It’s getting to be a R15 blog this!!! But then, it’s also the most exciting bike to hit our side of the world in a long time, so please bear with me…
Just read and confirmed that the R15 will cost almost a lakh rupees! I honestly never thought the ‘1,00,000’ figure would feel so daunting, but it is. I was almost sure, without having even ridden it that I would buy one.
But now… I am not sure. But the thing is, even with such a huge price, I haven’t completely written it off; I am still considering it. And I am sure, once I ride it, if the R15 even comes close to my expectations, I will surely buy it!
And I am praying that it does, because as much as my weak memory permits me, I can’t think of any other bike which has raised such aspiration and got the butterflies in my tummy going hysterical, like the R15.
Sure, there have been more powerful, better looking and better performing motorcycles before. But, all have most certainly been out of bounds, for their price, of course.
But the R15, even with such a gargantuan of an Rs 1 lakh price tag, seems manageable; it is a huge stretch of course, but still feels attainable all the same. And that’s down to the motorcycle fluid running along my bloodstream more than anything else. Right now, feeding my dog, child or even my wife (and indulging her), isn’t even on my mind!
But, ‘how do I get the Rs lakh – personal loan, auto loan, call dad, rob’ certainly is.
Another question that’s haunting my mind, is how many will Yamaha sell? Not many would be my bet. But few others think, thanks to the R15 being a one of its kind product, it will find a lot of takers.
So I quizzed them about the RTR coming in with race kits, and packing in almost the same horsepower ratings? And the answer: “It doesn’t have the styling or the road presence of the R15, and such bikes sell on styling.” ????
A pot of rubbish, I think.
I should be riding the bike in a few weeks time. And then, I am sure, will begin a mad rush to get my finances in order.
Get yours too, just in case…
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The results are in…
You guys have spoken! And the R15 will debut soon enough (sometime next month) for us to see how closely our demands have been met. Have sent the poll results to Yamaha as well.
Now, for those who are new to the blog, or did not bother with how the polls progressed – here’s the snap shot…
Almost 150 of you voted, which I am told is a decent size for a survey!
It was asked how much power should the R15 make for your to consider it?
And… 11% said, 16bhp is good, while 18% thought 18bhp was a decent figure, and 25% of you consider 20bhp to be the right figure to go along with a bike which is being touted as the sportiest ever on Indian roads.
However, an overwhelming 44% of you want the bike to make 22bhp! And, I wish the same!
But, I have now learnt the bike would make somewhere in the region on 18bhp. These are well placed rumours, but rumours nonetheless.
So we still might hope!!
It was also asked, how much would you pay for the bike?
And no surprise here either – we want the maximum bang for our buck – so we want the latest technology, the maximum power, but also, want to pay the least amount of money for it!
As the poll reveals – only 1 tiny per cent of you would buy the bike if it were priced over a lakh, and 9% of you would consider it, if were on the Rs 1 lakh threshold. Also, 9% of you won’t consider the bike at all!
Is it that you want a sportier bike, or did the R15 put you off in anyway – I’d certainly like to know.
But, an enormous 80% of you would buy the R15, if the bike were priced around the Rs 90,000 mark. And there might be good news, the same rumour mill tells me, Yamaha is working to ge the ex-showroom price around the Rs 80,000-85,000 mark. If, the company does manage to do that, I think the bike will find a lot of takers!
Hope you guys enjoyed voting as much as I enjoyed looking at the results. More coming up, on a plethora of subjects…
Now, for those who are new to the blog, or did not bother with how the polls progressed – here’s the snap shot…
Almost 150 of you voted, which I am told is a decent size for a survey!
It was asked how much power should the R15 make for your to consider it?
And… 11% said, 16bhp is good, while 18% thought 18bhp was a decent figure, and 25% of you consider 20bhp to be the right figure to go along with a bike which is being touted as the sportiest ever on Indian roads.
However, an overwhelming 44% of you want the bike to make 22bhp! And, I wish the same!
But, I have now learnt the bike would make somewhere in the region on 18bhp. These are well placed rumours, but rumours nonetheless.
So we still might hope!!
It was also asked, how much would you pay for the bike?
And no surprise here either – we want the maximum bang for our buck – so we want the latest technology, the maximum power, but also, want to pay the least amount of money for it!
As the poll reveals – only 1 tiny per cent of you would buy the bike if it were priced over a lakh, and 9% of you would consider it, if were on the Rs 1 lakh threshold. Also, 9% of you won’t consider the bike at all!
Is it that you want a sportier bike, or did the R15 put you off in anyway – I’d certainly like to know.
But, an enormous 80% of you would buy the R15, if the bike were priced around the Rs 90,000 mark. And there might be good news, the same rumour mill tells me, Yamaha is working to ge the ex-showroom price around the Rs 80,000-85,000 mark. If, the company does manage to do that, I think the bike will find a lot of takers!
