KTM Duke 200 delivery starts in Gujarat

Bike lovers in Gujarat have more reason to cherish. The delivery of KTM Duke 200 has started in Gujarat.   There were two KTM Duke 200 delivered yesterday at KTM showroom (erstwhile Probiking showrrom) in Ahmedabad. Mr. Yuvraj Dodiya and Mr. Pratik Bhavsar became the first two KTM Duke 200 buyers in Gujarat. The Duke 200 key was delivered in the presence of Bajaj officials.

Mr. Shanakar, Area Manager (Gujarat Region) Bajaj Auto, said “We have very good response of KTM Duke 200. We have registered 35-40 bookings within less than a month in the city of Ahmedabad alone.” When asked about the target sales of KTM Duke 200 for the region of Gujarat he said that the sales of KTM Duke 200 depend upon the delivery and they do not have any specific target as demand is greater than supply. When asked about the Puslar 200NS launch in India, he said it will start in the first quarter of next financial year. He also added that the final details for the availability of Pulsar 200NS in Gujarat will be available after the regional dealer meeting.

When asked to buyers why they decided to buy KTM Duke 200, they said that KTM Duke 200 is a very different looking motorcycle available in the market. It’s technologically advanced and has some of the unique features which are not available in other motorcycle. Pratik Bhavsar, who also owns Kawasaki Ninja 250R said that he liked the bike’s unique feature such as advance digital instrumental panel which is not seen even on the top end motorcycles, central exhaust, rotary sound of exhaust and orange color which is rarely seen on other motorcycles.

With more than 1,000 bookings across the nation within short span of a month KTM Duke 200 is now ready to top the sales chart. However, the sales purely depend upon the availability of Duke 200. It seems that Duke 200 will surely win the heart of many buyers who are not fuel efficiency conscious.

Yamaha to Produce 250cc Motorcycles in India

We earlier mentioned in our article of upcoming motorcycle launches in 2012that Yamaha may launch its 250cc motorcycle in India. According to news reported by Business Standard, the company is now planning to manufacture its 250cc motorcycle in India which is schedule to launch in this year. The management decided to produce the motorcycle locally, as the assembling will attract 30% import duty. Earlier Yamaha wanted to launch 250cc motorcycle last year. However, the management decided to see the response of Honda CBR250R before launching its 250cc motorcycle.

Roy Kurian, national business head, India Yamaha Motor, said, “The market for 250cc is growing and we are studying that. There are a couple of models in that segment and people are upgrading to 250cc bikes. We will do 100 per cent localisation of that bike, we will manufacture it here. We have taken the feedback from people who have bought 200-250cc bikes and our feedback says they are not fully ‘satisfied’ with their products. So there is a need for a better bike than what is available today. Internationally, we have the Fazer 250, but I cannot comment when we will launch a bike in that segment.”

He added that this year Yamaha has decided to focus on scooters, which is scheduled for launch in the second half. It is confident of achieving sales of 400,000 units (including exports) in the next year. This would constitute 40 per cent of total targeted sales of one million by 2013.  He also added “While we are focusing on scooters this year, it does not mean we are moving away from bikes. The bikes will remain as our main stay in the longer term.”

Fazer 250cc has 249cc, four stroke single cylinder, 2 valve OHC oil cooled engine which produces 21 bhp power and 20.7 Nm torque. Fazer 250 has very basic engine and seems to be developed on SZ platform. If Yamaha will develop this motorcycle locally, it will surely give tough fight to other motorcycles as SZ series is known for its competitive price and performance.

Currently, the 250cc market is dominated by Honda CBR250R which sells around 2,500-3,000 units a month. The other 250cc motorcycle is Kawasaki Ninja 250R which sells around 100 units a month due to its on road price of more than Rs. 3 lakhs. Garware Motors is also planning to launch Hyosung GT250R by the month of May 2012. The way 250cc motorcycle market is expanding in India, we will see more launches from most of the manufacture in upcoming days.

