Thread: New Yamaha YZF R15

As we discovered last month, the R15 is an amazingly accomplished tool for the racetrack. But then again, you'd probably find that any reasonably powerful bike is fun when let loose on a circuit. It's easy to fall in love with just about any motorcycle given the truckloads of grip from that granular track surface and no traffic to bother about.

Hence, it was imperative for us to test the R15 against its rivals to find out how good it actually is. As we expected, the new bike from Yamaha emerged as the clear winner, putting its competitors to shade in most departments. A remarkable aspect of the RIS is the harmony with which its different components work. Not only does each element of the bike deliver superior performance individually, there is perfect synergy between the various patts that allow the bike go faster around the circuit. It is this flawless accord that really makes the RI5 shine.

The RI5 is almost 3 seconds quicker than the P220, even though the latter has a much bigger engine, produces reasonably more power and definitely has meatier mid-range spunk. What makes the RI5 really overcome the relatively less power and the lack of grunt in the mid revs is its amazing chassis, equally incredible link-type mono suspension and gluey tyres that grip, grip and then grip some more without even being fat.



stable and confidence inspiring bike of the lot here. It permits the rider to lean, brake and accelerate harder than any of the other three bikes. On any given corner, the entry and exit speeds of the RI5 were reasonably better as compared to the Karizma, RTR EFI and P220. The mid-range, though not as healthy as the Pulsar 220 is good enough to prevent the 220 from overtaking it. Onte past the 7000rpm,mark, however, the RI5 has enough spunk to keep itself clear of any threat from the Bajaj.

Another important aspect of the bike's performance is the urgent and willing nature of the engine to rev and keep going even when it's close to the redline. This effectively means that the performance higher up the rev range is particularly strong. The power below the creamy band of 7000rpm isn't abundant but it still can be termed reasonable. Lower down the rev range, however, the performance of the rest of the three bikes is better.

The R15 takes the top honours in terms of poise and stability around the track followed by the RTR EFI. The difference between the two is substantial. While the RTR is very sharp and quick to turn around corners, the RI5 is precise. It goes exactly where you want to place it on the track and allows you to stick to the ideal racing line at great speeds without any scare. The RI5 managed to be quicker throughout the track with the only exception being the back straight where the 220 registered a better top speed. Even with the least cubic capacity, the RI5 outshined its rivals by a huge margin, accentuating how important technology has become in today's modern times and establishing the fact that it's not just a machine's cubic capacity that matters.