Yamaha’s R15 is, with all due respects, the most affordably close you can get to “Racing bikes”. When the first generation model came out back in 2009, it shook the market with its stellar performance figures and high tech wizardry packed in a nimble package, despite an astronomical price tag! The customers, however, demanded more and Yamaha obliged: 2012 saw the entry of the R15 version 2.0 which was sportier but this also caused a wee bit of a disappointment
Very recently, a few pics of a new model of R15, by the name R15-S, came up on the internet which claimed that Yamaha will be launching this rebadged R15 version 1 in the market soon and quite naturally, we were sceptical big time! But we assured you that we will try to put this rumour up with Yamaha and see if they reveal something.
So today at a media briefing (on R3) we posted this question to Yamaha’s officials and one of them confirmed the development. Yes, this is no hoax and Yamaha is indeed going to launch the R15-S which will look like the first generation model but will carry the technological upgrades of the version 2 and will be more practical.
We went onto ask the expected price point of the new-old bike and the management confirmed that R15-S will be carrying the same/similar price point as the Version 2.0! This means that this will NOT be a lesser variant in the lineup but will add to the current R15’s base and will be ideal for guys who were so far neglecting the motorcycle just because of its unfriendly second floor pillion seat.
The folks however did not reveal the rationale behind the R15-S but we believe that two different looks with the same ability to gulp tracks, can be a nice ploy. The ‘V2’ for those who ride solo and want things as sporty as possible and the ‘S’ for those who prefer to take it a wee bit easy and want something more practical. This will help Yamaha cater to a wider set of buyers.
Also Read: Yamaha YZF-R3: First Ride Review with Video
The R15 version 2.0, which is presently on sale, carries a starting price of Rs 1.14 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) and uses its 149.8 cc SOHC engine to churn out 17 PS of power and 15 Nm of torque. Yamaha also revealed that the R15-S will be launched very, very soon.
