Yamaha bikes India 2020 product range: R15, MT-15, Ray125, FZS
This post provides you with quick introduction of Yamaha India's 2020 Product range, as shown during their press meet this week.
Yamaha R15 V3.0
R15 is a premium racing bike from Yamaha. Despite a higher than competition price tag, this bike has its takers and sells in huge numbers. R15 is very stylish, extremely aerodynamic, well built and is perfect for high speed racing. Its sitting posture is not erect but slant- you have to bend forward in a racing position-which reduces drag during the ride and facilitate faster acceleration. However this riding posture is not sustainable for long rides hence it is difficult to ride R15 on a long distance tour.
MT-15
MT-15 is the naked version of fully faired Yamaha R15 v3.0. MT-15 is designed to take on the likes of KTM. It offers a vertical sitting posture compared to R15 and is about 15-20k cheaper, thanks to less body parts. MT-15 offers a distinctive front look, bright coloured wheels, new ICE FLUO vermillion colour has now been introduced. MT-15 also gets VVA, A&S Clutch (Assist and Slipper), 282 mm front disc with ABS (no Dual channel ABS)
Yamaha R15 and MT-15 are 155 cc bikes. In terms of engine capacity they are at par with Apache RTR160, Pulsar, FZ-S etc below is a quick comparison of engine capacity, power and approx price of these premium sports bikes.
Note: Ex-showroom price is indicative, may vary by city, variant, BS4/BS6 etc
R15 has just about 150 cc engine but is tuned to produce power similar to that of 200cc bikes. R15 gets slipper clutch and can shift gears faster than 200 cc bikes and has top speed of around 140-145kmph, which is again 200cc bike category. VVA or Variable Valve Actuation technology optimizes power across the rev range. R15 is the fastest bike in 150cc category. Combined with its lesser weight, aerodynamic design, the ride experience can be lot smoother and fun- the core reason why R15 has its dedicated fan base and customers. If you look at the price on a per cc basis Yamaha will look expensive- but to understand Yamaha's value proposition and why people love R15 you need to understand Yamaha's racing DNA, other premium bikes in the range and have an apetitie for serious biking. R15 copies the looks of Yamaha's more premium international offerings Yamaha YZF R1, R6 etc. For those who can't afford 5-10 lakh superbikes, R15 is an affordable alternative with similar looks.
Ray ZR 125
Yamaha Ray is a rugged looking heavy duty scooter, but powered by same engine used in Fascino 125FI. This engine outputs 8.2 PS power, 30% more than earlier engine, has stop & start system (cuts off engine on stop & go traffic, potentially saving about 16% fuel), Smart motor generator (no starter motor required). I was expecting some more torque here but no, same set up, same power. Ray competes with the likes of TVS Ntorq 125 and Honda Dio
Ray Delux variant gets digital instrument cluster while standard variant gets analogue one. Wide range of accessories are also available for RAY. Available with disc n drum options as well.
FZ
FZS is the mass market premium bike from Yamaha taking on the likes of Pulsar 150 and Apache RTR 160. FZ and FZS now get BS 6 engines and ABS
Yamaha says 2019 has been better for them compared to industry average. Yamaha is also focused on 125cc scooter segment and premium motorcycle segment where it now has strong products.
Call of the blue: Yamaha has adopted call of the blue theme for positioning Yamaha's racing DNA and brand positioning. Yamaha regularly organizes rides and events for its customers.
I asked Yamaha management if they have any plans to launch electric bikes- I was told on a global level some work is going on but nothing immediate planned for India.
Yamaha R15 V3.0
R15 is a premium racing bike from Yamaha. Despite a higher than competition price tag, this bike has its takers and sells in huge numbers. R15 is very stylish, extremely aerodynamic, well built and is perfect for high speed racing. Its sitting posture is not erect but slant- you have to bend forward in a racing position-which reduces drag during the ride and facilitate faster acceleration. However this riding posture is not sustainable for long rides hence it is difficult to ride R15 on a long distance tour.
MT-15
MT-15 is the naked version of fully faired Yamaha R15 v3.0. MT-15 is designed to take on the likes of KTM. It offers a vertical sitting posture compared to R15 and is about 15-20k cheaper, thanks to less body parts. MT-15 offers a distinctive front look, bright coloured wheels, new ICE FLUO vermillion colour has now been introduced. MT-15 also gets VVA, A&S Clutch (Assist and Slipper), 282 mm front disc with ABS (no Dual channel ABS)
Why Yamaha R15 and MT-15 are so expensive?
Yamaha R15 and MT-15 are 155 cc bikes. In terms of engine capacity they are at par with Apache RTR160, Pulsar, FZ-S etc below is a quick comparison of engine capacity, power and approx price of these premium sports bikes.
Bike
|
Cc
|
Power
(bhp)
|
Ex-Show room price
|
Notes
|
Yamaha R15 v3.0
|
155
|
19.3
|
1.6 lakhs
|
|
Pulsar NS200
|
199
|
23.5
|
1.2 lakhs
|
|
Apache RTR 200 4V
|
197
|
20.7
|
1.2 lakhs
|
|
Yamaha FZS
|
149
|
13.2
|
1 lakh
|
|
Yamaha FZ25
|
249
|
20.9
|
1.5 lakhs
|
|
Bajaj Dominar
|
373
|
34.5
|
2 lakhs
|
R15 has just about 150 cc engine but is tuned to produce power similar to that of 200cc bikes. R15 gets slipper clutch and can shift gears faster than 200 cc bikes and has top speed of around 140-145kmph, which is again 200cc bike category. VVA or Variable Valve Actuation technology optimizes power across the rev range. R15 is the fastest bike in 150cc category. Combined with its lesser weight, aerodynamic design, the ride experience can be lot smoother and fun- the core reason why R15 has its dedicated fan base and customers. If you look at the price on a per cc basis Yamaha will look expensive- but to understand Yamaha's value proposition and why people love R15 you need to understand Yamaha's racing DNA, other premium bikes in the range and have an apetitie for serious biking. R15 copies the looks of Yamaha's more premium international offerings Yamaha YZF R1, R6 etc. For those who can't afford 5-10 lakh superbikes, R15 is an affordable alternative with similar looks.
Ray ZR 125
Yamaha Ray is a rugged looking heavy duty scooter, but powered by same engine used in Fascino 125FI. This engine outputs 8.2 PS power, 30% more than earlier engine, has stop & start system (cuts off engine on stop & go traffic, potentially saving about 16% fuel), Smart motor generator (no starter motor required). I was expecting some more torque here but no, same set up, same power. Ray competes with the likes of TVS Ntorq 125 and Honda Dio
Ray Delux variant gets digital instrument cluster while standard variant gets analogue one. Wide range of accessories are also available for RAY. Available with disc n drum options as well.
FZ
FZS is the mass market premium bike from Yamaha taking on the likes of Pulsar 150 and Apache RTR 160. FZ and FZS now get BS 6 engines and ABS
Yamaha says 2019 has been better for them compared to industry average. Yamaha is also focused on 125cc scooter segment and premium motorcycle segment where it now has strong products.
Call of the blue: Yamaha has adopted call of the blue theme for positioning Yamaha's racing DNA and brand positioning. Yamaha regularly organizes rides and events for its customers.
I asked Yamaha management if they have any plans to launch electric bikes- I was told on a global level some work is going on but nothing immediate planned for India.
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