After a long wait, Yamaha finally brought their naked entry level sports bike MT-15 to India. A more naked version of Yamaha R15, the new MT-15 was more of a let-down to enthusiasts who were waiting so eagerly for the bike. The Rs. 1.36 lakhs pricing was what stuck out the most for the fans and also the kind of corners the Japanese brand cut in order to reach this price was something that the fans did not appreciate. The company has now revealed the official accessories for the naked MT-15. With these accessories, Yamaha aims to make the MT-15 more practical for the would-be buyers of this naked streetfighter style bike. The accessories are on the affordable side and range from Rs. 190 to Rs. 750. The official accessories for the all-new MT-15 are:
Seat Cover – Rs. 350
Pillion footrests – Rs. 450
Skid plate – Rs. 500
Handlebar-mounted USB charging port – Rs. 750
Mobile holder – Rs. 350
Tank pad – Rs. 190
What is instantly apparent here is the list of official accessories does not include any performance improving accessories. While the other accessories are quite affordable some crucial bit for a naked bike such as a crash guard and windscreens are sorely missing on this small list of official accessories for the premium naked streetfighter from Yamaha.
MT-15’s design is inspired from Japanese bike maker’s top naked offering MT-09. The entry level offering MT-15 shares a lot of mechanical parts from its fully faired sibling R15 this includes the engine as well. The main difference between the two bikes is the relaxed riding stance of MT-15 as compared to the more aggressive riding position of the Yamaha R15. This makes the MT-15 well suited for handling daily traffic in the cities and also gives it the edge of being a daily commuter as well as a performance bike at times.
Perhaps what irked the fans and prospective customers the most was that in order to bring out the MT-15 in an ‘affordable’ price bracket in India, Yamaha cut a lot of corners. This included the bike being stripped of some key features such as USD front forks, aluminum swing arm, and dual channel ABS. However, the strategy turned out to be very vague as the streetfighter MT-15 is still priced at 1.36 lakhs, about 40,000 more than the other naked 150cc offering by Yamaha.
As far as the specs of Yamaha MT-15 are concerned, the naked streetfighter comes equipped with a 155 cc engine the same one found on R15. On the MT-15 as well the engine produces 19.2 Bhp of power and 15 Nm of torque. The liquid cooled mill of the bike is paired to a 6-speed gearbox which has slipper clutch as standard.
Talking of the accessories, they are decently priced and prove that Yamaha is working well on customer feedback. As far as the market’s reaction to the bike is concerned, it remains to be seen as to how the fans respond to the naked streetfighter from Japan.