Yamaha YZF-R15 version 2.0 launched

The thing that becomes clear from the R15 upgrade is that the enthusiast motorcyclist is still lost in a sea of customers. On the face of it, it is the latter that is being catered to by the changes Yamaha have chosen to deploy in the upgraded R15. All of the changes in the styling and especially in that rear tyre come directly from customer feedback, although we have repeatedly established the fact that even the previous "under-tyred" motorcycle was a track demon. On the other hand, while the changes to the chassis and gearing are relatively few, we do expect them to have an important impact on how the R15 feels to ride. The gearing changes should make for a quicker motorcycle that will immediately feel more at home in traffic at lower revs than before and feel better to ride in power delivery terms at tight racetracks like the one at Chennai. The aluminium swingarm should also improve the already light on it's feet feel of the Yamaha. The extra weight will probably be balanced by the low gearing and overall performance, we expect, should be a whiff quicker than the outgoing motorcycle. In the looks department, there is now question that despite the same tank and upper fairing, the R15 looks substantially more upmarket and well created with more design cohesion than before. The price rise, then, is modest and entirely explainable rationally though we know there are enthusiasts who were expecting more from the first serious upgrades Yamaha have made to the excellent, award-winning R15.