The R15 has been a popular motorcycle in the country for a long time, however, it has been quite long the motorcycle was updated.
So far it had been widely expected that the new Yamaha R15 would launch sometime later next year, however, the test mule recently spotted tells a story otherwise. In the image posted by Bikeadvice, the test mule appears to be a Yamaha YZF-R15 v3, which is now expected to launch soon in India. The R15 has been a popular motorcycle in the country for a long time, however, it has been quite long the motorcycle was updated. The R15 is one of the very few motorcycles that offer a sporty performance with a 150cc engine and is indeed a capable machine. The v2 was launched a long time back and the updates have only been limited to new colours or stickers. The R15 v3 was launch in Indonesia last year.
Notable changes on the new motorcycle include an all-new front fairing with LED headlamp unit with an air intake in the centre. This design has been seen on the current generation Yamaha YZF-R3. At the rear, the new R15 gets a redesigned tail lamp and a new aluminium exhaust canister. It will be powered by a 155 cc, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke single-cylinder engine that is expected to produce around 20 hp of power and 18 Nm of torque.
The R15 that will be launched in India will carry forward the bodywork, the LCD instrument cluster, LED headlamps etc from the Indonesian spec motorcycle, but it would skip (as seen in the picture) on the upside down forks, which would've added to the price. The suspension too will be tweaked for harsher road conditions in India. It will come with MRF tyres.
The R15 could be launched sometime soon without ABS as a standard fitment, especially considering that ABS will be mandatory for motorcycles above 125cc starting April 2018. Hence, in all possibility expect the R15 v3 to launch before the deadline. The current model retails at Rs 1.3 lakh (ex-showroom) and the v3 will be available at price slightly higher.