Royal Enfield to launch Café Racer and Thunderbird 500

Royal Enfield, the ‘Indian Harley Davidson’, will launch Thunderbird 500 and Café Racer motorcycle in the upcoming months according to news reported by Financial Chronicle. Royal Enfield showcased these both motorcycle at Auto Expo 2012. The response for both the motorcycle was great, however Café Racer motorcycle was catching eye of everybody. I saw lots of people inquiring about Café Racer which is a big reason why company wants to launch this motorcycle in the country. The company expects to launch Thunderbird 500 in the month of May or June and Café racer will be launched by the first quarter of the 2013. The company is also increasing its dealer base and enhancing capacity in order to cater the future demand and export expansion.

Venki Padmanabhan, CEO, Royal Enfield Motors said “We will launch Thunderbird 500 motorcycle, which was showcased at the Auto Expo, in May or June. We hope to strengthen the brand position further in leisure motorcycling in the country. The next launch is that of the Cafe Racer and is expected during the first quarter of next year. In our opinion the reintroduction of a classic racer is a new segment in India and response of its preview at the Auto Show was overwhelming.”

He also added “We have added new dealers in poorly represented markets as most of our customers have to drive over 100 kms for good service support. Last year, we crossed over 200 dealers across India. All the new dealers are investing heavily in sales and service infrastructure (service bays), and we have set up two repair technician training facilities in Chennai and Chandigarh for equipping the dealer’s staff in servicing the new Bullets sporting our new engine platform (unit construction engine) besides older iron barrel motorcycles. We have also increased our spare parts supply to the market considerably.  Exports will be a key focus area with significant ramp up visible from 2014-15 onwards and their contribution is expected to grow over 10 per cent from the present six per cent.

It seems that Royal Enfield is now aiming to cater more customers. The company recently launched its few models in the Philippines and Malaysia.  The company does not have any competition as far as India concern. Bajaj Avenger is the only other cruiser motorcycle available in the country but its altogether in different league. However, Café Racer may snatch some of the Bajaj Avenger buyers. Do you think so? Leave your comments…

Hero Honda Hunk Ownership Review by Pratap

Hello everyone, I’m Piyush Pratap, 24 years old, from Agra. I’m currently working as Software engineer in Hyderabad. This article is not really a review of my bike but it’s actually my wonderful experience of 10 months with my ebony grey Hero Honda muscle HUNK 2011.

My father owned a Hero Honda Splendor (2002), which was the first bike driven by me and liked the most because riding a bike was like a dream for me. My first bike was Bajaj Pulsar 150 (UG III) brought in 2006, and then finally I became the proud owner of my Hunk in April 2011.

To start off, I would first like to answer the question “What led me to select Hunk as the bike best suitable for me?” 1st thing which I had in my mind was my budget, as it was limited anywhere between 70,000 to 85,000 INR, 2nd was looks and finally mileage as it was one the most important factor for me before buying any bike.

Many thanks to bikeadvice.in which really helped me in filtering out the bikes in the market on basis of my pre- requisites and gave me a clear opinion on what I had to look for in a bike. Finally I was left over with choice for P180, HH Hunk, HH CBZ Xtreme, Honda Dazzler, Honda Unicorn, Yamaha FZ-S, TVS Apache 160 and Pulsar 220.

P180 was removed from my choice list as I was already a proud owner of Pulsar 150. Both bikes have almost similar features except some cosmetic changes and power difference. Although CBZ Xtreme, Dazzler and Unicorn share same engine specifications but I was not satisfied with the looks of either of them, especially Unicorn which seems to be outdated. P220 was out of my budget. So, finally my choice was restricted between Hunk, FZ-S and Apache 160.

The Decision

Yamaha product Fz/Fzs would be burning a hole in my pocket because of its fuel consumption and secondly the bike is very short, appropriate for short people not for a guy like me. Coming to TVS Apache, it has killer looks but I personally don’t like that grunt sound full of bass, as I am lover of silent bikes. So after taking test drive of Hunk, FZ-S and Apache 160 and lots of research , 30th April 2011 was the day I got my brand new and sexy ebony grey Hunk. This muscular beast cost me around 76K on road. As far as the specifications are concerned I have listed them below.

