Suyash has submitted this review in our Ownership Review Contest No 13, ensuring himself an assured prize. The contest also offers a chance to win Riding Jacket, Helmet and more…Here are all the details.
Hello everyone I am Suyash Parnam, from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. I am a CLAT aspirant, just turned 18 and got “THE LOVE OF MY LIFE – R15 ”. I didn’t specify v1 or v2 as I love both the models seamlessly. This isn’t exactly a review, it is a sum of my experiences n lil knowledge I have about bikes.
I am a novice in writing reviews so please pardon me for grammatical mistakes n technical too. I am sharing my views n plz feel free to correct me 🙂
I have divided this experience in different parts
- My story
- My experience with other bikes
- My experience with love (r15)
My Story
I was fond of automobiles right from the childhood but I had a special place for cars in my heart, bikes weren’t much of an appealing thing to me. When I turned 13, I was in 8th that was the time I was given the freedom to ride alone my mom’s activa 2004 model.
Yea riding two wheeler was a proud moment n full of excitement too but as I said earlier I had a special place for cars I was more keen in learning to drive cars which I did learn the same year.
Now the bike story begins like this…
I was in Itarsi with my chachu. He owns a HH passion plus, one fine day he asked me to drop him to his bank n take the bike back to home assuming I knew how to drive a bike, & what I didn’t know how to ride one,but I knew how to drive a car n it was a bit same like driving car I gave it a try n I rode easily n came back home…this bike riding thing n doing broom broom changing gears amused me then n there….
When holidays were over, I was back to Bhopal n was watching RAFTAAR (automobile show) on NDTV N in one episode I saw MR SAMBHAV KRANTI riding this beautiful sports bike which was about to be launched in India it was in black color. I fell in love with it instantly n dreamt of owning it one day..
Years passed n I started to see the bike on road in Bhopal, only a handful people owned it because of its price, that was the era of Pulsars.
Now I was 15, 10th class the urge to own an R15 was on its peak, cause I started to go on long rides with my friends on my activa n I told that I am asking dad to buy me R15. Everyone was waiting as no one in my group owned a bike n all loved n were always looking to ride one. But same year I met an accident on my activa n I crashed it like hell it had cost me around 26k to get it repaired.
It was a major accident n even the chassis was broken then in 2011. I again met a major accident n again there were lot of injuries n my friend also got hurt this time it had cost around 16k, in total I met almost 7 accidents 3 major 4 minor most of them were because of over speeding. There was a strict denial on buying me a bike cause of this n instead a Suzuki access was bought.
I felt bad but then again access was the best n fastest among the scooters I clocked 101 km/hr on it easily. My activa (stock) did 86/87 but when I changed spark plugs it could easily pull up to 97.
Throughout the 11th class, I was a speed freak n altered my rides to get the max out of them including to filters to get some sound 😛
This year the dreams of owning a r15 were shattered but sep 6,2012 it was and a new model of r15 was launched. As I am a regular follower of BikeAdvice I saw the pics from the launch n at first glance I was like YUCK what did they do to that beautiful bike.
The new rear wheel hugger to me appeared like a cycle’s mudguard..
The next day I woke up n started acting stubborn n asked my dad to buy me a r15 v1 in 1 month as its production would stop n I didn’t like the new version n ol… everyday I tried to convince him to buy r15 v1 before the last stock is finished.
But nothing happened n later on when I saw r15 v2 on road in red n white color “o my god” were my expressions it was so dam beautiful n I felt I was so wrong.
Finally I was 17, 12th class n this year I had a feeling that I will be buying a bike. I had various disputes with dad regarding this n I was so so obsessed of owning a bike because each year I announced among my friends that I was going to buy one n at last nothing happened so I thought I would instead buy other bike because they would cost less n my dad would agree to buy me 1 (although price wasn’t an issue, but was a great convincing factor to buy bikes other than r15)
This year again wasn’t any good for me n there was a huge burden of studies too, finally I controlled my obsession for bikes N came 2013. Dad agreed this year he would buy me a bike if I get 85% n above. I was so happy but on the other hand I knew it is bit of an issue as I was a bio student n I had no interest for bio n was looking forward to prepare for CLAT n didn’t know a thing regarding bio 😛
I passed but didn’t cross the benchmark set..n was disappointed.., but surprisingly dad still had in mind of buying me a bike
but my mom was keen in gifting me a HERO SPLENDOR 😛
I was like…what is this I m better off with my activa n access.
Finally dad gave me two options; either I buy a Splendor for 1 year for going clat coaching and the following year he would buy me an r15 (cause I was like dad plz plz buy me a r15 just for I day n u could sell it the next day itself but once in lifetime I want this bike.)
or I could wait till next year n crack CLAT and the same day I will get a NINJA 300. NINJA was 1 bike me n my dad always adored.