Hope you guys enjoyed voting as much as I enjoyed looking at the results. More coming up, on a plethora of subjects…
Monday, May 12, 2008
Flame vs Gladiator
Promised you the Gladiator vs Flame shootout – so here it is…
Put the Flame and Gladiator side-by-side, and it’s difficult not to fancy the Flame - it’s sharp, well-proportioned, and has more road presence than the Yamaha. But, that’s not completely surprising given the latter is now an old design. Yamaha has, of course, tweaked the front fairing, strapped on an engine cowl and garnished the bike with aluminium and aluminium-looking inserts all over to spice things up, but, it still isn’t as alluring as the Flame.
The latter also gets an intelligent lockable cubby hole which is part of the fuel tank and can hold your wallet, gloves, and even a small water bottle. The tank knee recesses are deep and usable for riders of all heights as well. And then there’s the part analog, part digital instrument binnacle which besides looking good, especially at night, also reads out information on time, fuel level, instantaneous fuel c
onsumption
and service due among others.
The Gladiator isn’t as elaborate. But to its credit, it boasts of better, more comfortable ergonomics, a tachometer and an engine kill switch.
More importantly, though, the Gladiator gets a better drivetrain. It makes more power and torque. And though the difference isn’t significant, with the same being reflected in the spec sheet, it gets a five speed gearbox, and is more refined than the Flame too. Touch 70kmph and the Flame breaks into a frantic, noisy dance of vibrations, while the Gladiator is calmer, poised and has that fifth gear in reserve to smoothen things out further.
These apart, it is amazing how close these bikes are in every other respect, handling in particular. In the city, both bike
s are brilliantly easy to ride 
feeling light and flickable at slower speeds; the Gladiator more so thanks to its better riding position. Around fast flowing bends it’s a similar story; both the Flame and Gladiator offer just the right chassis and suspension stiffness making corner carving fun and predictable. However, the Yamaha does manage to pull a slight advantage through a lengthy sequence of corners courtesy better brakes and sharper steering geometry.
Overall then, the bikes are pretty evenly matched. But, it’s the Gladiator that feels better to ride, and even though it isn’t styled as well as the Flame and lacks the digital console and the cubby hole, it still gets my vote. And to make the deal sweeter, at Rs 44,380 ex-showroom in Delhi, it’s also a tad cheaper to buy than the Flame.
Specs
TVS Flame Yamaha Gladiator Type SS
Engine
Engine capacity: 125cc 125cc
Max power: 10.5bhp 11bhp
Max torque: 10Nm 10.5Nm
Gearbox: 4-speed 5-speed
Performance
0-60kmph: 6.64s 6.66s
0-80kmph: 12.47s 12.45s
0-100kmph: 30.42s 30.64s
Top speed: 101.7kmph 102.4kmph
Price: Rs 45,990 Rs 44,380
Put the Flame and Gladiator side-by-side, and it’s difficult not to fancy the Flame - it’s sharp, well-proportioned, and has more road presence than the Yamaha. But, that’s not completely surprising given the latter is now an old design. Yamaha has, of course, tweaked the front fairing, strapped on an engine cowl and garnished the bike with aluminium and aluminium-looking inserts all over to spice things up, but, it still isn’t as alluring as the Flame.
The latter also gets an intelligent lockable cubby hole which is part of the fuel tank and can hold your wallet, gloves, and even a small water bottle. The tank knee recesses are deep and usable for riders of all heights as well. And then there’s the part analog, part digital instrument binnacle which besides looking good, especially at night, also reads out information on time, fuel level, instantaneous fuel c
onsumption
and service due among others.The Gladiator isn’t as elaborate. But to its credit, it boasts of better, more comfortable ergonomics, a tachometer and an engine kill switch.
More importantly, though, the Gladiator gets a better drivetrain. It makes more power and torque. And though the difference isn’t significant, with the same being reflected in the spec sheet, it gets a five speed gearbox, and is more refined than the Flame too. Touch 70kmph and the Flame breaks into a frantic, noisy dance of vibrations, while the Gladiator is calmer, poised and has that fifth gear in reserve to smoothen things out further.
These apart, it is amazing how close these bikes are in every other respect, handling in particular. In the city, both bike
s are brilliantly easy to ride 
feeling light and flickable at slower speeds; the Gladiator more so thanks to its better riding position. Around fast flowing bends it’s a similar story; both the Flame and Gladiator offer just the right chassis and suspension stiffness making corner carving fun and predictable. However, the Yamaha does manage to pull a slight advantage through a lengthy sequence of corners courtesy better brakes and sharper steering geometry.Overall then, the bikes are pretty evenly matched. But, it’s the Gladiator that feels better to ride, and even though it isn’t styled as well as the Flame and lacks the digital console and the cubby hole, it still gets my vote. And to make the deal sweeter, at Rs 44,380 ex-showroom in Delhi, it’s also a tad cheaper to buy than the Flame.
Specs
TVS Flame Yamaha Gladiator Type SS
Engine
Engine capacity: 125cc 125cc
Max power: 10.5bhp 11bhp
Max torque: 10Nm 10.5Nm
Gearbox: 4-speed 5-speed
Performance
0-60kmph: 6.64s 6.66s
0-80kmph: 12.47s 12.45s
0-100kmph: 30.42s 30.64s
Top speed: 101.7kmph 102.4kmph
Price: Rs 45,990 Rs 44,380
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