2011 Hero Honda Hunk Specifications

Engine Type: Air Cooled, 4 Stroke, Single Cylinder
Displacement: 149.2 cc
Maximum Power: 10.6 KW @ 8500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 12.8 N-m @ 6500 rpm
Fuel Tank Capacity: 12.4 liters, 2.2 liters reserve
Tyre Size – Front: 2.75 x 18 – 42 P, Tubeless Tyre (MRF)
Tyre Size – Rear: 100/90 x 18 – 56 P, Tubeless Tyre(MRF)
Overall width: 765MM
Overall Height: 1095MM
Overall Length: 2080MM
Wheelbase: 1325MM
Colors Available: Bold Brown, Panther Black, Sports Red, Ebony Gray, Blazing Red and Force Silver
Ground Clearance: 145MM

The Review

Since the purchase of my bike, I have been very particular about the service and have always visited, on or before the date as specified in the owner’s manual. Servicing done by Hero Honda is brilliant, they do an effective job rite from servicing to cleaning of the bike and it seems like my bike is reborn every time.

I’m emphasizing on this because proper servicing and caring of bike doubles the overall bike’s life. Coming to the main aspects of the bike, as the tagline suggests muscle Hunk, the looks of bike are muscular with huge side air intake scoops, engine is smooth with adequate power in its segment and what I love most about the bike is the attention to detail the designers have put in to make it resemble like a racing Bull.

Looks and Styling

Main USP of this bike is its looks, just a mere glimpse of this bike takes your heart away. The fresh looks of the 2011 Hunk impressed me a lot. The new headlamp assembly and visor are catchy. The back LED tail light is simple and formal but has good brightness as compared with the other LEDs in the market. Everyone can notice the pinches of Astra Gold at front shocks and the GRS suspension seen only in top notch bikes.

Paint quality is of top standards, it sparkles under the light. I have coated my bike with Teflon during first service and it still seems to shine like it’s from the show room once cleaned even after 9 months from purchase date. In the ebony grey Hunk, the grab rail and the area above the tail light in a kind of greyish black matte finished and the muffler cover is glossy black in color.

Hunk comes with body colored mirrors which are cool enough to attract attention. The suspension spring color n spark plug cap is red in color. Overall a good color schema used intelligently. The bike has stickers of red colored bull on air intake scoops along with sporty graphics on the fuel tank. The tank of the bike is elegantly sculptured which gives it a lower drag coefficient thereby increasing the aerodynamics affect.

The dual air scoops add to the elegance and also in directing the air which prevents drag. The tank is very curvy and gives a very muscular look when seen from the top. I’ve added a picture just to show you all how the tank along with the air scoops gives that masculine look to the bike. Side panels have attached stickers written ATFT (Advanced Tumble Flow Technology) on it.

Handling

Hunk has massive weight of 146kg, but in spite of the weight this bike is not heavy to handle and is easy to use in city and gives full control to rider while cornering the bike in traffic. The bike comes with double disc as well but mine is single disc version. The front disc is of 240mmwhich gives sporty look and is sufficient for 150cc bike with rear brake having 130MM drum which altogether provides an average braking experience.

The brakes are good enough to stop you from a speed of 60km to 0 in like 3 meters. HH uses non asbestos brake shoe pad which is environment friendly and long lasting. Hunk comes equipped with the Nitrox GRS (Gas Reservoir Suspension) that offers good rear suspension. Moving on to tyres, both are fitted with MRF Zapper tubeless tyres and offers decent road grip but slippery on wet roads at times on corners. Black colored-alloy looks cool and matches perfectly with overall looks of bike.

Comfort

The riding comfort in this bike is one of the best in the class as everyone might have noticed that the seat of Hunk is pretty different from the other bikes. It doesn’t have split seats but the height between the rider and the pillion rider is really high known as stepped seating arrangement and as an advantage that difference in height offers backrest for the bottom of your back of rider and provides pillion rider full front view without any blockage by rider.

