[Patriot_Vishwas]

I'm not that good in expressing how I feel,especially when I try to write it down.
(Never had my way with love letters,or for that matter, leave letters!)

First:A Small note on my first ride,the Honda Dio.

The need for a Dio came for me during my days at college as most of my friends had a Scooter and my Hero Ranger Swing 18 Gears just didn't cut it.
Even before I could ask my parents to get me a Dio(no,not an Activa or an Aviator or an Access) my parents had booked one and that too in Blue(Even though my mother insisted on a complete Pink).
My Dio was the newly launched "refreshed one" and was first showcased at the Auto Expo in Jan 2010,IIRC.
I rode the MotoScooter home on my father's birthday(in March) and since then it has been a faithful companion.
It has, till date completed around 16200 Kilometer.

Photo taken during my first ride to *facepalm* WonderLa

My visit to the iconic Freedom Park, unfortunately it was closed ;and the watchman did not seem too pleased with me(I *inadvertently* stomped on his dog)and was hurling abuses that probably could be heard by Vidhana Soudhians.........but I did manage a few comebacks

My First bike the Yamaha YZF R 15

Even though the Dio was really good, it still left a void(more in the hineys than in the heart due the numbness experienced, thanks to the comfort it's seats offered).
I wanted a bike and so I shortlisted three manufacturers Royal Enfield,Bajaj and TVS(I had a *misinterpreted* wave of 'Be Indian buy Indian' logic doing rounds in the head,Eg:Refer user id).
My close friend had the TVS Apache RTR 180 so I did not consider it.
Pulsar:No comments.
RE:Loved the looks and the street presence so booked a Classic 350 silver in the month of February(on the same date that my parents had booked the Dio, two years earlier).
The waiting became unbearable so changed the booked model to a ThunderBird Twinspark silver and was was told that I would get the bike in a week or two.
The weeks turned into a month but I could have waited longer had the the sales representative figured out, how to talk to my father on the phone(I agree,it's not easy....heck I've been trying to figure that our for the last 18 years).
So my father went all Homer Simpson on the guy and the next morning we were in the Yamaha Showroom!
Two hours after the "Hello,welcome to Perfect Riders",I was on a Sunset Red Yamaha YZF R 15 listening to Robert Plant singing "Stairway to Heaven".
Delivery date:14 July,2012.

A few hours after the Delivery was taken

I'll let the pictures do the talking.




It completed the one thousand mark recently:

Good things:
1)The bike is extremely comfortable once you get used to it and it has a very re-assuring seating position.
2)The engine response is good and it has two different notes i.e, Sub 5000 revs, the 'Super Splendor' engine note and after 5000 Revs a distinct R 15 tone(Which I love!).
3)The brakes are wonderful and so are the Rear View Mirrors.
4)The Tyres are really good and the Tyre hugger is competent.
5)The build quality is supreme.
6)The dual horns are awesome(especially when you sneak up on unsuspecting friends, drinking hot coffee).
7)The girlfriend appears taller.
Not so good ones:
1)The headlight illumination is not good.

[dZired]

Let me be the first to congratulate you. The R15 looks hot in red.
BTW, I too love that note above the 5000rpm mark. It brings a spark in the riders blood.
Just one question out of curiosity. What was the reason of that "no comments" tag on the pulsar?
Well I wish you many happy miles of motoring with your new beast.
Take Care and Drive Safe!

[Patriot_Vishwas]

Originally Posted by dZired

Let me be the first to congratulate you. The R15 looks hot in red.
BTW, I too love that note above the 5000rpm mark. It brings a spark in the riders blood.
Just one question out of curiosity. What was the reason of that "no comments" tag on the pulsar?
Well I wish you many happy miles of motoring with your new beast.
Take Care and Drive Safe!

Thanks a lot,Bhavik.
I neither liked the Pulsar nor did I dislike it and I still would not be able to put up a meaningful sentence, if I'd wanted to talk about the Pulsar.

[harshaguduru]

congratulations on your purchase. have a safe and wonderful time.
i second your opinion on the brakes and reassurance . the bike feels ready to forgive even the dumbest mistakes we do.

given that you considered different styles of bikes. was the avenger ever in consideration and the duke? both are indian now!! oh also the Karizma variants

regards,
Harsha

[avishar]

Lovely short review.Congrats on the bike.

I am considering a bike for myself,in Bangalore and the R15 is one of the contenders.The other are the 200NS and the Duke,although i know these fall into a very different category than the R15.

How is comfortable is it after riding for an extended period in the city?Say after being caught in a crawling traffic jam(which is pretty much the norm in the evenings),does but pressure on the wrists?

And the gearbox?Smooth?.Is the power delivery very peaky?like not much action unless its kept on the boil?

[m.shekhar]

Had been waiting for this thread!
Congrats on the bike and wish you thousands of happy miles with her.

Originally Posted by avishar

I am considering a bike for myself,in Bangalore and the R15 is one of the contenders.The other are the 200NS and the Duke,although i know these fall into a very different category than the R15.

Happens.
When I bought the R15, the contenders were the RE Classic 350 and the R15 V2.0!

Originally Posted by avishar

How is comfortable is it after riding for an extended period in the city?Say after being caught in a crawling traffic jam(which is pretty much the norm in the evenings),does but pressure on the wrists?

It takes some 2-3 days to get used to but it's pretty comfortable once you find the correct position.
To avoid pressure on the wrists you can try the 'hugging the tank' method, helps a lot.

Originally Posted by avishar

And the gearbox?Smooth?.Is the power delivery very peaky?like not much action unless its kept on the boil?