Time passed n it was 7th July 2013.
I was in INDORE (my hometown) n came to know that one of my childhood friend owned a Yamaha r15 v2 midnight black (my fav color is racing blue) he came to my home n took me for a ride n surprisingly asked me to ride it. ( I was on 7th cloud, as I rode Apache rtr180, Pulsar 200ns and cbr 250 several times but all those years I had never ridden an r15 neither v1 nor v2 n this was the chance) I rode the bike n it was so awesome.
I remember I was standing at the signal with a r15 with custom exhausts n was revving it hard to seek attention and as soon as the signal turned green n I accelerated n I was already doing 90 in 3rd gear within seconds the 150 cc engine was so much different from the normal 150 like that of hunk or RTR or any other bike.
After this r15 was all over me n my dad was in a good mood too..1 day he came n asked me to sell my activa n access and he will give me the same amount of money I generate after selling the two. I collected 55000 rupees after selling them now my range was upto 1 lac, I could buy any bike but still bit far from r15.
I asked dad plz plz buy me a r15 but he said it is a very fast bike n mom would not be able to sit on the rear seat n it would give low mileage n ol other thing so finally I started researching for other option that would at least resolve the problem regarding the pillion seat.
It was 28 july 2013 n my dad bought a Renault DUSTER I was happy but as soon as I came to know that he cannot buy me a r15 now because he had spent my bikes money on this SHITBOX (DUSTER) I was so furious n demoralized that I stopped talking to him, I stopped talking to my friends, gf n others. The only person I communicated with was my mom because I needed food to eat n also fare to go to my coaching (as I sold out both my rides I was on my own. Coaching was 11km from my house. I walked 3km and for remaining distance I had to change 2 buses.)
It was almost 2 weeks I wasn’t in contact of anybody n on 10th august my best friend came home to stay for the night. That night he consoled me everything is going to be okay n I should talk to my dad but I was determined cause I felt if I do so he would not buy me r15 the next morning (11th august) I went downstairs n saw dad sitting ( his posting in Indore so he comes on sats n Sundays to stay with us) went outside saw the duster standing outside I was keen to drive it but had refused earlier to drive it or even sit in it because she was my enemy its only because of her I can’t get my r15 were the thoughts prevailing my mind.
I went inside n was about to ask mom for her car keys to drop my friend back home something flashed my mind n I said “ chal tujhe duster se chod k atta hu. Went to the bedrooms took the keys n then to dad “papa gadi le k jar rha hoon” He was astonished I talked after so many days. He said ok but dhayan se n then I took her off n went to home of my other friends n seeing the new car their 1st word were. “papa se baat karna chalu kar di” 😀
I went home back asked for sorry n den dad took me to almost 5 to 6 showrooms to enquire about different bikes n obvious 1st one was Yamaha. After enquiring everything we were about to go Bajaj showroom n I insisted him to ride a r15 he did n was amazed by the pickup itself.
Then went to see pulsar 200 ns personally my dad faviorite was 200ns bcz it was inside 1 lakh n was a mixture of what I demanded n what he wanted to buy me.
After that we went to ktm followed by Honda, he said cbr250 is of no use for me n within few seconds of seeing cbr 150 we both kicked her out of the list bcz of cheap looks n price too ( it is 5-7 thousand costly than r15).
After enquiring all this on 11th aug he went back to Indore same day. 1 day was left to my bday n there were no signs of me buying a bike.
Finally it was 13th august my bday I woke up at 10 AM (bcz of late night wishes). Mom went to college and I was alone, watched a movie n by now it was already 5 pm.
Dad was still in Indore n it was confirmed that I am not buying a bike today. Same day it was around 8:30 pm I was watching TARAK MEHTA KA ULTA CHASMA n I heard a sound of a car being parked in front of my house n yea it was dad. He came in, kissed me on forehead, wished me, drank a glass of water n said chal bike dila k lata hoon…
I was like WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATT 😀 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I dressed up called my best friend to get ready n told him get ready I m coming to pick u up we are going to showroom to buy a bike, to which he responded what!!!!!!! 😛 which bike?
I said it is either r15 or pulsar 200 ns (because dad didn’t tell me which bike I will get n as I said he liked the ns) finally we reached the destination n now was the actual suspense. YAMAHA’s showroom was just next to BAJAJ’s n I followed dad n yepiieee he stepped towards HARIOM YAMAHA :DDDDDD
n I was like dad its already 9 15 how come the showroom is still open. He said while I was on the way I rang them n said we want to buy an r15 today but I will b late n they agreed to wait n there was standing THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.
my dad asked which colour do u want I said the thundering green Special Edtion he said THE WHITE N BLUE SPECIAL EDITION was good too n it won’t attract scratches n ol.
But my best friend accompanying me n my gf wanted me to but the black one n I myself liked the old racing blue but it wasn’t in production so I thought the black one is better then the rest available.