Long drives are never issues with Hunk as I was neither exhausted nor my shoulders, hand and back pained in spite of many long rides on my muscular machine. The suspension of this bike is one of the best in 150CC segment with rear shocks having GRS (Gas Reservoir Suspension).

Engine and Power

The 149.2 cc, Air Cooled, Single cylinder engine has been inherited from Honda with slight refinement. The engine produces a maximum power of 10.6 KW @ 8500 rpm and a maximum torque of 12.8 N-m @ 6500 rpm. The pick-up of this bike is at par with the other warriors in the segment reaching 0 – 60 in just mere 5 secs.

It has 5 speed gearbox, 1st gear is down and 2nd to 5th gears are up but not as smooth as Pulsar series, somewhat hard but no false gears and neutrals like we have in case of Pulsar. As per my experience the hardness of gear shifting has decreased from time to time after each servicing and as per other owners of Hunk it gets butter smooth after 7000 – 10000 on odo.

Fuel Efficiency

I am in love with fuel efficiency of my Hunk. I can feel the power of two wheels and the pull of the acceleration along with good fuel efficiency. I mostly drive my Hunk at a speed of 50 ± 5 Km / Hr (@ 4000 RPM).

Before the first service was done my bike use to deliver mileage of 35 Kmpl. After second servicing it went up to 40- 45 Kmpl and now after 3 services I am getting an overall mileage of 55Kmpl which is good enough for a 150 cc bike. The tank capacity is 12.4 liters and 2.2 in reserve, which means you can easily travel around 700 km in a single top up till brim.

Instrumentation

The instrumentation on the Hunk is one of the best in its class. The new digital meter preferably called as Ano-Digital Speedo is one of the best designed speedometer and is a combination of both analog and digital speedometer.

Below is what you get on the dashboard…

• Digital Speedometer.
• Digital ODO meter.
• Chrome tipped cluster.
• Analog Fuel Gauge.
• Digital Clock.
• High Beam Indicator Lamp.
• Neutral Indicator Lamp.
• Left Turn Signal Indicator Lamp.
• Right Turn Signal Indicator Lamp.
• Two trip meter (Trip1/Trip2).
• Mode and Reset Switch button: to change the setting, reset the trip meters and set clock time.
• Analog Tachometer.

Electricals & Battery

• Maintenance free 12V, 4 Ah battery.
• 125W alternator.
• Headlight: 12 V multifocal reflector Halogen bulb.
• Tail / Stop light: 12V – 0.5W / 4.1W LED Lamp.
• Registration Number plate lamp: 12V 5W.

Bike’s electrical fuses are located below the seat of this bike.

• Left Handle Bar
• The Left handle bar has the horn switch,
• Turn Signal lamp switch,
• Clutch lever,
• Pass By switch,
• Headlamp low/high switch,
• Choke Lever

Right Handle Bar

• The Right handle bar houses the Feather Touch Electric starter switch,
• 3 position Head lamp Switch( Off, Fog Light + Dashboard light, ON),
• Throttle Grip,
• Front Brake Lever.

Vibrations

Vibrations on this new Hunk 2011hasneither completely eliminated neither too bad. The Vibration creeps in when you are in 60-70 Kmph or when shift in gear is inappropriate i.e. not riding in the right gears as riding the bike in correct gears will give far lesser vibrations.

Riding Position

The forward bends riding stance on Hunk is just appropriate to help you to keep your back straight, with minimal back stress even during long runs, maneuver the road better and one can cut corners easily thus providing better handling.

Maintenance and Servicing

HH has maximum number of service stations, found in each and every corner of our country. The service provided by the Hero Honda dealers is top class. For those who haven’t owned HH before I would like to share that, bike comes with 6 free services and also with extended warranty program by paying extra around 1000 bucks which covers 125 spare parts under replaceable warranty for 5 years.

In short, no extra maintenance charges for 3 years from date of purchase except engine oil charges that gets replaced during each servicing. Apart from that, what you get as an add – on are the offers like HH has initiated their program “Good Life” or “Hero Honda Passport” in which you get reward points on every serving and those points can be redeemed at a specific interval to get useful gifts.

