[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by abhjain

Awesome stuff brother! The red and white combination looks great on this bike. I also feel like moving back to the 2 wheeler now. Is this bike comfortable for a tall person? I am 6.3" hence a little worried, will surely go for a test ride soon.

I am 6ft and i was ok on the bike. It did feel small but i was alright (this was on the v1.0 and not the latest one). Since you have 3 more inches, your knees might foul with the fairing. Try it out and see if you are comfortable!

[Fordmanchau]

Abhishek , a wonderful thread!!
Just happened to stumble on it!!
What a glorious acquisition, R15V2.0 just looks so damn awesome in red and white color combination!
What was the OTR for this in Bangalore ?
The pics looks fantastic. Looking forward for more updates of your ownership.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by abhjain

Awesome stuff brother! The red and white combination looks great on this bike. I also feel like moving back to the 2 wheeler now. Is this bike comfortable for a tall person? I am 6.3" hence a little worried, will surely go for a test ride soon.

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

I am 6ft and i was ok on the bike. It did feel small but i was alright (this was on the v1.0 and not the latest one). Since you have 3 more inches, your knees might foul with the fairing. Try it out and see if you are comfortable!

Thank you. With the previous version I would have said no but with the new version 6'3" could just be okay although the seat in this one is raised. I feel the best height for this bike is 5'6" to 6'0". I am 5'8" and I just manage to plant my feet firmly to the ground. A couple of inches shorter and I would have made good use of my toes Test ride will definitely give you the right perspective.

Originally Posted by Fordmanchau

Abhishek , a wonderful thread!!
Just happened to stumble on it!!
What a glorious acquisition, R15V2.0 just looks so damn awesome in red and white color combination!
What was the OTR for this in Bangalore ?
The pics looks fantastic. Looking forward for more updates of your ownership.

Thanks man. Red and white surely stands out. On road was 1.28 lakh, approx.

I am maintaining a log of my running in period and experiences which I will update with a 0-1000 log as soon as I am done. I am at 350 kilometers on the odo now with balanced riding and driving to not hurt my Swift !

[abhjain]

Hi there, just test rode one. The build quality and atyling is just fabulous! Found the stance to be pretty aggressive, can you please suggest how does it work on long rides? I will be using it for occasional commutes to office in Bangalore traffic which is around 15 kilometers!

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by abhjain

Hi there, just test rode one. The build quality and atyling is just fabulous! Found the stance to be pretty aggressive, can you please suggest how does it work on long rides? I will be using it for occasional commutes to office in Bangalore traffic which is around 15 kilometers!

The stance is indeed quite aggressive. For a stop and go 15 kilometer traffic it is a pain (Literally). You might not enjoy it. I ride 6 kms to office from home (HSR Layout to Kormangala) and I hate every signal or traffic jam that I encounter. But when it is in the move, I love it. What I really enjoy in this bike is weekend rides although I am now addicted to riding it to office too. It takes a while for one to get used to the riding position. I had read this in forums before and now I realize it too.

It's not the stance but continuous change of gears, braking, moving again, correcting your stance and the whole saga repeating again and again is what makes it difficult.

[abhjain]

Ha ha, agree! I drove for some 10 mins and I was feeling uncomfortable. It becomes worse because of my height I guess. You win some lose some is the Mantra! Have booked a RE CL chrome 500 as of now, lest I change my mind!

[sajid33]

Originally Posted by abhjain

Hi there, just test rode one. The build quality and atyling is just fabulous! Found the stance to be pretty aggressive, can you please suggest how does it work on long rides? I will be using it for occasional commutes to office in Bangalore traffic which is around 15 kilometers!

10 - 15 km wouldn't bother you on this bike bro , but going on long distances would wipe off the comfort.
when i purchased my R15, i took delivery from new delhi which is around 130-140 kms from my city and while returning i had to stop 4-5 times because my arms started abusing me.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by abhjain

Ha ha, agree! I drove for some 10 mins and I was feeling uncomfortable. It becomes worse because of my height I guess. You win some lose some is the Mantra! Have booked a RE CL chrome 500 as of now, lest I change my mind!