I asked dad “ THAT I WANTED THE SAME BIKE WHICH WAS STANDING INSIDE THE GLASS BOX (as everyday on my ROUTE to home my BUS would pass from the same road on which HARIOM YAMAHA was situated and I would STARE at the thundering green R15 inside that GLASSBOX n would WONDER I will BUY the SAME BIKE, n yea I DID.)
All paper work was done n I rode the bike with my bestie astonished with the fact that it was my own bike., went to the petrol pump near my house n it attracted hell lot of attention.. reached THE HANUMAN MANDIR (the same mandir where everyday passing by I prayed to god for r15 while the 3km walk to my home) did the rituals n reached home.
That night was the best night I was happy thing finally I got THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. This was my story and m sure u all are very much bored from this story.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER BIKES
There is a huge range of bikes I considered because I had a budget of 80,000-150000 mostly all these were bikes are the flagships model of their respective manufacturers in India in their segment.
TVS APACHE RTR 180 ABS
The new model of rtr 180 according to me wasn’t as appealing like the older ones so I considered the old model (both old and new model of rtr are still manufactured).
Apache according to me was good in performance plus looks, I rode multiple rtr’s but the same problem I encountered was the notchy gearbox it wasn’t up to the marks and also the vibration I experienced both as a rider n pillion other than this it was top classs in pickup n rideability in city traffic. Also it has a grunty exhaust note.
My main reason for not choosing rtr was engine reliability, I discovered that Apache’s engine wasn’t so rev happy even if u occasionally ride it rough eventually it results in low average for lifetime n diminished smoothness.
BAJAJ PULSAR 220
Before saying something about this bike I want to say that “PULSARS are different affair those who buy pulsars are pulsar maniacs n they already have a mindset for buying it. This bike has got some mean looks 😉 Riding this bike feels good.
The biggest con is that the bike is considerably heavy not everyone can handle it.
the best part are the headlamps and also the widespread service centers of bajaj are of great help. yea it’s a tourer.
PULSAR 200 NS
Although it has a pulsar’s name but this bike is way different from the typical pulsars. You get a very attractive console,according to me this bike is an all rounder. You get a decent average , 6 gears , the most comfortable seating, plus some unique features like triple spark technology.
The only con I experienced was a very little amount of hot air from the exhaust at the foot pegs. Other than that, this is the best bike plus its value for money too and it has a great pickup too
HONDA CBR 150
According to me this is the worst bike in this comparison. It doesn’t have an engine kill and pass switch, other than this the switches are the same that on the Honda shine. It lacks a top notch fit n finish compared to the pricing. But yea regarding performance it’s a beast.
HONDA CBR 250
Some of u will be wondering y did I include cbr 250 in this cause there’s a 150 already. But personally I think this bike is the 2nd best bike in this comparison. It has all the feel of a premium bike. It can pull upto 140 or more easily or just riding at 60’s, This bike can manage a descent average too.
This beast in Repsol Edition <3 … one can’t ask for more.
But there are some cons like both cbr 150 n 250 doesn’t boast a led tail light n bit of heat from the radiator fan.
KTM DUKE 200
Overall this is the best bike in this comparison if money doesn’t bother you. This bike boots rider’s safety the most. Its has best shockups instead of regular ones they are inverted like superbikes. I love the sound from the exhaust, it has the most advance console. This bike just goes broom broom broom.
It can easily compete against any bike in this list. One issue I have with this bike is its too small , although it’s a plus point but according to me it should have been bit more mass at the rear n some looks too.
HERO KARIZMA R
Bike with the best engine reliability. Has great looks but is a bit old now in this new era. Like pulsar people who buy Karizma also have a mindset. This bike is a great alternative to pulsar 220. Rear disc should have been included.
Some people don’t find its console attractive but personally I love it n it has a smooth engine.
Yamaha fz/Fz16/fazer
In my opinion I don’t like the looks of fazer. My friends who own this bike complain that this bike needs a lot of maintenance expenditure n gives low mileage. Even the Yamaha salesman asked me to buy an apache instead.
But other than this its pretty well in performance n sitting too..i love looks of fz/fz16 n u have a range of colors or graphics to chose from n it is different from the rest in market.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH R15
First of all r15’s torque n performance is way different from a normal 150cc bike.
Gear shifting is the smoothest, one additional gear is a boon n makes the ride ever smoother. In initial days I faced a lil problem from shifting down from 2nd to 1st gear it was a mess but after the 2nd service it was up to the mark (mechanic altered my clutch n it was buttery smooth n the gear downshift problem vanished too.)
The bike handles extremely well, I didn’t notice this thing until I was cornering an rtr at a circle and I lost confidence at the last moment, on the other hand doing that on my v2 is so full of confidence, as soon as I corner with this beast I feel like the front weight just disappears.