The service engineers are well mannered and they also guide you for the betterment of your bike. It is very important to service your bike at regular intervals. Only then the bike will be able to respond to your needs. Overall I will always feel proud to be owner of a HH bike and will recommend the same to others too.

Pros

• Surface of engine are anodized. Front leg guard and sari guard is black power coated and hence protects from corrosion.
• Helmet lock near sari guard proves to be useful at times.
• Smooth Engine and its Performance.
• Muscular Looks.
• Handling
• Well-equipped digital speedometer.
• Clock.

Cons

• Absence of Engine kill switch.
• No kicker to start the bike if battery goes out.
• Front foot pegs needs to be folded to use the side stand.
• Short turn is problem with this bike as it has low turning radius.
• Locking of seat should be trouble free.
• Lack of enough storage space below the seat.

Verdict

At last I am very much satisfied with Hero Honda to pick up their product Hunk, which has been developed without many negatives as it is the bike which chose the rider not the rider the bike. If you are young; need a bike that feels masculine like a higher capacity bike then, just close your eyes and go for this bull and you will not regret it.

This is my first review, so I would like some suggestions from all the readers especially Deepak Raj about any improvements which can be brought about. I would look forward for all your comments and suggestions. Finally comes the safety of the rider because becoming a biker doesn’t mean always to ride fast, but to enjoy each and every moment of your ride.

Wearing a helmet should be something you want to do, not forced to. As in Hyderabad I’ve noticed that majority of the riders don’t wear their helmets. Choose a helmet which you want to wear as it is an important part of you and your bike.

Yamaha R15 8000KMs Ownership Review By Rohan

Hey bikers, this is Rohan Menon from Malad, Mumbai! Im an avid reader of Bikeadvice and this website has helped me a lot in choosing my first bike! Its time I give something back to the site! What better way than to write a review for my bike which recently completed 8 months with me! A Midnight Black Yamaha yzf-r15!

I bought it at a price of 1 lakh 12 thousand INR which was the on-road price for the same! This is my first bike and I have hit it right on the money the very first time! You guys don’t realize what an awesome machine she is! Owners of this machine will know what I’m talking about! I Bought this beauty on 9th of june, 2011. And ever since its been a dream, a roller coaster of a ride!

P.S. I Have Not Included Bikes Like KTM Duke 200, Honda CBR 150R, Hyosung Gt 250R, Pulsar 200 NS, Yamaha R15 Version 2.0 for comparison because 8 months back when I had bought this bike these bikes weren’t there in the indian market nor was there talk about these bikes.

Passion For Biking

My passion for biking started when I was a kid and when wearing helmets wasn’t necessary. It was the age of 2 strokers and my uncle owned a Yamaha RX-100 (a legend). And I rediscovered my passion for biking 2 years back when I sat behind my friend on his Yamaha fazer! (I See Myself Having A Strong Attraction To The Yamaha Company…..lol).

Anyways its been 8 months now and 8000 kilometers on the odometer and every single kilometer has been a joy! I Did intensive research on the net, test drove a lot of bikes viz.… Karizma ZMR, Pulsar 220, Avenger 220, Apache RTR 180 (Abs), Fazer, fz, Karizma R etc! Then came the time when I had to shortlist bikes and zero in on one bike that I would own.

The cost wasn’t an issue. My parents had told me that whatever bike I choose. I had to make sure that it lasted for a long time and something that didn’t have a lot of maintenance issues with! I decided my dream bike on the basis of the following points that I have mentioned in the review.

Looks

It is easily the best looking bike in the country. The bike rear doesn’t look as good as its front and few people might raise their eyebrows but when you stand at a signal and people stare at your bike, you know you have made the right choice.

Verdict: 9/10

The Options I Had When I Bought This Beauty

• Hero Honda Karizma Zmr
• TVS Apache RTR 180
• Pulsar 220
• Honda CBR 250
• Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark 350!

