Yamaha R15 3.0 – The WINGED point of view

August 9, 2018 0 By The Editor

This year the Yamaha YZF-R15 V 3.0 made its debut in India at Auto Expo 2018, with not just its cutting edge features and looks but also with an all new power delivery system it indeed hit the high note. Finding a Yamaha fan who was disappointed with what the Yamaha R15 in its third avatar offered would be like finding a needle in a hay stack. Indeed the Yamaha R15 had all the scribes including us glued to our cameras not just the extremities that had everyone going gaga on the the Metzeler tyre driven machine lap on lap. Yes, Yamaha! is all we could say comment about our First Impressions of the Yamaha R15 3.0 and while it impressed us on the MMRT race track we were keen to know how this motorcycle handled on the track.

Taking a different point of view from a motorcyclist who had the smoothness of over 40,000 kilometres and the sanity to keep the young stallion from going berserk we rasked one such individual to getting on the saddle. Keeping it unbiased and yet raw, it was communicated that no details apart from the basics of the motorcycle and guidelines of decorum would be discussed until a post ride meet took place. We do thank Mr. Samuel Joy for his time to clock in the hundred odd kilometres to pen down his thought about the motorcycle. Going with the concept of fifteen we asked him for 15 straight from the heart points that could sum up the Yamaha R15 from the point of view of a “Winged Rider”

Photo credits as per watermark Gourab Das Photography

Who am I?

I am Samuel Joy from Pune, working as a Business Development Manager in an IT Services Firm in Pune. Riding bike since 8^th grade and the longest ride done is Leh-Ladakh and consistent weekend rides to keep my sanity.

What I ride?

A 2014 CBR250R

Why CBR 250R?

After riding a Pulsar 150 for 7 years I was looking for a reasonable upgrade. Since budget wasn’t an issue and the only better bike in the late 2013/ early 2014 was the Duke 390 which didn’t fit my usage and riding style I took the educated decision of going for the Honda CBR250R. This is one of the most versatile motorcycles available in the market till this day. It’s been 4 years and closing 45,000km on this smooth machine which is still going strong and just asks for basic maintenance and an in return offers an even smoother ownership experience.

15 points about Yamaha R15 V3.0:

Beautiful handling and saved me a couple of unexpected surprise elements on the road.
The suspension amazed me as I went through a few big potholes and the bike dampened the impact without any fuss.
Look amazing – Bonsai version of the 2017 Yamaha R6.
The slip and assist clutch and the gearbox is a pleasure to operate.
Ample room for tall riders, I am 5’11 and never felt cramped while on the bike.
Hight tech Engine which is refined with a slight vibration and very rev happy.
I managed to hit a top speed of 125 and the bike felt planted.
You can see when the VVA kicks for that little extra boost in on the console after 7500rpm. Looks gimmicky but I liked it.
Windblast is well contained and didn’t experience it much.
Cheap creaky plastics especially on the tank for the bike of this price.
The shabbily finished welding patches on the sub frame and near the instrument console are an eyesore for this beautifully detailed bike.
Since this is a track bike, the committed riding position is uncomfortable for city commutes and also you will need frequent breaks while on a long ride.
Although equipped with LED’s the headlamp felt inadequate for illuminating the road ahead which caused me to go through some big potholes.
The adjustable rear view mirror is of not much use as I can mostly just see my arms.
With the speed this bike is capable of it should have come with ABS atleast as an option. Even a single channel would have sufficed.