Based on the R15 V3, the MT15 is a street motorcycle, which was launched last year in India.
Around nine months after its debut in India, Yamaha MT15 has been launched in its BS6 avatar. Already one of the popular and bestselling bikes in Yamaha’s portfolio, MT15 BS6 variant is expected to boost sales further. It may be recalled that Yamaha MT15 had achieved the 15K sales milestone in August last year.
The updated bike also gets a new colour option, Ice-fluo vermillion, in addition to existing metallic black and dark matt blue colours. While the earlier colour options are available at Rs 138,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi), customers choosing the new Ice-fluo vermillion colour will have to shell out Rs 500 more. The new colour is probably the most flamboyant of the three, as it comes in a visually appealing contrast of light grey metallic, black and orange.
BS6 upgrade has made Yamaha MT15 around 4k costlier in comparison to its BS4 variant. As of now, both variants are on sale. Customers can decide if they want to go for the cheaper BS4 variant or choose the future-ready BS6 version. BS4 MT15 will be on sale till stocks last up to March 31, after which BS6 emissions norms will come into play. Yamaha has also updated its other two-wheelers to BS6 in recent months.
Yamaha MT15 BS6 is powered by a fuel injected, liquid cooled 155cc engine that generates max power of 18.5 PS at 10,000 rpm and max torque of 13.9 Nm at 8,500 rpm. Engine is mated to a 6-speed, constant mesh transmission. It is worth noting that both power and torque output of BS6 MT15 is slightly lower than the BS4 variant. However, this is not very surprising, as most other bikes that have been upgraded to BS6 have had to sacrifice some of their power and torque output.
Apart from the BS6 upgrade and new colour option, Yamaha has not introduced any other major change in 2020 MT15. The bike comes with features such as Bi-functional LED headlight and LED position light, USB charger (optional), side stand with automatic engine cut off feature, 140 mm wide rear tyres, raised LED tail light, negative LCD instrument cluster with gear shift indicator, and single channel ABS.
Just like its predecessor, BS6 MT15 utilizes a Deltabox frame that sits on telescopic front forks and linked-type mono suspension at the rear. Braking duties are performed by 282 mm discs at the front and 220 mm discs at the rear. Other features that have been continued from the BS4 model include Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) and Assist & Slipper Clutch (ASC).