Karizma ZMR: This bike looks decent but it lacks that sporty look and its really huge and bulky, So it would be a big problem maneuvering it in traffic. And it didn’t have enough power I thought to move the bulky thing as fast as I liked. It is a great tourer though but I wasn’t looking for a tourer.

Apache RTR 180: I had a problem with the brand TVS. I was really unsure about its service and moreover I found very few showrooms of the same in my area.

Pulsar 220: First of all this thing is really bulky, not as bulky as the ZMR but still pretty heavy in comparison to the YZF-15! I was impressed with the raw power that it had (21 bhp) but then again it did not have eye catching looks and Pulsars are really common. I did not want to be one amongst the many Pulsars out on the road! (Egoistic pulsar fans are going to lash out at me for this) Its a really common bike! Also a lot of my friends weren’t happy with the Pulsars they owned for the rattling sound of their chains and for its cornering disabilities, servicing woes and cheap quality of parts used by Bajaj!

Honda CBR 250R: Awesome bike but the waiting period was 6 months and I really couldn’t wait that long!

Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark 350: Again I was unsure about the service. I must add here that I was greatly impressed with its looks! But I have heard stories about the shoddy service of enfield! And I’m not really a big fan of enfield’s. I rather love sports bike more. Guess my liking for enfield’s will come with age.

Technology Used In This Beauty

• The Electronic Fuel Injector – The fuel injector supplies fuel with the help of an e.c.u (Electronic Control Unit) as a result there is no kicker, fuel knob or choke. Because of this technology the power delivery is crisp and the throttle response is solid. Once you have ridden this, you will never go back to carburetors again.
• The Liquid Cooled Engine – There is a jacket of water and coolant that cools the engine. Its much more efficient than air cooled or oil cooled engines. The bike can hold high speeds at a longer time due to this and you can go on and on without any problems of engine overheating.
• Delta Box Frame – The Delta Box Frame made of aluminum is lighter and more rigid than the steel frames. As a result handling and braking is greatly improved.
• Di-Asil Cylinder (Die Cast Aluminum Silicon Cylinder) – Invented By Yamaha. Due to this cooling efficiency is increased and its also environment friendly because it can be recycled easily. The weight of the cylinder is also 30% lighter than cast steel liner aluminum cylinder and plated cylinder.
• Aerodynamic Design – The front cowl is aerodynamically designed which cuts the air at a better angle thereby increasing handling abilities and speed considerably.
• The Mono Shock Suspension – This technology is mainly good for good roads and race tracks. The stability because of this suspension at higher speeds is good. But on a road full of pot holes it doesn’t do its job quite as well. These days more and more companies are installing mono shock suspension on their bikes for stability at higher speeds and for providing consistent handling and braking.

Performance

This has been Yamaha’s fortress for the last 40 years and it has been safeguarding it very well! This bike is light, it only weighs a 131 kgs. I got a top speed of 150 On The Western Express Highway, Mumbai and 147 On The Mumbai-Pune Expressway! (Yes, You Heard It Right…150 Km/Hr).

Once you cross 6k rpm on the tachometer, she starts roaring and that sound is probably most pleasing to a bikers ears and the best part is that at speeds even in excess of 140km/hr one never feels any sort of vibrations or any dip in confidence. It feels and handles like magic even at high speeds like that.

In city conditions too this bike handles very well. Cornering and maneuvering through traffic is very easy. Although on pot-holed roads the suspension doesn’t work as well. But this bike was designed for the race tracks and it does a supremely good job on the highways and empty roads and it is also pretty decent in city condition.

Mileage is also an important criteria and if you maintain your bike as given in the service manual, it should give you 35-38 kmpl (city conditions) And 40-45 (highway conditions). I have been riding it for 8000 kilometers now and it still is giving me a steady mileage of 35+ kmpl. I rode it on the mumbai-pune expressway and for 8 hours non stop and not once did the engine show signs of over heating!

