Yamaha MT-15 has been a very successful product for Yamaha in India – it is well known and respected for its aggressive styling, agile handling, and refined powerplant.
However, the increasing competition had started taking a toll on the sales of this vehicle. But in an effort to bolster the position of this naked streetfighter, Yamaha launched the new generation MT-15 in India yesterday at ₹1.6 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). In its new avatar, the MT-15 has received some significant changes that make it a better proposition than its predecessor. However, all these changes have made the motorcycle considerably expensive.
In its new avatar, the MT-15 has not received any design changes but comes in two new colour options – Cyan Storm and Racing Blue – along with existing Ice Fluo-Vermillion and Metallic Black colour options.The most significant change on the Yamaha MT-15 Version 2 is the addition of a new suspension setup; the motorcycle now rides on 37 mm inverted forks instead of telescopic forks while the previously available box-section swingarm has been replaced with a new MotoGP inspired aluminium swingarm. While this change may have made the bike 1 kg heavier – now tipping the scales at 139 kg (kerb) – the company claims that it offers improved stability while cornering and under hard braking. 2022 Yamaha MT-15 also gets a new LCD instrument cluster with a customizable animated text displayed when the ignition is turned on. This new console offers all the essential readouts, including gear-shift indicator, gear-position indicator, and VVA indicator.
The naked streetfighter also comes with the Y-Connect smartphone application for information such as parking location, malfunctions, Revs dashboard, call alerts, SMS alerts, and more. Powering the new generation Yamaha MT-15 is the predecessor’s 155 cc, liquid-cooled unit that puts out 18 bhp at 10,000 rpm and 14 Nm at 8,500 rpm. This engine is also coupled to a six-speed gearbox. This powerplant is still mated to the slick six-speed gearbox with slip and assist clutch.
