Yamaha came back to India with a bang. The bang which is now know as the R15 (R one five). 150CC, 17PS and R1 DNA, that describes R15 in a nutshell. But frankly, is the bike worth the price? I would say so. If you are looking for a sports bike, with race primarily in your mind then this is the bike for you. And quite frankly there are not much racing bikes in India anyways. The close second to this would be the Apache RTR. R15 delivers what it promises, a circuit racing bike. The tires, the posture, the engine all suited for only one purpose – racing. That is exactly why the bike has an 150 CC engine. In order to produce high RPMs essential for a racing bike, they had to make a small engine which could deliver so. To increase the efficiency of the engine they also provided with fuel injection. The delta box frame from R1 has been used in this bike too, giving great balance and bringing strength to the chassis. Don’t let the thin tires of the bike elude you. These soft compound tires might not look good but they are great on circuit. 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.Engine type Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 4-valve Cylinder arrangement Single cylinder Displacement 149 .8cc Bore & Stroke 57×58.7mm Compression ratio 10.4:1 Maximum power 17PS / 8,500rpm Maximum torque 15 N.m / 7,500rpm Starting system Electric Start Lubrication wet sump Engine oil capacity 1.0 liters Fuel tank capacity 12 liters Fuel supply system Electronic fuel injection Ignition system T.C.I Primary / Secondary reduction ratio 3.042 / 3.000 Clutch type Constant-mesh wet multi-plate Transmission type Return type 6-speed Gear ratios 1st=2.833, 2nd＝1.875, 3rd:=1.364,
4th=1.143, 5th=0.957, 6th=0.84Frame type Deltabox Frame Caster / Trail 26° / 100mm Tire size (Front / Rear) 80/90-17 / 100/80-17 Brake type (Front / Rear) Hydraulic, single disc (Front / Rear) Suspension type (Front / Rear) Telescopic / Linked type Monocross Headlight 12V35W / 35W＋35W Overall length x width x height 1,995mm x 670mm x 1,070mm Seat height 790mm Wheelbase 1,290mm Minimum ground clearance 160mm Dry weight / Curb weight 120kg / 131kg
Life moves on and we are bound to take different paths someday. By Sayan Jana: Chinmaya (Kalingaputra), a fellow BikeNomad(BN)member has decided to move out of Pune as a career move. With this note, we decided to meet for a quick ride to Mahabaleshwar….little did we know that it would turn out to be one of the finest rides in my view at BN. Initial plan was to explore Mahabaleshwar and return to Pune. 0745hrs: For a change, I had my sleep in installments….waking up once at 0130hrs, 0245hrs, 0355hrs, 0430hrs and finally 0555hrs (without the alarm ringing once). It was as if, my soul was waiting for this ride. Taking the morning shower in cold water (I just love it), doing my morning puja, I reached CC (Chandni Chowk) at 0735hrs-perhaps, was the first one to arrive for a change(normally, I am 5-10mins late). Quickly rushed to the nearest tea stall for a quick cuppa tea and a smoke. 0750hrs-0810hrs:The entire entourage arrived – Amit(New BN member), Abhishek(Zulu) with Vaishali(First time ride with BN – A Mass Communication student looking to make a documentary for her project), Nalin, Somnath and Chinmaya. Introductions follow up soon with Route Mapping and pit-stops….Finally we hit the roads at 0815hrs. Once, we cleared Pune (Katraj ByPass), our Speedometer refused to go below 100km/hr. Going as high as 110-130km/hr, we soon covered 60-65km, when Nalin started complaining that we should stop for breakfast….Fortunately, everyone agreed since Zulu was way behind the gang. Being in Maharashtra, what else could be better than my favourite Vaada-pao? 1000hrs: We move ahead….cleared ‘Kambhatki Ghats’ (BN’s Favourite)[mountain passes on the Western Ghats in Maharashtra], we take the right at ‘Wai’ towards Mahabaleshwar. Reaching Panchgani Table Top, everyone decided to take a quick break. Nomads stopping for a quick Photoshoot! Our Steeds!! The sun was pleasant around this time but was continously warning us to be prepared for a tougher day. We soon reached Mahabaleshwar where Chinmaya & Somnath suggested a place for the famous ‘Strawberry with Cream’. The Beasts !! Route Map A quick stop and we were busy relishing the strawberries with cream. Everyone was in a good mood so we decided to avail the opportunity and planned our route for the rest of the day. Here, we met Harshvardhan (BN Member) who was supposed to join us from Pune. Finally, we decided to proceed via Old Mahabaleshwar – Tapola – Bamnoli – Kas – Satara and then, return to Pune. So, finally with Route decided, we proceeded further towards Tapola. 