Pricey R15!

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…

‘Horsepower or power-to-weight’ – we stand to benefit from both!

The R1 P-T-W is over 1000bhp/ton, while that of the P220 is a mere 133bhp/ton

The Indian motorcycling scene can’t stake claim as one that is horsepower driven. And you can see why - widely acknowledged as the sportiest bike in the country today, the P220, makes just 20bhp. Abroad, street bikes meant for daily commute make more than 150bhp. And bikes which are considered sporty, make 180bhp or thereabouts.
Yes, I agree, the average Indian is consumed with fuel efficiency and the average enthusiast with affordability. But even so, we are moving towards sub segments in classes which are focusing on performance. And the best way to convey performance, is, of course, talking horsepower.
TVS did so with the RTR – upping the capacity and the horsepower with of course an increase in price. It was essentially a way for the company to break clutter in the crowded segment where its own 150cc Apache was struggling to get noticed, but it did benefit the enthusiast.
Bajaj, with the XCD Sprint, has moved the horsepower game a segment lower. The bike promises 12.5bhp, different styling compared to the regular XCD, and will still play the affordability card.
The company had tried the same with the Discover 135, albeit moving up the capacity ladder. But the bike lacked exclusivity, thanks to the 112 and 125 styling identical to the most powerful of the Discover triplets. And exclusivity or the standout factor is a necessity for the buyer who is putting in the extra cash both upfront and in running costs, to make a statement, “I am not your everyday commuter, I am an indulgent biker, who relishes performance.”
Bhp is especially an important consideration when looking at premium offerings. But some believe upping the bhp isn’t the only solution, or distinguishing factor. If performance is what you seek, it can also be extracted by having a light bike – in other words better power-to-weight ratio.
Power-to-weight ratio is also considered a good measure of a bike’s accelerating abilities, and even its top end performance.
In the Indian context, targeting higher bhp/ton has another advantage – that of fuel efficiency. A lighter bike you see will inherently travel more kilometres to a litre.
It, of course, has its downsides, and the biggest would be in the communication area. The average Indian consumer understands bhp very well while the concept of bhp/ton, even among educated and informed bike buyers, is an alien one. It would consequently require a lot of effort on part of the bike maker to convince the average buyer of benefits of the power-to-weight notion.
Another big drawback would be the bike’s performance with the complete payload on board (payload for the uninitiated, is the load the bike can carry officially including both the rider and pillion and maybe some other stuff). The thing is, no bike maker is going to give the power-to-weight ratio of a bike considering the gross vehicle weight which is the kerb weight of the bike added to the payload it can haul).
So, the moment you have a pillion on board the whole equation suffers. Consider there’s an 80kg pillion perched at the rear of the bike, it naturally negates the weight advantage the bike enjoys. The weight you see is going up, while the power isn’t. And for a bike that weighs 120-130kg, 80kg is almost 40 per cent of the bike’s weight.
Needless to say, all the 0-60kmph claimed times are going to tumble. As will the riding experience on the whole, and while overtaking and negotiating ghats in particular.
Yamaha, we all know, will play the power-to-weight card for the R15 as it will weigh less in comparison to other 150s available today. And it will have a higher power output, maybe even 20bhp, if god and Yamaha are kind.
Naturally, it will claim the best power-to-weight figures, even better than bikes displacing higher capacities. It will, with the just the rider on board beat the latter lot in performance stakes as well.
A few other Indian bike makers intend joining this P-T-W party, and we could in probability see the results this year, or latest by the beginning of the next.
Whatever the route, one thing is for certain, bike makers are finally seeing sportiness in the true sense as a good business model, and that’s brilliant news for us, the Indian biking enthusiast.

“Style is no more a differentiator”

Style icons of a goneby era - the RD 350 & RX 100

A manufacturer said this to me recently. And I can see where he is coming from – with every new bike being styled so well, it alone cannot be the selling point. What he choose not to mention though, was how manufacturers are blatantly coping each other with the pretext that they are in reality following the on going design trends.
This, copying business isn’t a recent phenomenon though. Here’s a look at our past…
During the RD and RX days, round headlamps were in; the only difference was the varying diameter of the head lamp unit, and the intensity of the beam!
In the 90s, the Splendor came in and took India by storm. Manufacturers tried to break it, trying all sorts of things, including a different styling direction, but nothing worked, until everyone; be it for an entry-level 100 or a premium 150, gave in and slapped on a bikini fairing much like the Hero Honda. Bikes with bikinis soon became as common as flies in a sweet shop. The result was the advent of wild and absurd stickering jobs, all in a bid to stand out. The pioneer, of course, was and is, Hero Honda itself.
But giving the company its due, it did make half fairings popular with the Karizma, and at a time when this styling direction had returned fatal results – remember the LML Adreno or even the Kinetic GF Laser, both of which failed miserably at the market. Half fairings, courtesy Karizma, is today a signature of sorts for super premium bikes. Little surprise, Bajaj followed suit bolting one on, on its Pulsar 220.
The Indian two-wheeler creed mutates at a surprisingly alarming rate, and it ought to, to keep their noses ahead of each other. So, now the half faring theme has mutated into a bikini front and tank flanks or extensions (with dummy air scoops and side indicators at times) with the in between connection being done away adding more aggression to the styling. The flanks also help add to the bike’s girth where it matters.
Today you can see it on the Hunk, the XCD Sprint, as well as on the Flame & RTR FI.
Taking this a step further, bike makers are now bolting on a third piece around the engine and calling it aerodynamic belly pans and racy engine shrouds.
And as if all this information wasn’t too much to process, Yamaha has now showcased yet another styling direction with the unveiling of the R15, that of a fully faired theme. The concept isn’t completely new though, as bike customisers have used it for ages trying to ape big bikes. Manufacturers, have hitherto stayed away as it isn’t the most intelligent thing to do for bikes with air cooled engines. Maybe the R15’s success will spawn a breed of liquid cooled fully faired, high-revving pocket rockets for all of us to indulge in…
As for the big question, what is now going to be the differentiator - the R15 presents the answer to this one – technology, horsepower and exclusivity.