This shows that the liquid cooled engine is very efficient and it does a great job in cooling the engine. The ghats of lonavala were fun to climb too on the yammie with the delta box frame and the light di-asil cylinder. A special mention to the handling of this beauty as all you bikers would know by now! Its top notch and is creating its niche in terms of handling efficiency.

Some of my friends have changed their stock air filters with K&N air filters and are regretting it. It sounds like an unserviced auto rickshaw to me and they have to take it to the mechanics more often. Also the K&N is made to filter out excessive dirt in dusty conditions and mumbai isn’t that dusty I think.
There is also no change in performance. Moreover I think the stock filters do a pretty good job and I haven’t found the need to change it to a K&N. Also the Yamaha service centre guy refuse to touch your bike if they see that you have replaced your air filter. I would say “stick to the original”.

Verdict : 9/10

Instrument Panel

• This is one area Yamaha should really concentrate on making it better (thats what I feel).
• There is a digital speedometer, odometer, 2 trip meters, fuel gauge and a tachometer.
• The white colour instrument light looks superb at night.
• But a clock, real time fuel indicator, top speed recorder would have given it extra brownie points.

Verdict: 7/10

Pros And Cons

The Pros First

• Excellent Looks, Inspired By The R1!
• Great Handling!
• Very Light
• An advanced machine with Fuel Injection, Liquid Cooled System, Delta Box Frame, Di-Asil Cylinder.

The Cons

• Not a great fan of Yamaha service, they are decent but can be way better.
• Not the best tourer.
• Spares slightly on the expensive side.
• The rear part of the bike does not look as good as compared to the front part.

Service

This is another area Yamaha should concentrate on! Yamaha service can be so much better! The guys at the service centre don’t even inform you if your bike is ready and they won’t let you to have a look at how the servicing is being performed! They just dump your bike in any corner they find empty once the servicing is done. The mechanics are pretty rude too!

I see people fighting with their mechanics for not doing the job properly! I have been lucky on this front. Thankfully nothing drastic happened with me and my bike during servicing. And this is the condition of the factory outlet of Yamaha (I.F.S.) at malad, wonder whats happening at the other centers!

You get 6 free services in a year. This is a maintenance free bike. Just need to pay for the engine oil (475 Rs) and occasionally air filter cleaning and oil cooler changing which is hardly 150rs. You also need to change the front and rear disc pads after an interval of 6-8 months depending on your riding style. I needed to change mine after 7 months. The front disc pad costs 475rs and the rear disc pad costs 650rs.

The labour charge for the same is 150rs. I’m not the guys who would shy away from servicing his beauty. If you drive sensibly the cost of each service shouldn’t go beyond 700 rs. And it is sensible to buy motul chain lube which costs 480rs for a bottle which will last you at least 4-5 good sprays after each service. Its better than giving the service centre guys 200 bucks for one spray!

The best thing Yamaha offered me is an extended 3 years warranty for just 777Rs which covers the engine, fuel injector, electrical system and air induction system. The extended warranty also offers 20 free services (6 free services + 14 paid services). I think its a great deal and so I have not made any modifications on the bike and have been performing timely service on this beauty. Once the warranty is over I’l either go for daytona mods or joel joseph’s modification (race concepts). Its almost become a itch to make it even faster but the warranty thing is holding me tight!

Verdict: 6.5/10

Technical Specifications

Engine type: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 4-valve
Cylinder Arrangement: Single Cylinder
Displacement: 149 .8Cc
Bore X 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
Fuel Tank Capacity: 12 Liters
Fuel Supply System: Electronic Fuel Injection
Clutch Type: Constant-Mesh Wet Multi-Plate
Transmission Type: Return Type 6-Speed

Dimensions

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

Colours Available. Midnight Black, Racing Blue, Sunset Red, Impact Yellow.

Riding Position, Tyres, Headlights

This is one area a lot of bike gurus will open their “experienced” mouths and try to convince you not to go for this one! Take this advice, the riding position is not bad infact its sporty and gives you the feel of riding the bike. It can be tiring if you sit on it for a long time but then all bikes will have that problem. But big ass or small ass this thing is not uncomfortable not for the rider not for the pillion (unless you go touring for more than 8 hours non stop).

