite like that.

"I will post some nice pictures of the bike" - Still waiting!