Yamaha dealerships across the country have begun deliveries for the recently launched Yamaha MT-15 which is priced at Rs 1.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The bike’s styling and design is heavily inspired from the company’s near-litre-class MT-09, while its mechanicals make its way from the YZF-R15 V3.0. Dealers we spoke to have told us that customers can get delivery of their motorcycles the day after the payment has been made, with as little as a week of waiting if you were to opt for a loan.
Powering the Yamaha MT-15 is a 155cc, liquid-cooled, motor equipped with VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) – the same engine from the R15 V3.0 that makes 19.3hp at 10,000rpm and 14.7Nm of torque at 8,500rpm. To elaborate, the VVA system essentially employs a solenoid-coil-based valve-operation mechanism which utilises low-cam and high-cam intake rocker arms towards either end of the rev band. This is a large part of the reason why output figures of this motor are in the ballpark of those produced by some motorcycles in the 200cc class. The MT also shares its 6-speed gearbox and slipper clutch with the R15 V3.0.
For the most part, the bike shares its underpinnings with the R15 V3.0, too. However, the India-spec MT-15 gets a box-section swingarm, as opposed to an aluminium unit seen on the R15 V3.0. Unlike the R15 V3.0, the MT-15 gets single-channel ABS instead of a dual-channel system. The 2019 Yamaha MT-15 is available in two colour variants – Metallic Black and Dark Matt Blue.
As for competition, the MT-15 doesn’t have it easy – especially considering its price tag. It takes on higher-capacity bikes like the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V ABS (Rs 1.11 lakh) and the Bajaj Pulsar NS200 ABS (Rs 1.12 lakh).
Azaman Chothia
