First Impression: Yamaha R15

I already had the first glimpse of R-1-5 back in the month of January during Auto Expo 2008.But I never had the opportunity that time to look into the smaller details of the bike. Its only after Ayush (One of the first customers of R-1-5 in Delhi) had given us the opportunity for a photo shoot that I came so close to the bike.

Looks: I already had an initial impression of the bike as I had seen it sometimes back. My first reaction remained unchanged this time round also. When Yamaha had thought so much about the bike and this is the most important launch for them in years why they have compromised with the final looks?.The bike looks a bit disproportionate. I’m not only talking about the rear but the complete bike as a package. The perfect lines which starts from the front seems to get lost somewhere in the middle. In an effort to keep a balance between Supersport and the normal Indian buyer they compromised with the overall looks. When the FZ is coming out in near future Yamaha should have gone all out with this product. That said the bike looks absolutely superb from front or when the bike approaches towards you.
Switchgear quality is average and I would have loved to see better switchgear for a product which costs 1lakh.The rear view mirrors are pretty well built and are very useful. Light looks good but need to check their usability in night.

The console is neatly done and looks imposing. The panel looks nice from a distance but a closer look at some of the points gives you the feeling that the job could have been better.

Riding Position and Stance: I rode the bike for 5 minutes in a very bumpy surrounding. The riding position is sportier than a P220 and P200 but less sporty than Apache RTR. All concerns about tall riders facing problem can now rest as I found the seating perfect for me. For record I’m 5’11”.
Power Delivery: I easily felt there is very little power at lower R.P.M which is like any other Supersport so no complaints on that front. But it will be interesting to see how the bike fares in stop-go traffic as most of the buyers will use the bike for daily commute.

Right now I won’t comment on any other important aspects of the bike and I’m looking forward to have a proper test ride of the bike so as to have a complete idea about the bike.

So did this bike set my pulse racing and and its worthy of saying “WOW” as Yamaha promised us on the R1 launch. I would say no and will give it a 3/5 for looks and first impression. I though always judges a bike through its performance so I would reserve my final verdict.And yes I’m looking forward to FZ16.