The digital console is very attractive n I personally love the white backlight, it looks elegant. It has 2 trip meters, fuel gauge, speedometer n as soon as the bike starts running in reserve a “-F” trip meter starts which counts the distance covered in reserve, although it is advised that you never get the fuel level below 1.5 liter as it may damage the fuel pump which comes with no guarantee.
Riding position is aggressive than usual bikes, after 5 months of ownership I haven’t yet encountered any sort of backache, wrist pain at all. (even my dad didn’t experience such pain.). Although this varies from person to person but yeah you can’t do long rides on this bike (when comfort is concerned).
The pillion seat is very uncomfortable, its okay for city rides but is of no use for long rides. One major problem I encountered was if the pillion doesn’t know how to sit properly it creates a problem for the rider, you often feel disbalanced n if there’s a heavy pillion you do feel effect on the performance.
But the bike is designed so well that u never feel any sort of weight on hands while riding in traffic and the best part is u can easily move back and forth along with a pillion 😉
In the initial period I got an average of around 28-32 kmpl which after first service elevated to a consistent 36. It was only after 2nd service the bike started giving average of 45kmpl on mixed riding.
During the run in period I never ever crossed 4k rpm and 55kmph. I practiced a strict schedule of running the engine idle for 2m or more and not revving it hard, and this does pay off later.
The front and rear discs work precisely and boosts your confidence. Parts availability is an issue with Yamaha and also there are only a handful of service centers. R15 easily pulls up to 135kmph, the max I have done is 146 (stock) and even with a pillion it manages to cruise at around 120-130 easily.
Free services cost around 850 n paid services vary from 1000-1200 (depends upon nature of work done) on an average. According to me it’s reasonable cause getting my activa costed me 800 rupees roughly so compared to that it is fair enough.
I don’t think I need to say anything regarding the performance coz every1 is familiar with it, but yeah some points worth mentioning are that after crossing 5k rpm u feel a sudden change in performance which is awesome. This bike can give u a great adrenaline rush.
I haven’t done any long tours yet because of run in period but I have ridden it in a radius of 50-70 km which was an absolute pleasure. For youngsters like me it’s a perfect bike as mostly I ride it in city n occasionally on highways n still I believe I can do long rides on it. As of now I am planning for a 500km ride in one day n my pretty sure it will not be an issue with this.
Aah 1 thing I forgot to mention, just after 13 days of ownership I got a dent on my tank ( I cried for almost 1 hour). I was washing my sweetheart in my porch n was cleaning the rims n suddenly the main stand went off n it crash landed partially on the water bucket and ground. It took me 1 week to get it repaired plus cost around 1500 bucks.
I strongly feel that there should be some sort of side stand lock (like those in bicycle) because very often the side stand goes off. I also feel there should have been a main stand incorporated in the cowl so that it wont be visible n damper the looks, because at times u need it badly.
Oiling the chain is another imp thing n costly too, I get the chain cleaned n oiled after evry 700km n it costs 150 rupees n believe me there’s a huge change in riding (smoothness increases).
Also 1 or 2 times the bottom part came in contact of da ground at some places n there was a friction caused :/ , so one needs to be careful.
The fit n finish of Yamaha is top notch but there’s a sincere request to fellow riders that plz don’t opt for black colour as it attracts a lots of scratches n swirl marks are easily visible too no matter how much care you take.
After Market Mods:
I just installed projector lamps on my r15. It has blue angel rings, red devil rings plus blue LED parking lights.Vision on the road is better than an average car like alto 800. The total coast was Rs 7900. Also I got the reflector painted black 😉
The rear fender of r15 v2 looks like that of a bicycle, so I got it cut into half so that the bike doesn’t get dirty much n enhances the looks too.
I also got the visor covered in matte black along with some graphics throughout the bike n still am planning to get it wrapped in matte metallic blue.
I have also booked a LEO VINCE CORSA performance exhaust (carbon), its price is 16k. You can get the same exhaust in 3k cheap if u opt for aluminum finish. Other than this LEO VINCE COBRA exhaust is also good (18K) but its sound consists of more of bass than pitch.
DAGREX DAYTONA Exhaust is another choice (20K,in Bhopal) but its only available on Yamaha service centre n they take 75% amount in advance as booking only n u get the exhaust only after 2-6 months. I did book the Daytona exhaust but didn’t get it so my money was returned, but in big cities u can get it easily.
Finally this experience of mine comes to an end, according to me, for youngsters like me this bike is the best choice u get quality, performance and of course some killer looks and sitting of r15 isn’t a issue for city commuting.
N I would like to thank BikeAdvice.in for giving me this opportunity. Plz do wear helmets and ride safe 🙂
“Riding a race bike is an art – a thing that you do because you feel something inside.”
Regards
Suyash Parnam
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