[Venkatesh]

Originally Posted by sole_rider

What are the additional features that are going to be available in R15 M model

R15M 3D logo



Top cap Enraved with R15M logo



Special Seat



Golden Color Brake Caliper



Grey Color Swingarm



Grey Color Muffler Guard

[HumbleBee]

Yamaha has also given the R15 V4, Traction Control and Quick Shifter.A Quick Shifter at this price point, is a very cool thing to have (functional as well). And those golden USDs look so gorgeous .But one thing I don't get is, does a 14 Nm bike really need Traction Control ? And what's going on with Yamaha, they are decreasing the power with every update. First it happened with the FZ series and recently with the Yamaha R15. Nonetheless, these are great upgrades.

Hope the Yamaha MT 15 gets the same treatment, then it won't be called "Empty 15" as it used to. ( No offence to any MT 15 owner. I, myself love the bike but some of my friends and almost everyone one on YouTube called it "Empty 15").

Cheers,
HumbleBee

[Venkatesh]

Official pictures of Yamaha R15 V4

- R15M offered in metallic grey and MotoGP edition

























Link

[saikishor]

Le Yamaha: India is not matured enough for our big bikes
Also Yamaha: Launches R15 with quick shifter and traction control.
Please Yamaha, start local assembly of the R3/R25, price it well and I'm pretty sure you will turn the small capacity performance segment towards yourself.

IIRC, back when the V1 R15 was launched, it had a price tag of 1 lac ex showroom(please correct me if I'm wrong) and now you have to shell out 2 lacs for a 155cc "premium" sportsbike.

Thank you Indian Government, hope the tax collection has helped in paying your oil bonds.

I wish Yamaha launched a Grid Gold color again. I loved the v2 in this color; used to go mad whenever I saw this(was in 4th or 5th grade back then). IMO,V2 is the best R15 ever launched (in looks).

[SkylineGTR]

Any changes in the seating position? I love the way it looks but its cramped riding stance stops me from buying it.

[shastryBLR]

Originally Posted by saikishor

IIRC, back when the V1 R15 was launched, it had a price tag of 1 lac ex showroom(please correct me if I'm wrong) and now you have to shell out 2 lacs for a 155cc "premium" sports bike.

Thank you Indian Government, hope the tax collection has helped in paying your oil bonds.

.

Dear Sai,

Even I used to go crazy for the v1 - when it launched, there was nothing like the full fared r15.

Here are the changes I noticed v/s the v1

- Upside Down forks ( telescopic on v1 )
- Compliance with Bs6 ( vs bs2/3 ).
- Digital LCD ( analog cluster )
- Better looking swing arm ( v/s the rectangular block )
- LED headlights ( halogens )
- Slipper clutch ( regular clutch )
- Optional Quickshifter ( N/a )

Subjective - This is the best looking r15 ever.

We also have to factor in input costs, Rupee depreciation - a double whammy. Compared to 2004-07. Roads are much better, Opportunities to make 2.2Laks is easier due to digital avenues and much better connected world.


Traffic is definitely worse, petrol - lets not talk about that. We have a 5-7 year window to enjoy IC bikes. And I will take full advantage either with this or the new RC 390.

Ride Safe- ATGATT

[gururajrv]

Yamaha is like VW in biking industry for India. VW milked and are still milking a decade old Polo. Similarly Yamaha is milking their R15 for a very long time that is over 13 years! Come on, seriously! It would’ve been such a treat if they’d got the R3 back or atleast a bigger engine bike. I accept looks is good but dude 150cc is seriously being caught up by the scooter breed already!

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Yamaha is milking their R15 for a very long time that is over 13 years!

Come on now. Yamaha's actually been steadily improving the bike with each generation and providing more value. It's not like Bajaj which has been rolling out the same pulsar since more than a decade. Now that is text book milking.

This is Yamaha declaring to India that they want to be recognized as an engineering company more than a manufacturing company. Which other manufacturer offers you unnecessary tech like slipper clutch, variable valve actuation, and traction control on such a tiny motor? Which other manufacturer gives you nice materials like shapely aluminium swingarms, pegs, bars and levers in this class? The design is seriously cool and a class above too. This is for the pure pleasure of owning a classy product at reachable prices for the average guy.

But yeah, wish they'd bring the R3 back and the get the MT03 as well.

[Muthu25]

Originally Posted by sole_rider

What are the additional features that are going to be available in R15 M model to justify its increased 5000 odd price tag compared to R15 V.4.0 model? I can see R15M has an exclusive silver paint job. Is that the only difference?

It has quick shifter as standard, different seats, special 3d emblems and engraving and gold color brake calipers. So all of them are aesthetic, you can get R15v4 with Quick shifter in blue shade. Check the difference for yourself in their official website.

[Rocketscience]

I'am really having a XUV 700 moment right now, i had instantly rejected this bike after seeing the first pictures and ridiculed Yamaha in my mind for tampering with the stunning design of the V3, being an owner of V3 i was shocked with the very incoherent and generally Jugaad looking design which was totally needless since the v3 is not that old to begin with (it made its world debut way after the recently introduced MG Astor) and it looks properly stunning, not to mention it was doing steady and decent sales numbers.

I, however am eating my words right now as i think the bike in Silver M version looks smashing and very nicely done, the USD forks, Quickshifter and upgraded console are nice additions, the traction control might just save falls because no matter how much powerful a bike is, in broken or excessively dusty roads (which are plenty in our country) the wheel spin at high throttle input does raise its ugly head (i must admit it is rare in relatively less powerful bikes but its not zero) and for those extreme situations this can do the trick.