Ah yes, as I said before, 5'6" to 6'0" is the right range as per me. So you are right, height could be a reason.

RE CL 500. Wow ! That's another class of machine.

I heard about Yamaha coming up with a 250 cc too based on the Fazer design cues. That's what my dealer also vouched for. But that's a long shot. No clear picture on that one.

Originally Posted by sajid33

10 - 15 km wouldn't bother you on this bike bro , but going on long distances would wipe off the comfort.
when i purchased my R15, i took delivery from new delhi which is around 130-140 kms from my city and while returning i had to stop 4-5 times because my arms started abusing me.

That is interesting. Due to the run in period I have not hit a really long stretch yet. Looking forward to the long rides.

[SankalpDesai]

Congratulations on buying one of the most gorgeous bikes available in the country. Such bikes and their manufacturers deserve the kind of passion and zeal you've shown to acquire them. They are not only true to their values but also to the racing pedigree. Kudos to Yamaha for being the company that brought itself up from the brink of bankruptcy (in India) and continues to provide gems like this one.

I too am waiting for Yamaha to release a 250 cc bike in India. Much has changed in the biking scene in the last 2-3 years and its high time Yamaha gets its acts together. I can't stop but compare Yamaha to Fiat of the car world. They both stand for sturdy build quality, have great products though in limited variety, lack in overall marketing skills and are troubled by their past.

Finally, looking forward for some highway pics alongwith a travelogue, once you cross the run-in period.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by SankalpDesai

Congratulations on buying one of the most gorgeous bikes available in the country. Such bikes and their manufacturers deserve the kind of passion and zeal you've shown to acquire them. They are not only true to their values but also to the racing pedigree. Kudos to Yamaha for being the company that brought itself up from the brink of bankruptcy (in India) and continues to provide gems like this one.

I too am waiting for Yamaha to release a 250 cc bike in India. Much has changed in the biking scene in the last 2-3 years and its high time Yamaha gets its acts together. I can't stop but compare Yamaha to Fiat of the car world. They both stand for sturdy build quality, have great products though in limited variety, lack in overall marketing skills and are troubled by their past.

Finally, looking forward for some highway pics alongwith a travelogue, once you cross the run-in period.

Thanks Sankalp. It was indeed surprising the way Yamaha just came back from the dead. I totally agree to your comparison of Fiat and Yamaha. Great products but that's where it ended. Sanjay Tripathi did a great job in giving a lot of visibility to Yamaha as a brand. Rock shows, YOMR, Brand Accessories are to name a few. There were some brilliant launches during his time and the saga still revolves around them. I almost felt with the new colors and stickers continuing to be their new launches over the years, they are going to die soon with no 'real' changes in place and then came the R15 v2.0. I was impressed. The customer spoke and they implemented. I hope Yamaha now catches up with the aggressive moves that are being exhibited by various vendors in India by making some radical launches. I would say, FZ25, Fazer250 and the R25 at a reasonable price. Reasonable, not cheap. I know that's too much to ask for but this segment is really heating up now. Even 600cc bikes are just vanishing off the shelf if they have the substance.

Thanks to the responses, I will surely keep this thread alive with updates as and when it is worth it. Pics will follow soon.

[abhisheksircar]

Going around the world in 80 days was envisioned and published way back in 1873. It was embarrassing to complete just 1000 kms in 80 days. But what a mark that is for an R15 user. The world on the other side of 1000 is what this bike is meant for.

Before 1000

- Stiff Gears
- Restricted speeds
- Rough gear shifts

After 1000. It's a whole new world. The gear shifts are much smoother and speed, within the town, is restricted to the vehicle in front of you.

