Yamaha R15R15 M

What to know about the R15

The R15 is the motorcycle that taught an entire generation of Indian buyers what a proper chassis feels like. The upside-down fork, the aluminium-framed stiffness and the geometry that came out of Yamaha’s circuit programme still make it the reference point at 155cc, and the thing that separates it from the field is how composed it feels mid-corner rather than how hard it accelerates.

The 155cc variable-valve-actuation single is a willing unit that asks to be worked. Peak power arrives at 10,000 rpm and the engine genuinely likes the last quarter of the tacho, which means the six-speed box is used hard in city traffic where a torquey commuter would sit in a higher gear. The quickshifter, fitted from the mid trim up, is the most useful electronic on any small-capacity bike sold here.

The compromises are the ones that come with any track-biased 155. The pegs are high enough to catch on a speed breaker loaded with a pillion, the rear of the bike is firm over broken tarmac, and the riding position asks something of the wrists on a long run. Buyers who want one motorcycle for the office and the racetrack will accept all of it; buyers who only ride in traffic should test-ride the ergonomics first.

• Quickshifter and traction control from the mid trim
• Upside-down fork and a trellis-derived frame
• 42 kmpl claimed despite a 10,000 rpm power peak