R15, The review

The Engine

The small 150CC engine is quite capable of pushing the bike to 130KMPH plus. Though you might feel a lack of pick up but a good revving won’t displease you much. The bike has 6 gears in all , the gear ratios are very well set and help you keep the bike at good rpms. Needless to say the bike is not made to deliver good mileage so don’t expect much. It could go anything from 25KMPL to 45 KMPL depending on how you are riding and on what kind of a terrain. The engine is smooth and the FI does seem to help. The gear box is very smooth and clutch responsive.

Chassis

The chassis is the patent Yamaha delta box. This gives the bike a good balance and strength. The mono-suspension in the rear provides better stability. In theory it does, in practical, I don’t know, but the bike seems to handle bump really well. The bike has a low ground clearance so you might need to watch out for speed breakers which are thin but high. Both the front and rear wheels have disc brake. The brakes are very responsive and give confidence to the rider. Jamming both the brakes doesn’t shake the bike much and inspires confidence.

Posture

Truly a racing one, you can ride with a back at 80 degrees or you can lean with your waist on the tank to allow for more aerodynamics. Crouching on the tank initially feels odd as you have to lean a lot in comparison to other bikes, but one gets used to it quiet easily. The foot rest are well placed and you feel in unison with the bike once on the move. The center of gravity of the rider is pushed forward and does help a lot once you get on the curves. Leaning off the bike is quiet easy too. So far I have not seen or heard from anyone who would be able to lean so much that the foot rest or the stand would touch the ground as in case of pulsars, so basically the limit of the bike is just you and the traction with the surface below the tires.

Front Console

The front console is feels big once you are on the bike. The digital console is very decent, digital speedo with analog odometer makes for a impressive look. The white back light for the speedometer is very pleasing. The numbers are big and are easily readable. You have the option to keep record of two trips. The fuel in the bike is indicated by bars on the left of speedometer and when the bike is low on fuel the last bar at the bottom starts to blink. Often the light starts to blink way in advance. And if you still don’t refuel and the bike is very low on fuel, the last bar will disappear.

The clip on handle bars on the bike are well positioned. Though they feel small but very adaptable unless you are a huge guy. The handle bars don’t put much stress on the shoulders and the position of brake and clutch lever is nice. The buttons are smooth, appealing and large enough to easily switch. The bike does remind of RX 100 when you  switch these buttons.

Lights: This is something which distinguishes R15 from other Indian bikes. The lights are undoubtedly good, but for some good is not enough and so they opt for white lights. A good 35W pair should do the trick without being a problem for your battery. Some might find it strange but both lights turn on only when you are at high beam. Else only one will work. This is to more to do with battery than having one light only as a high beam and other as normal. Both lights turn with same focus, but you have the privilege to change the angle as both lights are different.

Riding the bike

Riding the bike is fun. The bike is light and still stable at high speeds too. Cross winds doesn’t seem to affect it as much as one would guess. Another thing I had doubts for was the gear ratios. 6 gears for 17PS bike seemed too much but I got used to it very quickly. Once you get the speed,  slowing down is not something you would want. And this shows on road too. While others would be slowing down on turns you might be even thinking of revving it up more. The confidence on the bike is just too good which actually makes the bike worth the money. On straight lines the speed is as good as a pulsar 220 or even more at times. The superb handling makes it a pleasure to ride.

You would often hear a strange sound coming from the engine, which is non other than the radiator working to cool the bike. The foot rest are small and feel odd when you wear the shoes with soft sole, but this is a racing bike, so you should not be complaining. I was not pleased with the position of the brake lever on the foot and sadly the bike provided only a small angle to change.

Riding with someone with a pillion is ok within city limits, on a ride out the city, this can seem painful on your hands, since the pillion would be leaning and braking would put extra stress on your hands. But this again depends on the kind of rider you are. Some brake a lot, some very less. So it would all depend on you .

How good is the bike to tour?

There has already been a successful saddle sore attempt on the bike. But this doesn’t actually mean it’s a good tourer and I don’t think so too. The posture is not good in for long rides. Royal Enfields, Karizma and even the 220 would be way better and easier to ride on long routes. The high RPM engine is also the culprit, riding a Karizma or Pulsar 220 at high speeds is easier as both the bikes are low RPM bikes, which mean low vibrations at high speeds. Also if you plan to use bags (bags especially made for touring bikes or your normal backup or anything), tying them to the bike is not that easy. The cramster which we tried on R15 rubs against the plastic which comes out too much from the rear. But people have been using plastics etc to reduce the rub off from the bags. Also once the bike gets heavy, its pick up drops substantially against the like of Karizma, 220 or bullets. The low ground clearance can also be a problem if you would have to do bit of off roading or riding on the tracks like leh. This is bike is not meant for such riding. But this is something one should be okey with since R15 is a sports bike and not a tourer and as said in start of this section, a person has already done saddle sore (1600KMs in one day) on the bike, so nothing should stop you for using this bike for touring.