Run-in highlights

- Stuck to 4500 RPMs within the 500 km mark on the odo. I could do a 65 km/hr within this range. Confession : Once or twice was tempted by the approaching 500 mark and went up to 5500 RPM.
- Started exploring the higher RPM ranges soon after 500 km on the odo, restricting to 7500 RPM, while approaching 1000 RPM. It was good to see 3 digit numbers on the odo for a couple of times.
- Gear changes gets smoother by the day and hence new users should not be disappointed with the gear shifting patterns within the 1000 kms mark.
- Engine starts opening up really nice over the run-in period which is difficult to really understand unless you ride a brand new bike after reaching the 1000 km mark to see the difference.
- First Oil change to Mineral (Yamalube 20W40) at 168 km on the Odo. This included the oil filter change also.
- First servicing done after completing 30 days with 425 km on the Odo. Changed engine oil sticking to Mineral and changed the oil filter too.
- 3rd change in Oil (Yamalube 20W40) at 760 km on the odo. No change in filter.
- 4th change in Oil at 1000 km and this time to Semi Sythetic Oil (Yamalube 15W50). This included the oil filter change also.
- Bought Motul Chain Cleaner and Motul Chain Lube to keep the chain healthy.

Accessories Installed

- Main stand. This was a decision of brains over heart. I never thought I will put this but day to day affairs, starting from cleaning to parking in not so friendly surfaces made me go for it. Good thing is that it does not stand out in it's presence.
- Tank Pad. Glad to have got the OEM part and it is pretty well designed for purpose as well as aesthetics.
- HID on High beam on only one side. So on low beam it is like the stock setup while on high beam, the right holder has a HID setup supported by a ballast sitting behind the front fairing. This setup will ensure that I do not drain out my battery although I would like a better setup without making me push my bike to start in middle of no where. Still in the look out of a proper solution. With all problems addressed to, the only complain I have in this bike is the lighting. 3.5A battery does not allow for many options to be incorporated.
- Parking lights changed to LED for aesthetics as well as to reduce the battery consumption.

Quick Review on the bike from 0 to 1000

- Looks : I did not have any complains on this redesigned v2.0 which in all means is an R6 inspired design. It's got all that I could have asked for and more. Very sharp from all angles and it is a shame that it's just a 150 that adorns the frame.
- Build Quality : I have been with brand Yamaha as a consumer from ages now so I expected nothing but really good quality out of a bike being tagged as a premium bike coming out of the Yamaha Stable. I was in no way disappointed with my expectation. The plastic cap on the front shockers was broken and that is common across many R15s that I have seen. It was trivial to be complained about although I have been promised to get it replaced by the dealer when they have that available.
- Engine : Refined to the core and is extremely rev hungry. Yes you have to downshift if you want to ride it as it supposed to be. Owners within the 500 km mark see the show just like Sachin bowling. You will not dislike what you see but you do not see the best of him while he is bowling. It's an R15 after 6K RPM. That for me is where the fun begins. Rev it till 9K and then change the gear and it pulls you right from where you left. Seeing a 140 km/hr on the speedo, it's hard to believe that it's a 150 that you are riding. I have a read a lot about your legs getting baked and hot and burnt etc but even after an almost continuous ride of 180 km at over 100km/hr I did not feel the heat. It was warm but again this is not a cooler that was riding the bike. It was as hot as any other bike engine casually cruising.
- Chassis : Deltabox frame is definitely not something new to Yamaha but still brings a smile to new age riders. It imbibes an immense sense of confidence on each curve that you encounter and each straight that you try to win over. What the bike excels in is not just in the red line hungry engine but also in the chassis which does a pretty good job in stability and handling. At 140km/hr also, if the road allows, you will be in for a surprise in terms of vibrations. It's rock steady. Introduction of the Aluminum swing arm and the increased wheel base sure has done wonders over it's predecessor. You realize that this bike really needs a bigger engine when you hit the top speed. It has everything needed to plonk a 250 on it.
- ECU : The ECU is not same as what it was in v1.0. This one starts pulling from the lower RPMs and can still be ridden, without crying aloud for spending 1+ lakhs, below 5K RPM. With the multiple sensors in place starting from Coolant Temperature sensor to Intake Air Temperature sensor the ECU is supported by enough numbers to ensure that the bike runs smoothly without loosing any power while riding. You will just love the way it shifts from one gear to another at really high RPMs without any drop in power making it seamless.
- Pillion Comfort : Eh ? Does this really have a pillion seat. How ever who ever tries to defend, this bike is not meant for the pillion riders. The pillion might somehow hang on but that's more like it. It's not just bad for the pillion rider but for the rider too. There is a major difference riding alone and riding with a pillion.
- Kitna Deti Hain : 35 is what I am getting with all kinds of riding. Docile to Aggressive.
- Some more points : What was there in v1.0 was an excuse in the name of horn and has been thoroughly addressed in v2.0. It's loud enough to announce your 'Arriving Alone'. It's now a dual horn. The LEDs in the tail light definitely has a good presence. Sitting position is aggressive but over the time you get used to it. Actually you adjust it to the way it is to be actually ridden.