Verdict (Riding Position): 9/10

Bike gurus will argue about the tyres not being broad enough! Don’t listen to those idiots. It has been specially designed for the r15 by MRF! And Yamaha guys aren’t stupid, they know how to design a bike and the tires offer superior road grip. Changing it with fz or Pulsar 220 tires will only drop your mileage and you may even have to compromise with the finesse of its handling.

Also I have ridden it in the heavy rains of mumbai and I have not skid even once nor have I ever felt uncomfortable because of the tyres being puny. Instead I would owe the great handling of this beauty somewhat to the small but efficient tyres. Although I must add here that replacing it with broad tyres makes the rear part of the bike look better.

But some of my friends have replaced their stock tyres with pirellis and the tyres of Fazer and they say that they have seen a marked drop in the mileage and handling. So its not a good deal to replace your stock tyres to a bigger sized ones and lose out on the wonderful things this bike has to offer.

Verdict (Tyres): 8/10

Replacing your stock headlights with HID’s (High Intensity Discharge Lights) will only drain your bikes battery. The stock headlights do a fairly decent job. I have ridden this beauty at night for long hours and I did not ever feel the need for a H.I.D or white lights at any point of time.

Imagine having a H.I.D on your bike and then your on an isolated road and because of your H.I.D the battery of the bike drains out and you can’t start the bike. Its a scary thing to even imagine because this bike doesn’t have a kick start, so then you will be stranded with this beauty plus H.I.D’s at the isolated place. “Keep it original…..keep it simple”

Verdict (Lights): 7.5/10

Touring

• Touring on this bike can be a pain sometimes!
• The bum starts to ache when you sit on it for more than an hour, courtesy the bad quality of cushion used for the seats.
• Change the cushion by paying 500 bucks and its pretty decent!
• No wrist pain or back pain because of the riding position.
• The bike is efficient enough and can go non stop for hours and hours together without engine overheating problems or anything of that sort!
• I travelled from mumbai to pune and back to mumbai which approximately takes 8 hours and it was fun apart from the bum pain.
• I also do occasional trips to lonavala and matheran which is hassle free and gives me a great ride…every time.
• I would still consider the ZMR or enfields if I wanna tour.

Verdict: 7/10

What makes Yamaha R15 stand out and beat its competitors?

• The combination of the 150cc along with 17 Bhp (This combination is so deadly that this mean machine can lock up horns with bikes upto 225 cc’s in India, even the Pulsar 220′s 21 B.H.P falls short of this amazing combination).
• Light weight (Almost 30kgs lighter than the Pulsar 220, Karizma ZMR).
• Yamaha engineering (These guys have been making bikes for the last 40 years and they have been moto gp champions for so many years and they have made legendary bikes like the Yamaha R1,Yamaha R6, Rajdoot RD350, Yamaha RX 100)
• Looks (Sportier than most indian bikes I have come across but then again beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder).
• Handling (And here it almost certainly beats all its competitors).
• Technology (Already Discussed Earlier. The Fuel Injection, Liquid Cooled Engine, Delta Box Frame, Di-Asil Cylinder).

Final Verdict

• Finally I went for this bike for the sheer brilliance that Yamaha produced, amazing handling, great engine quality and great performance.
• You can beg to differ but she is worth every single rupee that I have paid for her.
• At a whopping 1 lakh 12 thousand, its a tad bit costly some might say.
• For the cost this bike gives you a liquid cooled engine, fuel injection system, a sporty look, great thrills on highways, people constantly asking you about the bike and the eye staring that you get standing at the signals.
• Touring can be a headache sometimes, but who wants to tour everyday (not me) and something like this is totally perfect for me!
• Its good for the occasional tours and great for the fast highway rides.
• I’m waiting to make modifications on it soon once the warranty is over and I have heard that its performance becomes even better once the modifications are performed.
• Its my first bike and I so love it, its been an awesome first for me!

Final Overall Verdict: 8.5/10!

Comments and queries greatly appreciated.