The Yamaha XSR155 is a motorcycle that seems to have captured the imagination of Indian enthusiasts and we constantly receive questions on when the bike will be launched here. If you’re one of those people who have been waiting for this bike, then you're in for some disappointment.
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The XSR155 is not currently under consideration for India
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The company’s focus is on the new FZ-X
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The XSR is based on the Yamaha R15/MT-15 platform
In a recent interview with Ravinder Singh, senior vice president – sales and marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt Ltd, we have learned that the XSR155 is not currently on the company’s radar for India.
Yamaha is undoubtedly aware of the demand for such a product and Singh tells us that the FZ-X was specially made for India, based on the Indian customer requirement. “Based on our surveys, we found this bike to be the most suitable, from a cost and market penetration point of view. We find that this is more relevant for the Indian market and matching the Indian market requirement.”
It is worth considering that the Yamaha MT-15 has proven to coexist with the FZ range in Yamaha’s line-up. We asked if the XSR could also coexist with the FZ-X in India in the same way and Singh responded, “at this moment we are not thinking about the XSR, our first focus is to create a separate segment for the FZ-X, which is a new category in the Indian two-wheeler space. We plan to strengthen our position in this segment with the FZ-X.”
To recap, the XSR155 is a handsome retro-styled motorcycle based on the same platform as the Yamaha R15 and MT-15, which means it gets modern mechanicals like a perimeter frame, a rev-happy, four-valve liquid-cooled motor and a 6-speed gearbox. The new Yamaha FZ-X, meanwhile, is based on the same chassis and 12.4hp engine as the Yamaha FZ FI.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
