Yamaha is planning to upgrade R15 to V3 and a big update to FZS.

The Yamaha R15 has changed the luck of the company in India. The Japanese automaker was struggling in the early years of last decade before the R15 came in 2008.when they launched the R15, instantly Yamaha’s cash registers started ringing. The Version 2.0 of the Yamaha R15 was launched on 6th September 2011 and has been even more successful with the bike being as common as the other bikes were on the sight on our roads. There is little doubt that the R15 is one terrific machine with the only chink in its armour being the lack of grunt. Now Yamaha is planning to launch the R15 Version 3.0 by the end of the year (Somewhere around the festive season).

The Yamaha R15 Version 3 will get multiple updates although the changes won’t be as vast as it was between V1 and V2 of the motorcycle. Yamaha will update the styling of the R15 but the main upgrade would be to the motor. The company will give the R15 a new ECU which will give the bike a smoother and better torque curve. Yamaha is also expected to boost the power output of their flagship motorcycle marginally. The R15 currently belts out 17 PS of power and 15 Nm of torque and we expect those figures to be bumped up by at least 2 PS and 1 Nm then the motor will get about 19Ps of power and 16Nm of torque.which could impress the bikers with more power on their throttle.

Yamaha showcased a special edition of the R15 at the 2014 Auto Expo which was mostly to draw eye-candy as no launch was announced. The bike which was exhibited had a special paint scheme with golden graphics, golden wheels, new swing arm and a free flow exhaust which is a race spec unit and not street legal. Yamaha will also update the FZ later this year, a news which we were the first to break last month. The updated FZ will also get technical changes and rumours point to the new FZ having an engine capacity of 165-170cc.which are only rumours yet.

source-overdrive.in

Yamaha XTZ150S Crosser Is Hero Impulse competitor?

Hero Impulse could not stir up the Indian motorcycle segment as the company would’ve hoped for, however its Honda twin the NXR150 Bros is a relatively popular model in Brazil. In fact the Honda NXR150 Bros makes up for the fifth largest selling motorcycle in Brazil, as the motorcycle provides a comfortable ride on the uneven road conditions of the country. Now, Yamaha Brazil is taking the fight to Honda in this segment with the XTZ150S and has released details of the motorcycle.

The Yamaha XTZ150S Crosser as it will be called upon launch features a dual sport styling also seen on the Hero Impulse with a high exhaust muffler. The seats are designed to offer riders comfort over long distances. The bike also gets a short break-style fender under the headlight completing the off-roader look, while the instrument cluster is taken from the YS150 Fazer. Yamaha will offer the motorcycle in three colour options namely white, grey and orange and is likely to be priced at 9050 Brazilian reals (Rs. 2.33 lakhs) when launched in Brazil.

The Yamaha XTZ150S features a 149cc single-cylinder engine featuring the Blue Flex system and can run on petrol, ethanol or the mix of both. The engine is capable of producing 12 HP at 7500 RPM and 12.55 NM at 6000 RPM. There is a marginal increase in power with the use of ethanol alone. The motorcycle gets spoked 19-inch tyre at the front and 17-inch tyre at the rear which gets long travel telescopic forks in the front and a linked monoshock suspension at the rear. Stopping power comes from 230 mm disc and 130 mm drum at the front and rear respectively.

The Yamaha XTZ150S Crosser is slated for a launch next February in Brazil. Honda captures 80 percent of the two-wheeler market, whereas Yamaha has a comparatively meagre 10 percent market share in Brazil. The company however plans to capture a larger market share with the XTZ150S and the YS-150 Fazer which will be launched by the end of 2014. The dismal sales of the Impulse however won’t encourage Yamaha to launch this product in India at least for now. Should Yamaha get the XTZ150S to India, your thoughts?

photo source-via motorbeam

Bajaj displays Pulsar SS-400

Bajaj Auto has been testing a slew of Pulsars since quite some time now and the launch is still impeding. The company rocked the 2014 Auto Expo by showcasing two new Pulsars – the Pulsar CS400 and Pulsar SS400. Amongst all this, the Pulsar SS200 wasn’t seen or heard about. We spoke to a Bajaj representative who informed us that the lower capacity version of the fully faired Pulsar will come first, followed by the SS400. The Pulsar CS400 power cruiser will be launched in 2015 while KTM’s RC 200 and RC 390 will be launched by the middle of the year.

While the Pulsar SS400 is the distant cousin of the RC 390, the SS200 shares the same relationship with the RC 200. Bajaj Auto always follows a bottom-up approach when it comes to launches and that’s the reason lower capacity offerings are brought to the market first. The Pulsar SS200 will bear heavy resemblance to the SS400 which is very good news indeed as the SS400 does look striking in person. The design of Bajaj Auto’s first full faired bike is spot on and we love the floating LED tail lights.

The Bajaj Pulsar SS200 will draw power from a 199.5cc, single-cylinder, triple-spark, 4-valve engine which uses fuel-injection instead of a carburetor. The bike is expected to get ABS as an option and will produce 24 BHP of power. While the engine and underpinnings are largely similar to the Pulsar 200 NS, the Pulsar SS200 also gets projector headlights, clip-on handle bars, and steel braided brake lines. We expect Bajaj Auto to price the Pulsar SS200 at around Rs. 1.20 lakhs (ex-showroom) for the non-ABS model. The launch is expected in April.

photo source- via motorbeam.com

video source-via youtube