Yamaha R15S Reliability Report

The genesis of R15 bike series was founded in the launch of Yamaha’s first affordable track friendly bike YZF R15 launched in 2008. Ever since then Yamaha has been continuously improvising upon this capable engine plus chassis combination to come up with the R15 2.0 in 2011 & later with the bike we are reviewing today i.e., Yamaha R15S. Let’s check out if this journey of evolution has been successful enough in carrying forward the Yamaha’s sports pedigree in India.

Yamaha R15S Styling

In terms of styling & design the R15 series in India is heavily influenced by the internationally acclaimed YZF-R6 and R15S continues the tradition deriving a major portion of its styling from the hugely popular first version sibling. You’ll see a lot of commonality between the two, including the engine fairing, tail lamp cluster & the presence of grab rails for pillion rider. The most significant styling feature is in the uni-body seat, a return of an earlier available feature brought back with the launch of R15S, based on consumer feedback.

An interesting to note is that a number of subsequent mods introduced with version 2.0 finds place in Yamaha R15S as well, including the wider 130/70-R17 tyres. The overall R15S styling is very contemporary and surely to drool for, by a many young fellas. Barring the street hawkish front head lamps, something which gives a feeling of deja vu, bike is absolutely gorgeous to look at from all angles. The nicely chiselled fuel tank not only gives a character to the machine but also provides a nice grip for the rider. The exhaust shield is made of good quality plastic material, though bears the look of a powder coated metal finish, complimented with a carbon fibre side body cawl right behind the rear foot peg giving a very sporty feel to the exhaust. The paint quality is truly the best class and the new sporty decals increases the style quotient of the bike multiple notches above.

Yamaha R15S Performance

The bike is powered by a 149cc liquid cool single cylinder motor churning out a decent power of 16bhp at 8500 rpms. The torque rating for the said engine is 14.6Nm at 7500 rpm. The nicely geared six-speed transmission blesses the machine with a pleasingly peppy performance. A reduction of weight by 2kg when compared with the version 2.0, helps compensate for the marginal reduction in engine performance output, the bike however continues to be light & nimble with an impressive performance.

Yamaha R15S comes standard with front & rear disc brakes ensuring a confident braking, however an addition of ABS would certainly make the bike complete, in our opinion.

Yamaha R15S Ride & Handling

The bike offers a superior ride quality and handles really well. The inherent racing DNA ensures that it’s the frontrunner in the segment when it comes to a straight line performance. The NVH is well under control along with good high speed stability. The aggressing front stooping seating position complements the bike design and aids a sporty performance, may cause your wrists to aches on long hauls though. The sunk-in rider seat further gives a sporty feel & supports better handling & manoeuvrability on tracks. Now, you need to be fit to ride such a bike. It isn’t just about the performance, it is even the position you sit in. The foot pegs are moved behind, the handle bars are lower. You need to work out your wrists if you wish to ride such a bike often.

More coming up in the second report, on this page itself.