My post 1000 Km mark was celebrated with a quick 300 km ride having both straights to achieve the top speeds and curves to test the handling up and down a hill. I had the brilliant company of an RD 350 and a Suzuki Bandit. The R15 never failed to impress through out the route and sure did surprise the other riders from the earlier inhibition of a 150 cc accompanying them. For people in Bangalore or people who know south a bit, it was a ride from Bangalore to Yelagiri. I see a lot of fun rides ahead.

Some Part Numbers and Prices

Oil Filter : 38BE3400000 [167 INR]
Engine Oil, Mineral (20W40) : 90793AD40300 [270 INR]
Engine Oil, Mineral (15W50) : 90793AD40400 [470 INR]
Main Stand : 3C1F71110000 [597 INR]
Main Stand Shaft : 3C1F71120000 [60 INR]
Spring Tension : 905063500300 [116 INR]
Split Pin : 914012001 [2 INR]
Tank Protector : Y6ATPR15CB11 [415 INR]

Before I sign off for now, I hate to be greedy but I really wish it was an R25. It's still not a Super Bike that I own but it's definitely a Superb Bike that Yamaha made for us.

Few pics for those who hate too much of texts

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

First Oil change to Mineral (Yamalube 20W40) at 168 km on the Odo. 3rd change in Oil (Yamalube 20W40) at 760 km on the odo. No change in filter. - 4th change in Oil at 1000 km and this time to Semi Sythetic Oil (Yamalube 15W50).

Would suggest you to try Motul engine oil and since you are already on semi synth go with Motul 5100 semi synth oil in the same grade.

Although Yamalube is the same Motul oil with yamalube branding and packaging, the performance is noticeably different. A good friend of mine was hesitant due to the above rebranding jig but after my suggestion he is now using motul and is very happy.

I love the rear look of the R15. Looks a lot like the R6.

P.S. Is that a Suzuki B-King in the last pic?

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Would suggest you to try Motul engine oil and since you are already on semi synth go with Motul 5100 semi synth oil in the same grade.

I was hesitant to make this switch to Motul although I have heard this from couple of other friends of mine too. Benefit was more on Price than performance though. Will check it out. Have to find out a genuine Motul dealer first in Bangalore.

Originally Posted by n_aditya

P.S. Is that a Suzuki B-King in the last pic?

That's a Bandit.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

Have to find out a genuine Motul dealer first in Bangalore.

You can source genuine Motul products (and even genuine Yamaha parts) at wholesale prices from Motor Cycle Components on JC road. So not only oil, you can source oil filters, etc. for your bike at a much lower price than what your service center will charge you

Address - No.16, Behind SBI Bank, J C Road Cross, J C Nagar, Bangalore - 560006.

Speak with Mr. Vineet and refer my name if needed.

Phone numbers - 080 222-36-711, 080 222-18-105, 98440-45610.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

... So not only oil, you can source oil filters, etc. for your bike at a much lower price than what your service center will charge you ...

And this is why I stayed glued to this site.

Thanks man. Noticed your location after seeing the reply !