However at 2.03 Lakhs on road this is a full ₹40,000 more than my BS4 ABS R15V3, for this money one gets no engine upgrades at all (V3 had major updates vs the V2) infact my BS4 made 1PS and 0.5NM more power and Torque respectively, while this feels like a needless upgrade but you can't blame Yamaha for trying, USD forks and Quick shifter themselves are cool to have but i considered my bike great value for money, this does not feel that though. (Remember the Price and power differences might seem laughably trivial in car standards but for motorcycle market they are somewhat significant numbers)

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Yamaha is like VW in biking industry for India. VW milked and are still milking a decade old Polo. Similarly Yamaha is milking their R15 for a very long time that is over 13 years! Come on, seriously! It would’ve been such a treat if they’d got the R3 back or atleast a bigger engine bike. I accept looks is good but dude 150cc is seriously being caught up by the scooter breed already!

With all due respect this does not feel like a valid criticism at all, you mean to say if Hyundai can't launch a new Santa Fe they should not attempt to upgrade their Creta at all?
R15 v3 was a pretty significant engineering upgrade and it is not like they are selling the same bike from 2008, infact it's precisely the opposite and i'am still pretty shocked they decided to upgrade the v3 since it was launched just 3 years ago, i don't believe in supporting any brand and despite me owning a v3, i will be the first one to criticise the brand if i find a problem and will switch to other brands in blink of an eye if it excites me, but this seems totally uncalled for.

[gururajrv]

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Come on now. Yamaha's actually been steadily improving the bike with each generation and providing more value. It's not like Bajaj which has been rolling out the same pulsar since more than a decade. Now that is text book milking..

I hear you, buddy. What I was intending to state is the fact, Yamaha has been extremely comfortable in the 150cc space. I’m sure there’s a lot many riders from 150 segment (including R15 owners), who wants to upgrade to a higher CC bikes and Yamaha should cater to it as well. Improvising a product is always welcome and their effort isn’t undermined in my post as in fact I like the styling they pasted from its bigger cousin R7. But, they should look at improving themselves in the eyes of the potential bikers who are Yamaha fans (including me) and are waiting for R3 to be reintroduced

[NiInJa]

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Yamaha is like VW in biking industry for India. VW milked and are still milking a decade old Polo. Similarly Yamaha is milking their R15 for a very long time that is over 13 years! Come on, seriously! It would’ve been such a treat if they’d got the R3 back or atleast a bigger engine bike. I accept looks is good but dude 150cc is seriously being caught up by the scooter breed already!

Back in 2010 when I got the R15 it was around 1.18 Lakh on road Pune. Today in 2021, v4 will be around 1.9x, but what you get is : Dual Channel ABS, Slipper clutch, better swing arm, VVA tech, better lighting. All these years, they have improved on this 155cc engine, simply because this sport bike hits the right spot in terms of affordability and fun and desirability. The KTM 200 RC is even more expensive. Bajaj RS200 falls short in terms of tech compared to this one but is priced in the same region. Honda left the 150-250cc sport bike category in India and came up with air cooled 180cc engines, that is a step back I would say.

Yamaha is taking it slow, because at the end of the day, its business for them, the numbers should be justified to make the sales profitable. They launched the Aerox just when they felt the market is ready for it. I don't think it would have sold well if it was launched few years back. This 155cc platform is now fully localised and has proven to be extremely reliable, so I don't see any problem with them milking it. In fact, I would say, that is the correct approach. Bringing a new engine requires a lot of groundwork and may not be cost effective for Yamaha.

[hothatchaway]

I will appreciate yamaha for offering something which is increasingly rare in the Indian market - an engineering gem at a price they have found ways to keep competitive. I mean, to keep flogging the R15 on the power front is now moot. There is no dearth of 200 plus cc bikes and those looking for thrills are spoilt for choice.
But I wonder if this package isn't a little long in the tooth for our market. The target audience at this price point and for this kind of a machine (read posture and use case) may not be floored by the nifty tech features, at least not to the extent that they can overlook the lack of displacement. It may just become a sparingly used toy for those who drool over TC and USD forks and all that.

I bought my R15 in the wrong side of thirties and flogged it to the point my not so young muscles permitted. I would have done tens of thousands of kms more if I had bought it a decade before than I did. But I appreciated the package for what it was.

[Phantom 510]

I don't know how Yamaha India is justifying the 'M' tag on a motorcycle that produces lesser power and torque than before. Riding aids like quickshifter and traction control might sound techy geeky and would score high amongst the owner's especially while bragging about their rides (which is not a bad thing at all) but is a futile exercise on a 18 bhp motorcycle. They should given it some more oomph by bumping up the power and torque, it would made the whole package even more tempting.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

But I wonder if this package isn't a little long in the tooth for our market. The target audience at this price point and for this kind of a machine (read posture and use case) may not be floored by the nifty tech features, at least not to the extent that they can overlook the lack of displacement. It may just become a sparingly used toy for those who drool over TC and USD forks and all that.

It works out as an amazing city bike for smaller cities where you don't have to commute for 1 hour to travel 10 kms or be stuck in traffic jams often. For tier two cities where the roads are generally more free and the travel time is much quicker, these bikes are a blast because you can play "desi Rossi" while not putting your spine and wrist under much stress. At >100 rupees a liter of petrol, it makes more sense to ride a fairly quick yet frugal 150 like this or maybe a 200 than a bigger faster bike that you can't put to satisfactory use within the city while sipping more petrol. Heck, I was also considering the R15 as an exercise bike to train my back, gut and neck muscles.

I was seriously considering an MT15 over a Gixxer250 though just because I can abuse this engine, it will take it, give me performance near enough to the 250 for my kind of usage, and work out a bit cheaper for me in the long run.