Yamaha R15 – Beginner track machine?

Yamaha R15 has been truly a sensational motorcycle for an Indian motorcycle industry. The bike shares the DNA of the bigger sibling, the Yamaha R1. The bike resembles its bigger siblings in a very true manner and that’s the reason it has been the favourite faired motorcycle among the Indians. Its the most affordable R series bike in India, so can we consider this as the beginner track machine? Well, let’s find it out.

Ergonomics

To be a true track machine, a bike should pass some of the tests. The first test is about the riding posture, Yamaha R15 has a got committed riding posture but it’s not that committed as a track machine. Yamaha has found the right spot between the committed and comfortable riding posture. The handlebars are slightly upward and the pegs are slightly forward than the regular track machine. Yamaha knows that the rider would not be always riding his/her bike on the track and most of the duty will be in the urban jungle. But there is plenty of space on the seat to move around and duck into a committed racing posture. So the bike can handle the track duties as well as the touring duties.

Power

The bike has got an ample amount of power for the beginner rider. The bike is equipped with 155 cc single-cylinder, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled engine that produces around 18.3 bhp max power and 14.1 Nm of peak torque. The engine has got Yamaha’s VVA (Variable Valve Actuation), its similar to Honda’s VTEC in which the power varies depending on the throttle response. Considering the rival, the Yamaha R15 is the most powerful 150-160cc motorcycle in India. Along with that, the engine also comes mated with the slipper clutch. So, on the track, you will be shifting gears quite fewer times and also quite easy.

Brakes

The Yamaha R15 comes with the 282 mm disc at the front and 220 mm disc at the rear. These brakes are then assisted with the help of dual-channel ABS.  So the bike is quite safe and gives the rider the freedom to have harsh braking. But on the race track, the ABS is not interfering. It has been calibrated well enough to gauge the sensitivity of the ride and interfere accordingly. This also depends on the application of breaks. We are talking about the race track and what matters is to brake late and precise.

Also read: 2019 Bajaj Avenger Street 180 likely to get ABS, rear disc brake

Suspension

The suspension on the bike is on the stiffer side but not to the extreme. During the track day, you will surely enjoy cornering. The only flaw about the suspension is that it’s not adjustable so it restricts some of the freedom from the rider.

Other than that, the price of the Yamaha R15 is Rs 1.45 lakhs (ex-showroom) which is quite affordable. There are many aftermarket accessories as well as spare parts to modify R15 to make its a pure track machine so we can say it as a beginners track machine. The other bike which is also considered as the beginner’s track machine is the KTM RC 125. or the RC 200