The Yamaha YZF R15 v3.0 was unveiled in Indonesia back in January this year. The motorcycle has now been spotted in India without camouflage. This indicates that it is nearing the India launch soon. However, the list of features on offer looks a little different than what appeared to be at the time of the unveiling.
The Indian-spec of the new Yamaha YZF R15 features a dual headlamp cluster and although the international spec gets LED headlamps, the one on the India-bound version is still not confirmed. The fairing gets a lot of bodywork and is a little redesigned as well. The previous V2.0 had a 12 litres fuel tank capacity, whereas, the new one will get a reduced 11-litre capacity. The instrumentation on the new version gets a fully-digital approach. The pillion seat is also lower than the previous model.
The international trim of the Yamaha R15 v3.0 gets a premium upside down front fork, while the India-bound model, as seen in the spy images, gets the regular telescopic fork. We can also see that it uses MRF tyres instead of the international IRC and also lacks ABS.
However, despite the lack of a lot of features that the international model has, the Indian-spec is expected to get the new engine and this is evident in the spy shots, which is the new 155-cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine with fuel-injected technology. But we still doubt whether it will be offered with Yamaha’s VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) technology or use the engine without it, just to keep the price in check. The VVA version enhances the power to 19.3 bhp against 14.7 Nm torque.
The Yamaha R15 v3.0 is expected to launch in India soon, by the first quarter of 2018. This can be said because the bike does not feature ABS, but according to upcoming regulation, all motorcycles above 125cc engine should have ABS from April 1, 2018 onwards.