Ding Ding, the alarm rings and it’s 6’o clock in the morning, time to get ready for college on my Kyra (Yamaha R15 V2). At 6.45 I get dressed up and wear the required gear, start the bike and let it run for 5 minutes. I leave at 7'O clock everyday which is a 15 km ride. I love one of the bridges, where the road curves beautifully and there’s no traffic since its morning. It gives immense pleasure to corner the bike on the bridge. Since the whole road is traffic free, I know the exact time when the signal turns green and I ride according to that keeping sure that most of the signals stay green as I pass. So riding in the morning feels serene. I spend my day at college being bored, trolling my friends, listening to lectures, eating in class and so on. And then the college ends at 3’o clock, after small chit chats with my friends my journey back home starts. This is where the pain of traffic begins. There are 2 huge signals which I have to cross, I call them the pesky brothers. The bike moves an inch and stops oh wait there is traffic jam till I reach home. So how does the R15 V2 feel in traffic conditions, here’s how it feels.
In Traffic Condition:
Yes, my hands ache not a bit, but A LOT! I always wish it ended with my hands, but the traffic wants to take revenge on my back too. This is why it happens, since the whole weight of the bike falls on the palms, maneuvering the bike in slow traffic is pretty hard. Flicking the bike in traffic is a bit tedious, as the load is set up as 51-front and 49- rear, with the pillion in the bike, the rider fells the pillion's weight on his palms as the pillion would lean on to him for support. Also because the rear seat is set high, the pillion would find it hard to get on and off the bike.Braking is also painful and the palms become red. Carving through the traffic doesn’t feel as good as it feels in the R15 V1, since both the tires are wider. But since I experience all these on a daily basis, not only me any one will get used to it. For a new rider it will be hard for a week or so, and then he’s going to get set to the pain and the riding conditions. Now let’s get to fun part of riding the bike, since the lower end torque is good, the bike in city conditions is pretty good as it supports a lot for over-takings. The clutch feels super soft unlike many other bikes in this class. Not much gear changes are required as ample amount of torque kicks in when it is necessary.
On The Highways:
For a highway, the story is totally different. The bike behaves in a completely different manner, I have had doubts whether it’s the same bike I used to ride in traffic. The aggressive seating position is very helpful to crouch with a beautiful wind resistance and maneuverability. Even though the seating is forward biased, I hardly get any back aches. If the cushioning on the seat was more spongy the minor lower abdomen aches could have been totally eliminated. Up to 400kms a in day the bike doesn’t feel very tiring. After 400kms it will eventually start getting hard to ride for more distance. Once when I was cruising at a speed of 90 km/hr, an old lady without noticing just crossed the road, I was in total chaos that I will end up crashing and hit the brakes very hard, I always believe that the front brakes along with a small application of the rear brakes and reducing the gears are the safest and best, since this time I didn’t have time to reduce gears, I hit the front brakes and assumed I will slip and fall, to my surprise the brakes didn’t lock up even a bit and I was all safe. The brakes of the bike are phenomenal and offer very good feedback and stopping power.
Pros:
1. Offers great ride quality.
2. Decent fuel economy.
3. Does the highest top speed in its segment.
4. Brakes are amazing.
5. Feels like an amateur race bike.
Cons:
1. No storage space, it can hardly occupy the bike's documents and a wallet.
2. The pillion has nothing to hold, and will take a few trials to getting used to sit on the bike.
3. The instrument cluster lacks gear shift indicator and a clock.
When it comes to daily usage, R15-V2 is a very good bike, even though the riding isn’t as comfortable as the Honda CBR150R, it is still a great bike for what it is.1. Offers great ride quality.
2. Decent fuel economy.
3. Does the highest top speed in its segment.
4. Brakes are amazing.
5. Feels like an amateur race bike.
Cons:
1. No storage space, it can hardly occupy the bike's documents and a wallet.
2. The pillion has nothing to hold, and will take a few trials to getting used to sit on the bike.
3. The instrument cluster lacks gear shift indicator and a clock.
By: Rishath Suresh
