Yamaha MT 15 Launch Soon

Yamaha will launch its popular naked street bike the MT 15 in an updated avatar. The MT15 IS based on the Yamaha R15, fully faired bike and since the company launched the R15 V4 in India last year the MT 15 was also due for an update.

According to sources the Yamaha MT 15 will be launched in February this year with a host of new updates for this popular 150cc performance bike. Yamaha launched the MT 15 in India in 2019 and it instantly caught the attention of prospective buyers due to its unique design, with the headlamp unit designed to depict a robot’s face with the LED DRLs as the eyes and the single-unit, bi-functional LED headlight acts as the mouth which looks like nothing else in the current bike market.

Expected Updates:

There are a few updates to be included in the new MT 15 and one of the important inclusions, will be of a digital instrument screen having Bluetooth connectivity similar to that of the R15 V4. It will display host of information including the average mileage, gear position, traction control on/off, Track/Street mode, gear shift timing indicator, lap timings, average speed and coolant temperature among many others. All this will be done by pairing your smartphone with the instrument display using the Y-Connect app of Yamaha. The instrument screen will also display other information such as SMS and email notification, phone battery level and call alert while also getting various info on the Y-Connect app, like malfunction notifications, tracker for fuel consumption, last-parking location, scheduled maintenance reminders and riding analytics thus improving overall riding experience and ensuring proper maintenance of the bike. Yamaha offers these features on many other products it offers currently in the Indian market including both the bikes and scooters segments.

Another important update for the MT 15 will be the inclusion of USD forks for the first time since the new R15 V4 also received this update as the bike gets normal telescopic front forks, whereas the rear suspension will remain the same as on the current version. The USD forks offer advantage in terms of improved riding dynamics with improved handling at high speeds and braking. Another thing that may be added on the new MT 15 is the addition of a Dual-channel ABS in place of the singe-channel ABS on offer currently. Yamaha may also offer styling updates for the new MT-15, but these will be minimal or mainly cosmetic with new colour offerings, since the current bike is already a very unique and modern design with aggressive front fascia and sporty stance.

Engine:

Mechanically, the new MT 15 will remain unchanged and will continue to use the same 155cc, liquid cooled, 4-valve engine with variable valve assist, which makes 18.2hp and 13.9nm of peak torque, mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The MT15 will continue to offer the Assist and Slipper Clutch which help in smooth downshifts and reduce excessive engine braking. The current Yamaha MT 15 mileage is 49 (ARAI) and the new version is expected to offer similar figures.

Price and Rivals:

The MT 15 will continue to rival other 150cc commuter segment, premium sports bikes like the Suzuki Gixxer, TVS Apache RTR 1604V, Bajaj Pulsar 200NS and others. The current Yamaha MT 15 price is Rs. 1.47 lakhs and the new updates will make it costlier by about 10-15 thousand rupees.