Buttersmooth would be how I would describe it.
The power delivery is linear and sorted.
The Duke is what you should get if you want some craziness in this area.

[Patriot_Vishwas]

Originally Posted by harshaguduru

congratulations on your purchase. have a safe and wonderful time.
i second your opinion on the brakes and reassurance . the bike feels ready to forgive even the dumbest mistakes we do.

given that you considered different styles of bikes. was the avenger ever in consideration and the duke? both are indian now!! oh also the Karizma variants

regards,
Harsha

Thanks a lot Harsha!
I did TD the Karizma ZMR,Pulsar 220 and the Avenger.
The Karizma ZMR was massive and the engine was smooth and the suspension setup was perfect and to top it all,I loved the console!
But it still left me unsatisfied.
When I went to Test ride the 220,I was given a new bike with the console disconnected and when I asked the same to salesman when he was sitting behind me,he said it was awaiting delivery the same evening(I rode it pretty fast!).So,decided to move on.
Otherwise,the 220 was at the top of my list.
The avenger sounded like a CT 100 which I did not like.

Originally Posted by avishar

Lovely short review.Congrats on the bike.

I am considering a bike for myself,in Bangalore and the R15 is one of the contenders.The other are the 200NS and the Duke,although i know these fall into a very different category than the R15.

How is comfortable is it after riding for an extended period in the city?Say after being caught in a crawling traffic jam(which is pretty much the norm in the evenings),does but pressure on the wrists?

And the gearbox?Smooth?.Is the power delivery very peaky?like not much action unless its kept on the boil?

Thanks a lot.
The gear shifts are precise and slick.
But,it is a huge pain to ride it in Bangalore with a pillion as I have to downshift to first after each and every road hump.
Riding without a pillion is the way to go.
The wrist pains are there for a short period but after you get used to them,it's brilliant.
The true power is experienced when you ride on the highway!
Just duck down and listen to music of airflow!
The cornering is also superb,the tank is sculpted so nicely that when you anchor your knee, it does not slip!

Originally Posted by m.shekhar

Had been waiting for this thread!
Congrats on the bike and wish you thousands of happy miles with her.

Thanks a lot Shekhar.
I wish you the same

[bullet-tooth]

Congrats buddy.

I too own a R15 V.1. It is a great bike to ride, in the city, highways or anywhere. It has been 2.6 years since I bought my bike and there hasn’t been a single day I regret buying it. Just loved each moment that I spend with it.
Wish you many more memorable moments with R15!!

[Anandv267]

congrats Patriot_Vishwas .
An excellent buy. I have driven the r15 a couple of times, the latest being a short ride yesterday (Thank you bullet_tooth). The way the rpm needle rises is addicting!! I shall refrain from mentioning the speeds i hit because the owner may start seraching for me to kill me (Bullet_tooth: we shall take it offline )

[FanaticOnWheels]

She is an awesome machine. I have the exact same machine, and man, it's nirvana after 6000 RPM . The only irritating issue is, in spite of taking extremely good care of her, maniacs keep peeling off the logos. And the ASC in Hyderabad NEVER bothers to keep stock!

Like you said, the bike is a pain with a pillion, as they keep falling on you every time you use the front discs. If you're alone, then there is little on the roads with two wheels that can keep up with you .

[bullet-tooth]

Originally Posted by FanaticOnWheels

The only irritating issue is, in spite of taking extremely good care of her, maniacs keep peeling off the logos. And the ASC in Hyderabad NEVER bothers to keep stock!

Strange you should mention, yesterday during our Team BHP Chennai meet, I parked my R15 for a couple of hours and when we returned both my tank logos were gone!!

[Patriot_Vishwas]

Originally Posted by FanaticOnWheels

The only irritating issue is, in spite of taking extremely good care of her, maniacs keep peeling off the logos. And the ASC in Hyderabad NEVER bothers to keep stock!

Originally Posted by bullet-tooth

Strange you should mention, yesterday during our Team BHP Chennai meet, I parked my R15 for a couple of hours and when we returned both my tank logos were gone!!

Yes, it's quite common here too.
First targets are Pulsars(the "Pulsar" badge and the Bajaj symbol on top of the headlights) closely followed by FZ(rear symbol) and other Yamaha bikes.
I never park my bike where I'm unable to be next to it.I still take the Dio to college and even it's mirrors have been stolen once and I've found it a few times, resting sideways on the pavement,seat cover torn,twigs in the key hole,deflated tyres and headlights,turn indicators,high beam turned on!
A few days ago my friend's P180 was scratched by some sadist freak!

[FanaticOnWheels]

Originally Posted by bullet-tooth

Strange you should mention, yesterday during our Team BHP Chennai meet, I parked my R15 for a couple of hours and when we returned both my tank logos were gone!!

I lost the logo on the left side of my tank. The ASC did a horrible job of refitting the logos. I think they used fevicol to stick it. Had to resort to jugaad myself to get it stuck firmly to the tank. Waiting to find a reliable guy to do this simple job. And yes, a few days later, I lost the logo that is present just behind the rear seat. Sigh.

[narula123]

I am a bit late but congrats nevertheless. Ride Safe and remember to wear your gear at all times. She looks really nice in that red/white combo.

[Patriot_Vishwas]

Originally Posted by narula123

I am a bit late but congrats nevertheless. Ride Safe and remember to wear your gear at all times. She looks really nice in that red/white combo.

Thanks a lot!
Update:I got a Yamaha Tank protector for the bike,the bike looks real sharp now(yet to take the picture!) and the bike completed 1600 Kilometers.
Few photographs from my ride to Malavalli.