Yamaha Motor India has launched the sports-naked MT-15 in India at Rs 136,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi). While the bike’s styling and design is heavily inspired from the company’s near-litre-class MT-09, the mechanicals make its way from the YZF-R15 V3.0. The Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0 is priced at Rs 139,000, making the MT-15 cheaper by Rs 3,000.
The MT-15 sits above the 149cc FZ/FZS range by offering a more powerful engine and better equipment. Powering it is a 155cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected motor from the R15 V3.0 that makes 19.3hp at 10,000rpm and 14.7Nm of torque at 8,500rpm. Along with power and torque figures, the MT also shares its 6-speed gearbox and slipper clutch with the R15 V3.0.
The underpinnings on the MT are also similar to the R15, for the most part. The Deltabox frame the MT-15 uses is suspended on a conventional telescopic fork and a monoshock. However, the Indian MT-15 gets a box-section swingarm, as opposed to an aluminium unit seen on the R15 V3.0 and the international-spec MT-15 – a change made solely in order to bring down costs. Another cost cutting measure comes in form of single-channel ABS instead of the dual-channel unit found on the R15 V3.0.
The MT-15 has a fuel tank capacity of 10 litres, a ground clearance of 155mm and a kerb weight of 138kg.
As for competition, the MT-15 doesn’t have it easy, as it takes on higher-capacity bikes like the TVS Apache RTR 200 4V ABS (Rs 1.11 lakh) and the Bajaj Pulsar NS200 ABS (Rs 1.12 lakh). It also goes up against the well-equipped KTM 125 Duke that has a similar price of Rs 1.18 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi).