Yamaha r15: the first step to becoming a wannabe Valentino Rossi
or Fabio Quartararo, hey! whoever you're into
Imagine you're a kid living in the 2000s, you just got to watch your first Moto GP race and during the race you witnessed a certain Italian wash the whole field on his Yamaha M1 and extravagantly win the race, and now you're hooked to the VR46 ways.
Valentino Rossi on board his M1
Now, back to the present times you've just got your drivers licence and your childhood hero and an absolute Motorcycle Grand Prix Legend announces his retirement. now, you've been watching a lot of Valentino Rossi's classic race wins and wish to do the amazing things he has been doing on his Yamaha for years.
But, you're just a beginner and the closest thing to the Moto GP bike M1 that vale has raced for years and will be racing on it for the last time in Moto GP this weekend is a 197 hp Yamaha R1M that costs more than what you could afford or your father is willing to pay (as is the case with most of us Indian teenagers).
So, what can you do to impersonate your childhood hero?
Well, you got one accessible option The Yamaha R15 V3, a 155cc 19hp thoroughbred race machine.
Okay, but in all seriousness, this bike is one of the best entry-level sports bikes that one can hone their skills before they can upgrade to a higher displacement bike.
so, for all the geeks out there here are some numbers on this bike.
Yamaha has equipped this bike with a 155c Liquid-cooled, 4 stroke, SOHC, 4 valves single-cylinder engine with VVA technology that produces 19hp,14.6 Nm of torque and this engine is suspended from a delta box frame (diamond Frame), suspension duties are handled by a front telescopic fork with 41.0 mm diameter and rear Monoshock linked to an aluminium swingarm.
Some of you might be intrigued by the abbreviation "VVA", it's short for Variable Valve Actuation. And what it does is, it allows the engine to operate on two different CAM profiles one for better bottom end performance and the other for better top end Grunt, think of it as a V-tec for bikes.
So, how does this all translates into the real world?
well, to know keep on reading.
As I mentioned before R15 is an entry-level sports bike, so it won't be fair to judge this bike based on its engine output. however, Surprisingly the tiny 155cc engine is quite joyous to operate, especially the addition of VVA tech makes it stand out from other 150cc motorcycles.
The operation of this engine is pretty rewarding as it is a high revving engine it produces its peak power above 7000 Rpm that's when the VVA gets engaged, because of its high revving nature and thanks to valve actuation this engine doesn't have gaps or drop in power at any range. with sharp throttle response, it gets off the line gracefully and keeps on building speed up until 150 kph the indicated top speed of this bike is at its highest gear (i.e 6th).
And during its journey from 0 kph to its top speed of 150 kph, the speed builds up speed in a linear and progressive manner.
And some small details that make the whole riding experience pretty artistic (exaggeration? maybe, maybe not) is, every gear change is smooth and effortless. which complements the low torque output high revving nature of the engine. Riding in the traffic in a higher gear doesn't stress out the engine which makes the whole day to day riding more enjoyable even at low speeds.
onto the part that'll make you embrace the VR46 vibes, The Handling capabilities.
I think it'll come as no surprise when I say that R15 V3 is good at tackling corners due to the fact that it has a delta box frame that is quite similar to its elder and more powerful and capable sibling The Yamaha R1.
But if one does actually consider this as a stepping stone in their quest to become a better rider and hone their skills then there is no better sports bike, to begin with than the R15 v3.
Because, It's quite eager to turn into the corner but not too aggressively to catch out the rider while entering the turn while carrying some respectable speed.
But the factor of this bike's cornering abilities might be its ability to stay sharp and stable in the middle part of the last corner, which instils confidence in the rider to make minute corrections at high-speed cornering with utmost precision.
Although the throttle response is sharp or not aggressive and engine response is predictable that allows a new rider to explore the grip levels of the rear tire while exiting a corner.
RIDE QUALITY
one must judge this bike' ride quality solely based on what Yamaha intended it to be a small capacity sports bike that doesn't feel out of place on a race track (if needed to).
So, considering this R15 surely rides better than most of the sport bikes in its category. it is stiff but not too stiff to make the whole experience horrid and insufferable as the damping is pretty much on point keeping in mind it can also go around a corner without breaking a sweat, as it is also quite subtle over bad roads and does a pretty good job of going over potholes without making the rider uncomfortable.
Even though R15 is an impressive entry-level sports bike there are a few things I think it could have done better.
For example, the bike could've done with better suspension and chassis control at the rear, because while cornering at a half-decent lean angle a small obstruction on the road makes the bike nervous at the rear. Better damping or suspension tune might sort that out.
Another thing is the brakes even though they provide good stopping power and are sharp initially but as you progress into them they lack progression and becomes completely void of feedback, if the brakes had more progression and feedback instead of sharpness at the initial bite, it would make the whole experience much better.
But if this is going to be someone's first sports bike then I don't think these small issues will deviate them from the overall joyous experience this bike has to offer and I am pretty sure it won't deviate their learning curve either, moreover, these negative aspects of the bike might make them a better rider trying to adapt and overcoming them.
And if this is going to be someone's only sports bike then they have to suck it up and live with it or try to get it sorted via aftermarket solutions as there aren't many entry-level bikes on offer by any manufacturer that comes close to the sophistication Yamaha offers.
Or just go and try the new Yamaha R15 M V4 and find out whether you like it or not.
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