After making us impatient for a protracted period, Yamaha has finally launched the R15 and R15M
“Under the umbrella of ‘The Call of the Blue’ brand campaign, Yamaha has launched unique products & services. Today, I am happy to announce the world premiere of the YZF-R15 V4 in India. This shows the importance of the Indian market in our global plans. The YZF-R15 V4 carries the same racing DNA as the YZF-M1 & YZF-R1. The R15 V4 will provide Indian customers with all the latest technology that Yamaha has gained from conducting multiple racing activities. I believe that the all-new YZF-R15 V4 and the YZF-R15M will take the thrills of racing to a whole new level & provide a greater experience to our R15 fans in India. Yamaha will continue to provide such unique products & services in the Indian market in the future as well,” said Motofumi Shitara, the Chairman of Yamaha Motor India group of companies during the launch event.
The Yamaha R15 and R15M have almost no connection to the previous generation. However, both the models are powered by the same engine which was present in the last-gen iteration. Although, there is a slight change in the power and torque figure. Drawing power from the 155cc, four-valve, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, the two new models make 18.4hp of power figure and 14.2Nm of torque. The new models make 0.3hp of lesser power but 1Nm of more torque.
The Yamaha R15 and R15M surprised us with the latest hardware kit. The two models are now equipped with an upside-down fork, traction control, Yamaha Motorcycle Connect (Bluetooth connectivity), brand-new LCD instrument cluster which offers information such as gear indicator along with track and street mode, and a quick shifter on the R15 Racing Blue Colour and R15M models.
Other features found on two motorcycles are assist and slipper clutch, dual-channel ABS, delta-box frame, bypass type thermostat cooling system, and monoshock suspension unit on the rear. Moving on to the R15M, what makes the model different are the unique design and special parts such as a colour scheme which is quite similar to the YZF-R1M, anodized blue fork caps, golden colour brake calliper, seat cover with carbon finish.
Not to forget, Yamaha has also launched a special MotoGP Monster Energy team variant of the R15. However, the special variant will be limited in number and only a handful of people will be able to purchase the model.
