The Yamaha YZF-R15 - Beating Competition
While big bikes introduced in Thailand take all the attention we should not forget where the real money is made, the Honda CBR150R was for years Honda's major cash cow, and in the past Suzuki tried to tap into that success with the Suzuki Raider 150R. But the tension really started to get serious when Yamaha introduced the Yamaha YZF-15R a few years ago in India. Yamaha, after a very successful launch of the Yamaha YZF-R15, a fine tune was needed and with the second release called the Yamaha YZF-0R15 R2.0, in India, Yamaha figured it was ready to take on the Honda CBR150R at its home market (Thailand).Nobody, even at Yamaha, will deny that the Yamaha YZF-R15 design was based with the Honda CBR150R as a starting point. If we compare the recently launched Yamaha YZF-R15 to the latest Honda CBR150R we simple have to agree that the Yamaha 150cc sportsbike has the better specifications.
Yamaha basically looked at anything that Honda did wrong and improved on it... But, most of this improvements on a very similar design is not that obvious for the average teenage sportsbike rider. You really need to push the Honda CBR150R and the Yamaha YZF-R15 to the limits to really appreciate the benefits of the Yamaha YZF-R15. The Yamaha has probably the better suspension when you're racing a track... The Honda is simply said more orientated to average road use...
The fueling of both the Yamaha YZF-R15 and the Honda CBR150R is also completely different to start with. Yamaha reconsider that if you buy a sportsbike you appreciate performance style fueling with more aggressive fuel maps, while the Honda CBR150R has the design of a sportsbike that since it was introduced back in 2007 has been more and more modified to be more fuel-efficiencied, the general rule applies that fuel-efficient motorcycles do not perform will against, sportsbike tuned motorcycles.
So how bad is the fuel consumption of the Yamaha YZF-R15? If you ride the Yamaha YZF-R15 like a Honda CBR150R the fuel consumption is very similar, we should actual test this in more dept as in our 100 kilometer test ride the Yamaha was at moderated speed more fuel efficient. Of course the whole picture starts to change when you gear down and rev the 150cc Yamaha YZF-R15 engine to its max, like when you start to ride it like a real sportsbike.... You can loose vision of a Honda CBR150R in pursuit without much of a challenge...
The new purpose built 150cc Yamaha YZF-R15 engine, and revised just last year, engine beats the in 2007 designed Honda CBR150R engine without much problems.
