Yamaha YZF-R15 motorcycle launched and video of R15

Biking just got hotter with the new Yamaha YZF-R15. Japan’s global bike giant Yamaha is rolling out the brand new sports motorcycle YZF-R15 for India motorcycling enthusiasts.

The YZF-R15 will be the first motorcycle in India with six gears after the old Yamaha RD 350. The engine is a liquid-cooled, four-stroke single cylinder four-valve fuel injected engine. Liquid cooling on the YZF R15 is a first for motorcycles in India. The 150cc engine produces 16 bhp. A lot of people would not be all that happy with that 150 cc specification of the YZF-R15. However, the 16 bhp and 6 gears would keep a lot of wannabe racers satisfied.

In India, Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd’s stylish 150 cc high-end bike will take on the market segment so far ruled by Hero Honda’s Karizma, Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-FI and TVS Apache RTR.

How would it fare on the road against the Karizma? Initial guesses are that this 150cc crotch rocket would beat the Karizma in acceleration stakes. Top speeds are another issue altogether. However, we will have to wait for the initial test rides of the YZF-R15 to come in to have any clarity at all on this.

Yamaha India believes that the new model would kick start a new experience altogether for Yamaha enthusiasts.The model is being tipped as one of the most technologically advanced bikes in India. Yamaha in India is aggressively promoting YZF-R15, which will come sporting a price tag of close to Rs 100,000, and is targeting a sale of 25,000 units between now and December.

The pricing is a surprise. It was believed, post Auto-Expo 2008, that this motorcycle is likely to be priced quite a bit above Rs 1 lakh when it hits the roads. Yamaha has taken care of that; psychologically, that rs 1 lakh marke is a killer and might have ruined its chances in India.

The YZF-R15 motorcycle, looks-wise, takes after the Yamaha R1 superbike. The motorcycle is available in two colours, racing blue and black. This is also India’s first motorcycle with a full-fairing in front – lookswise, we can safely call it the best in the market.

Positioning it properly for the Indian market, Yamaha hopes for a re-emergence in the country’s bike mart after a slew of commuter bikes which the company ahs been churning out in the last decade after the iconic Yamaha RX 100.

As part of the launch, the company has also unveiled a series of events with test rides and is happy with the response. Yamaha Motor India Pvt Ltd today it plans to invest about Rs 800 crore in the next three years for product development, capacity expansion and marketing initiatives.