Yamaha YZF-R15M World GP 60th Anniversary Edition Review

Yamaha R15 is a sports bike that is immensely popular amongst young riders in India. It garnered a level of popularity that was perhaps bested by only one other Yamaha, the RX100. The RX100 possessed the minds of many people, and still does, as it offered a good level of performance paired with a pleasing soundtrack, all of that while keeping the package accessible and affordable. The R15 does something similar to that, but in a quite different way. It offers proper big bike looks, as its design is borrowed straight from the larger Yamaha R7, and boasts a level of performance that makes it quite likeable. All of that in the accessible 150 cc segment too.

The Yamaha R15 borrows its looks from the larger Yamaha R7, giving it a proper big bike appearance.

Now in its fourth generation, the Yamaha R15 V4 has evolved in many ways over its predecessor. In its top-spec trim - named R15M - it gets some clever tech as standard too, including Variable Valve Actuation (VVA), a single directional quickshifter, and even traction control. But the version that we have with us is a bit special. It celebrates the 60th Anniversary of Yamaha’s association with the premier class of motorcycle racing. The special edition gets several changes over the standard R15M, but they are all visual differences and mechanically it remains unchanged.

Design:

The Yamaha R15M World GP 60th Anniversary Edition sports the ‘Speed Block’ livery, which is inspired from the Yamaha YZR-M1 race bike from the past. The livery has a base shade of white, and has a red stripe running across either sides of the bike, and on top of the fuel tank. There’s also a dash of yellow on the bike’s face. It also gets gold coloured wheels as opposed to the electric blue wheels on the standard R15M, or the black wheels on the base variant of the R15 V4. Apart from some more 60th Anniversary badges, the WGP edition also gets a golden coloured ‘tuning fork’ logo.

The Yamaha R15M World GP 60th Anniversary Edition sports a golden tuning fork logo and gold coloured wheels.

The white and red livery surely makes the R15 appear even more premium, while continuing to appear much larger than it is. It is only when you approach the bike and sit on it that you realise how compact its dimensions are. I for one would pick this livery any day, but the standard R15M with its silver and blue livery also looks wonderful. The rear of the motorcycle doesn’t appear as special as the rest of the bike though, and the absence of LED turn indicators rob from what is otherwise a very premium looking and well finished motorcycle.

The rear of the motorcycle doesn’t appear as special, and the absence of LED turn indicators robs from the premiumness of the motorcycle.

Engine & Tech:

The R15 gets a 155 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled motor, which develops 18.1 bhp at 10,000 rpm and 14.2 Nm torque at 7,500 rpm. But in the latest generation model, the motor also gets Variable Valve Actuation, or VVA. What this system does, is that it uses two separate valves allowing a good spread of torque throughout the rev range. The system switches the valves around the 7,000 rpm mark, and there’s even an indicator on the instrument cluster to show when the system is active, pretty nifty!

The R15 gets a full digital instrument cluster with indicators for VVA, Quickshifter, missed call and SMS alert, TCS, and even has shift lights.

Power is transmitted via a 6-speed gearbox which is equipped with a quickshifter in the higher variants. The quickshifter is only single-directional and works for upshifts, and is only active above 2,000 rpm and when the throttle is open. Further, there’s also an indicator on the display which shows when the quickshifter is available, but you’ll hardly find yourself looking for it after a few times. While the upshifts are great, the same couldn’t be said about the downshifts, as the bike struggled to quickly shift from sixth to second when coming to a stop.

The 155 cc motor puts out 18.1 bhp at 10,000 rpm, and 14.2 Nm torque at 7,500 rpm.

Talking about stopping, the brakes are adequate, but aren’t up to the level of performance on offer on this motorcycle. If you are an experienced rider, you will find yourself running out of braking power and wanting for a stronger bite every time you hastily come to a stop. Dual-channel ABS helps you to extract everything the brakes have to offer, and you may find yourself triggering the ABS often. The R15 gets an all digital instrument cluster with a bunch of information, including shift lights, a track mode where the bike can record your lap time, and even bluetooth connectivity with missed call and message alerts. The display however, misses on turn-by-turn navigation.

Ride & Dynamics:

The Yamaha R15 truly impresses in ride and handling, and it has a proper sports bike feel to it. It maintains its composure even when you hit a bump in early triple digit speeds on a highway, and is good fun in cornering. The compactness of the bike paired with the crouched seating position makes for a very nimble machine, and it is great for carving your way through city traffic too.

The Yamaha R15 maintains its composure even when you hit a bump at early triple digit speeds, and the suspension is comfortable enough to allow long distance cruising.

The motorcycle makes for a good occasional highway cruiser, as it reaches and holds early triple digit speeds effortlessly. The suspension is comfortable enough to allow long distance cruising too, and if you make frequent stops to stretch your back, you won’t find yourself too uncomfortable. Multi-day trips won’t be advisable on it though, as a long day of riding will surely leave you with a sore back the next day. Add to this the fact that the R15 returns great fuel economy, and this entry level supersport motorcycle just makes up for a versatile, everyday machine, and has the potential to be the only bike in your garage until you upgrade to something larger.

The R15M World GP 60th Anniversary Edition costs Rs. 1,400 more than the standard R15M, while remaining mechanically identical to it.

Verdict

The Yamaha R15M World GP 60th Anniversary Edition sports a very clean and elegant look, and is priced Rs. 1,400 more than the standard R15M. I personally love the way it looks, but wether you go for it or not depends on you. As for the standard Yamaha R15 V4, its pricing starts from Rs. 1.79 lakh, and goes all the way up to Rs. 1.90 lakh (Ex-Showroom) for this WGP Edition. For that money, you can get yourself a 200 or a 250 cc naked motorcycle having much more performance. But the R15 has proper big bike looks, and boasts a decent level of performance making the package quite likeable in the entry level supersport motorcycle segment.