EXCLUSIVE: Yamaha R15 V3 Special Edition motorcycle is here!

Yamaha has just given the R15 V3 a bright yellow paint job. The revised motorcycle is said to be a special edition  version of the R15 V3, and was spotted at a Yamaha dealership by a CarToq reader. The Yamaha R15 V3 Special Edition is expected to be pricier than the regular model. After many years the yellow paint scheme has made it back onto the R15. It was offered only on the first generation model.

Apart from the new paint scheme, there are no other changes on the special edition version of the Yamaha R15 V3. The motorcycle has been selling very well, and is the priciest 150cc bike on sale in India. Soon, Yamaha will introduce the street naked sibling of the R15 – called the MT15. The MT15 will be slightly cheaper than the Yamaha R15 V3, and will be unfaired.

Presently, the Yamaha R15 V3 is priced at Rs. 1.39 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. Recently, Yamaha added dual ABS to the  R15 V3, and this resulted in prices going up from Rs. 1.27 lakhs, all the way to Rs. 1.39 lakhs. While some Yamaha dealers continue to have the non-ABS model of the R15 V3 in stock, soon these stocks will be depleted and the bike will be available with dual ABS as standard, which also means that it will be sold at a higher price tag.

For those who want to snag a deal at the lower price, but obviously without ABS, the time is now. However, we  strongly recommend that you opt for the ABS equipped version of the bike even though it means forking out a Rs.  12,000 premium. This is because ABS is a true life saver on the uncertain and often dangerous Indian roads. ABS will soon become mandatory on all 125cc+ bikes sold in India by law.

Diving into what the Yamaha R15 V3 offers, the motorcycle is a fully faired sportsbike that’s meant to juggle roles  as a city commuter and a weekend track bike. The R15 V3 is the third generation version of the bike, and is made completely in India. The bike is different from the international version though. The India-spec R15 V3 offers  telescopic front forks, steel footpegs instead of upside down front forks and aluminium pegs that the international  model gets. These changes are meant to cut costs and make the motorcycle more affordable for the Indian market.

These changes apart, the India-spec Yamaha R15 V3 is similar to the international model in that it offers the same  155cc, four stroke single cylinder engine with 19 Bhp of peak power and 15 Nm of peak torque on tap. The engine gets liquid cooling, a single overhead camshaft, a DiaSIL cylinder and variable camshaft actuation. The engine is very  smooth and loves to be revved to the redline. The gearbox is a 6 speed unit with a slipper clutch as standard. The  instrumentation on the motorcycle is also quite comprehensive. From a lap timer to a top speed recorder, this bike  has it all. It’s known for high quality all around, and the good sales figures right from the outset show that the  latest R15 has been a big success for Yamaha right from the word go.