Yamaha MT-15 Launched In India At Rs 1.36 lakh — Redefining Performance The Yamaha Way

The Yamaha MT-15 has been launched in India at a starting price of Rs 1.36 lakh. The Yamaha MT-15 is one of 2019's most awaited motorcycles in India. Well, it has now been launched in the Indian market and will soon be available at dealerships.

Yamaha India had recently teased the MT-15 and then the motorcycle started reaching dealerships and now it has finally been launched. The launch was held at the Buddh International Circuit and yes, we also got to ride the motorcycle. Stay tuned for the first ride impressions.

Under the skin, the Yamaha MT-15 might be a motorcycle that the Indian market is already familiar with as the chassis, engine, brakes and suspension has been taken from the much-loved Yamaha YZF-R15.

When it comes to the design bit though, the Yamaha MT-15 is unique. What sets it apart from the rest of the motorcycles on sale in India is the headlamp setup that according to Yamaha is 'The Dark Side of Japan.'

Its function though is exactly the opposite of darkness. The headlamp cluster consists of a dual LED setup with the two LED units on top acting as the positioning lamps and daytime running lights. The one at the bottom is the main LED headlamp unit.

The headlamp cowl is inspired by the litre-class MT-10 and we wouldn't be wrong in saying that it looks like a character straight out of the transformers series. The fuel tank is muscular and lends the motorcycle oodles of character

At the rear is an LED tail lamp with a lengthy mudguard. The MT-15 on sale in India looks very similar to the one in International markets but there are a few major mechanical changes. Up front is a conventional telescopic fork as opposed to the upside down forks on the international model.

The fuel tank too is less muscular in our market and at the rear, we get a tyre-hugger and the quintessential saree guard too. Yet another deduction for the Indian MT-15 is the aluminum swingarm and this is a surprising one because the motorcycle with which it shares most of its parts - the Yamaha R15 V3.0 - rides on an aluminum swingarm.

The Yamaha MT-15 rides on a pressed steel swingarm and this could have been chosen over the aluminum one only to reduce costs. The Yamaha MT-15 is powered by a liquid-cooled, 155cc, single-cylinder engine with variable valve timing (VVT).

Yes, it is the same engine as we see in the Yamaha R15 and it is in exactly the same configuration. It produces a maximum power output of 19.3bhp and a peak torque output of 14.7Nm. A six-speed gearbox drives the rear wheel via a slipper clutch.

This engine has a unique character thanks to its VVT technology and this makes it fun-to-ride. Now, though, it is bettered thanks to the upright riding position of the MT-15. The MT-15 has a streetfighter-style riding position and that makes it all-the more fun.

Yamaha India has made changes to the ECU Mapping, changed the sparkplug timing and even the final drive ratio. The R15 uses a 48T sprocket while the MT-15 uses a 52T rear sprocket to enable increase in torque.

The engineers at Yamaha certainly know how to setup a suspension perfectly. Read more about this in our first ride review of the Yamaha MT-15. The Yamaha MT-15 features a digital instrument cluster which has also been taken from the Yamaha R15.

Braking is handled by a 245mm disc up front and a 220mm disc at the rear and this is also taken from the R15 parts bin. A single-channel ABS system is offered as standard equipment,

Thoughts On Yamaha MT-15 Launched In India At Rs 1.36 Lak

The MT-15 just might be Yamaha India's greatest trump card yet. It attempts to build on the strengths of the Yamaha R15 while being more practical and comfortable, and that for us is a win. Being able to buy this motorcycle at just Rs 1.36 lakh is an added bonus.