Yamaha YZF R15 Review: Initial Impressions

Reviewed by Jiljith C.P

Finally found myself on one at the sales centre. The riding position is...quite different. Legs back, shoulder front, hands down-- maybe this was exacerbated by my height. It has a light feeling though-- like well-engineered sport bikes should be; or maybe its the 130 kg weight. 

And here comes the big downside-- it accelerates poorly. I didn't throw open the throttle, but I expected a lot more from a light, 17bhp bike. In low rpms it seems like any 150cc bike-- definitely behind the Pulsar 220 and the ageing Karizma: or maybe they weren't expecting the rider to stay below 4000rpm. The response though is more instantaneous than the 220 and the Karizma. Pulsar 220 is unique in this aspect: it is the only bike I have ridden which has a thick power delivery at low rpms...really thick. As you roll on the throttle, you can feel each gradation of the rev of the engine in a smooth powerful linear manner-- the Fuel injection makes a big difference in the 220; but then I thought it handled badly-- worse than the 200. 

But I heard the R15 comes into its own only after 5000rpm...I really it hope does! else a lakh would be too much. There is a small catch here though-- you don't actually "feel" the speed when you're riding this bike. You always feel like you're riding slow. So it could be that it did go fast, but I didn't feel it. I remember the guy at the back holding onto me rather hard at one time. hmmm...

The R15 frame seemed stiffer and stronger than the other bikes; it also seemed...somewhat 'straight'...like it had some fine straight-line going through the frame....Very, very stable.

I thought the rear disc brakes-- with all the so-called racing technology would be sharp. On purpose I tried braking only with the rear-- it just wouldn't stop. I guess they intended it to be used like other race bikes-- in conjunction with the front...with much much more in front: rear brakes only to add stability and slide to the braking...to support the braking process as a whole-- not for braking. There you go-- that was lesson no.1 for me. On the other hand, it breaks really well...and it's really stable even when you brake hard-- it makes you feel like you should have braked harder!

Nice small rubbery grips-- the likes I have not seen before; and a rather small LCD, though it was nice and sharp. The rearview mirrors wouldn't budge when I tried adjusting them-- or am I really that weak?It doesn't sound good at low rpms; but sounds real good at higher rpms.

I had to do a standing U-turn, and the handle seemed like it wouldn't turn as much as our ordinary bikes. The big fairing and static head-section meant no squeezing between gaps, either-- no more disco-style riding.
The bike is compact, tightly packed-- very different from the other 'mini-faired' bikes we have.

The thin rear tyres seemed to spread out--- I didn't have trouble maintaining balance even at low speeds. It's not all-that thin actually....it's just that it's not flat like our conventional tyres, it's curved-- making it look thin. It flattens while riding.

The gear cog is the funniest part-- I was always having trouble with it. My foot had to actually move 'up' to get on top of it while downshifting...or maybe my sitting position wasn't right. The travel between each gear also seemed high-- maybe that was just a thing of the test-bike. The neutral is very pronounced-- I kept shifting into it. The shifting overall though was nice and smooth; it clicked into place well: I could feel the clicking in my heart...haha. It was that good.

The liquid cooling didn't seem all that magical though. The fairing ensures that you don't realise the engine-heating part; but I inserted my hand between the fairing, and the engine felt quite warm for a half-kilometre ride-- just as much as any other bike-- if not more! Maybe it has to be run-in-- that could be an excuse.

Definite head-turner...even the auto guy stopped me and asked -- "How much...?" I was all busy evaluating the bike, and I mumbled something in some language.

The dark-red and black-fairing combo looks nice-- more conservative than the sporty Yamaha-warrior blue-and-white (just a personal opinion). And black is not the glittery black, it's a little dull-- they call it graphite.

I only had a small 400m slow, straight-line ride in a crowded street with a pillon. Probably not the best way to gauge this bike (it was more like a worst-case scenario). Anyways, there is only one bike in this category: we have no choice!

And...yes, the bike is worth its price. The technology in the bike can be 'felt' but it requires a keen eye. It is one of the few bikes that actually does things for you: if you don't brake hard enough, it will brake for you. It also has some 'magical' qualities-- it can shroud somethings so that you don't feel it...like I said before-- you always feel like you're going slow...and this is just one of the things. It's strongly built-- even the alloy wheels felt somewhat stronger than usual. It has a feeeling of unity in its design as a whole: I altogether forgot that the bike actually had a rear while I was riding.

The detailing in each aspect is very high: it seems like they really spent time engineering this one. This is not an update, or an upgrade-- this is something new...for us. The bike was always one step ahead of me even at low speeds; and even when I caught up with it...it jumped one more step ahead. You keep getting better-- and it keeps getting better too.

I don't think any average rider can put this bike to its paces: you can't get on 'top' of this bike. This bike was definitely developed on the track: they could not have achieved this level of accuracy else. It can be razor-sharp-- if you have the skill. It is very 'functional' in its approach. Everything in this bike is 'tight'.

The Indian manufacturers will have to exit the premium bike segment now: there is no catching up on this one...not by themselves. Bike magazines were right when they said-- "Welcome to the present". We don't have to struggle with the bike anymore: finally, we can shift our focus onto the road (or the track). The bike does have some novel characteristics-- it can make you a better rider; it can educate you.
Yeah, Yamaha really is something...I agree. 

And they had this jaw-dropping wall-sized poster of the red-silver-black anniversary-edition R1 right behind the display model of the R15...I almost fell down. "11 lakh 90, sir" -- he said. My eyes shifted to the real world-- the R15. I was convinced: I needed the 'R'. I told him-- "I'll be back"

PS: I think the R1 poster was put there on purpose. You guys should tell your friends to shield their eyes from the poster while evaluating the R15...the poster can be very convincing.