1330hrs: We finally reach Tapola after a doing lot of bird-watching and sight-seeing in Mahabaleshwar. It seemed as if our Sun Lord was quite pleased in seeing us that he started showering his love in the form of strong heat rays. View of Tapola from The Ghats A quick lunch and off we went towards Bamnoli – Kas – Satara. This route had something exciting stored for all of us.Initially, the road got narrowed, then the metalled road became ’semi-metalled’, this time introducing loose gravels and rocks to us. Further down the line, ’semi-metalled’ roads became unmetalled roads. And, this all happened for a distance of 55-60km from Tapola. The pulsars(150/180/220) started sreaming, the Karizmas(ZMA) started moaning while theYamaha(R15) started crying with pain.The riders realizing that Nalin(Yamaha) and Somnath(Karizma) were way behind the gang, decided to give some rest to their @^&$! The moment we got off our steeds, we actually realized that there was dust all over our bike, our jackets, trousers and our visors. This truely was the best part of the ride! Ruff-n-Tuff As we stand doing some stretching exercises, Nalin and Somnath arrived….in short, the R15 and the ZMA finally arrived. Nalin & Somnath finally Arrive 1500hrs: A quick break and we immediately hit the roads again. Little did we know that the roads would become metalled within a kilometre’s distance. With twisties being our favourite, Somnath went on as fast as he could….without realizing that we should admire nature at times. The gang decided to take a break. After stopping a while, Nalin realized that Somnath was missing and tried to catch him but Somnath, he was way ahead. So finally, Nalin and the rest of the gang gave up the chase and took a break at a lake in Satara….playing with water….like school kids out on a class picnic (over here, adults on a BN Picnic). Lake - Reminded us of school days' class picnic Fatso Nalin with sayan(black tee) and chinmay 1630hrs: Unwilling to return to Pune, we make up our mind and take the last stretch to Satara. Rip all the way….uphill and downhill….reached ‘Kas’….where the Western Ghats have created a natural set for Bollywood or, pehaps….for Hollywood! How could our BikeNomad fellas resist from posing infront of the cameras? Me and my R15 Our Steeds - Hero Honda | Yamaha | Bajaj Chinmaya Nanda (Kaling putra) with his Pulsar 220 1800hrs: Finally, we head towards Satara and after a quick refreshments start for Pune immediately. Finally reached Pune around 2000hrs with Nalin, Chinmaya and Amit as the remaining members had taken different routes to enter Pune. A quick stop at Cafe Coffee Day, we proceeded to our nests….I reached around 2130hrs….further, had to get ready to attend a wedding. Attended the wedding….perhaps, amongst the late-comers, finally managed to return home by 2330hrs. As I went off to sleep, I recollected every moment of the day spent with BikeNomads….someone totally new to the group like Amit and Vaishali, someone who has helped the group grow like, Nalin and someone who have tried to contribute in someway or the other, like Abhishek, Somnath, Chinmaya and Me! Riders: Chinmaya, Nalin Bakshi, Abhishek, Somnath, Amit Dubey, Vaishali and Sayan Jana Written by a friend and fellow BN rider: Sayan Jana. (http://sayanjana.wordpress.com/)
Image Courtesy: Amit Dubey
Screaming Ahead 25Th Oct 2008: A blue beast stood wrapped in plastic, waiting for its rider when I walked in looking for the the king chetah among the chetahs, it looked at me and I looked back. Taking my time I looked at it and inspected it as it stood in shadows. I looked around, there were others too, but this one was the one. I smiled and took of the wrappers. It had to be this one. I took the delivery of the bike on 26th as Iron should not be brought home according the HinduCulture. As the bike was being cleaned before delivery, I gave dad the keys of the bike and asked him to take it out The run-in was a lengthy thing for me, I had already done run-in of two bikes in less than a year’s time and doing it for the third was making me impatient. But it had to be done. I kept the bike as a surprise to all, waiting for the 1,000KM run in clock to get over and what could be better than a ghat (twisties) section just after that. First time I opened the throttle to 7,000 RPMs as the tiny engine roared to life. The balance perfect, the brakes as of a chetah, this light bike made its way up, ahead of others. But the real performance test is yet to come, as Chinmay waits on his Pulsar 220 to see if this Chetah is faster than his panther. Only time will tell.
My R15 Test Ride
Riding the black YZF R15 So i got my third ride on the R15, the first two were not close to being called a test ride, but this time I had a good time on the bike. The bike: Well if you have money to spend, then this is a bike to buy. Why did i tell that? Well because the price tag doesn’t justify the 17PS power of the bike. Even if you read the magazines, you would see that most of them compare the track performance of the bike but not over all. The bike is designed like a sports bike and it feels like one too. But here is one more thing it feels like – Sports bike with no power. Its like Shelly :)
