Yamaha will soon launch the MT-15 in India, and the bike has been spotted testing in near-production form last month. This week, a ‘Type Approval Certificate’ registered with the CMVR (Central Motor Vehicle Rules), surfaced online, revealing a few details of the upcoming bike.
The document dated January 17, 2019 confirms that the MT-15 will be powered by the same 155cc, single-cylinder engine on the R15 V3.0 that produces 19.3hp at 10,000rpm and 14.7Nm at 8,500rpm.
Also revealed in the document are the bike's dimensions. The India-spec MT-15 measures 2,020mm in length, 800mm in width and 1,070mm in height. In comparison, the Thai-spec bike is just as wide, but measures a slightly lesser 1,965mm in length and 1,065mm in height. However, that being said, the Thai- and India-spec bikes have the same 1,335mm wheelbase. The extra length of the India-spec bike could be the result of a longer tail section or different tyres.
What's also seen in the document is the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), which is 288kg. The GVW of a vehicle is essentially the kerb weight in addition to the weight of its passengers (in this case, rider and pillion). Assuming that the average weight of each person in the test is 75kg, this would result in a kerb weight of 138kg for the India-spec MT-15. For reference, the Thai-spec bike weighs 133kg. This assumption makes sense given that the R15 V3.0 gained a similar 5kg when it made its way to India.
The India-spec MT-15 receives a few changes compared to the international bike, like a conventional telescopic fork rather than a USD unit, and a basic, box-section swingarm and not the aluminium unit found on the R15 V3.0 and international-spec MT-15.
The MT-15 was recently teased at a Yamaha dealer event and we expect the bike to be officially launched in the coming weeks.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
