Yamaha R15: The sword that cuts through traffic

 If you're new to bikes, you may not have heard of the R series from Yamaha. The R1 is a 1000cc sportsbike, the R6 is its younger, 600cc brother and the R15 is the 150cc variant. It's an infant if you compare it to its larger siblings.The word infant should not be taken very seriously. It is a very capable motorbike.

The first thing you notice when you mount yourself onto the R15 is its forward inclined, speed oriented seating position. The footpegs are mounted high and backwards. This serves a purpose: you can dangle off the bike and use your knees through the corners. The position takes some getting used to and some may complain. If you're looking for comfort and touring, you're much better off with other bikes which are meant for long distance touring. The R15 isn't a tourer, it's meant for the track.

Turn the ignition on with the button, and it greets you with a mellow purr. A very intelligent purr. It idles away at about 1000 rpm, but the real business starts at 4000 rpm and above. The R15 is a rev-happy being. Tight corners require you to rev the throttle to 6-7k rpm. Cruising around town is done in the 4-5k rpm range. This bike is a very intelligent thing. There's sufficient torque at the bottom of the rev range, although all the fun lies beyond 6000 rpm.

The rearview mirrors are positioned spot on

The intelligence doesn't stop there. The bike is extremely light, and its lack of weight makes it extremely flickable. You may wonder that all that lack of weight may cause instability at high speeds. That isn't the case though. I tried lifting the R15 using the handlebars, much like lifting a dog with its forelimbs. It wouldn't budge. My heavier Pulsar 180 lifts off the ground a bit. I guess that this is because of a low lying, forward inclined engine. This keeps the CG low, lending the bike stability at high speeds. The fairing contributes to the stability as well.

All that stability and intelligence had a profound effect on me. I have never been thrilled at the sight of traffic, until I met the R15. The precisely distributed gear ratios meant that I could select the second gear for calm slips through gaps, and the first gear for aggressive dashes. The third, fourth and fifth gears enable you to cream all dispersed traffic that comes your way; but that's not all. There's a sixth gear; just in case.

Slice away to glory

 All that acceleration and speed requires solid engineering on the braking front. I was happy to discover that the brakes offer real good feel, all the way through. The R15 comes equipped with front and rear discs. I was on my way to a friend's place; I was distracted thanks to all the newfound speed and acceleration. I spotted the lane that I was supposed to get into very late and I must have been doing about 60kmph. I accepted the fact that I'd miss the turn. Half way into the braking maneuvre, I realized that I would not miss the turn after all.

The tyres offer enough grip; they cling on to the road like a baby monkey clings on to its mother when the mother jumps between branches. You can be quite sure of your braking, as long as you downshift properly to supplement the very capable set of brakes that this bike is equipped with. 

After riding around for about half an hour, I realized that the bike needed a service. And that surprised me because it felt quite smooth, and if it weren't for a few visual signs (a leaking front suspension), I wouldn't have known. Yamaha's build quality is excellent; it will stand a lot of abuse. The bike's intelligence is a testament to Yamaha's capable engineers and an excellent philosophy.

Looks inviting, doesn't it?

The R15 is a tad slower than the Pulsar 200NS. But I think that this point is irrelevant. Comparing the R15 to the 200NS is similar to comparing Bruce Lee to Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson sure packs a lot of power, but Bruce Lee makes up for it with sharp, quick movements. I have a feeling that in a straight line, the 200NS may be a tad quicker, but the R15 will be quicker in the real world. It will be a very interesting fight between the 200NS and the R15. The very fact that the R15 can compete against a more powerful engine from the Bajaj stable (and it will be close) shows how good a bike it is.

One may argue that the Pulsar 200NS is quicker than the R15 (and cheaper too?) and hence a better buy.  I'd like to disagree with this point. Although the Pulsar 200NS is a very enjoyable thing, it's not quite a track machine. And you can't argue with Yamaha's engineering and manufacturing. What you pay for is the sharp handling that you still can't find from the Pulsar 200NS. I'll have to admit that it's a close contest, but I'd go for the R15 based on the experience I had today.

The contest between an R15 and the KTM Duke 200 will be very interesting, although I think that the Duke 200 will win. But the Duke is more expensive. If you've got the cash, the Duke may be the wiser choice; but the R15 is totally worth the money.

For just over INR 1 Lac, what you get is a sharp handling machine, which will not let you down come what may. It is a mini sword that lets you slice through traffic and monster corners with a big grin across your face, provided you know how to use one.

Bajaj Pulsar 200NS: The boy who grew up

My love affair with the Bajaj Pulsar began when I was sixteen, and a friend handed me the keys to his Pulsar. What set it apart was its "fun factor". The original pulsar produced 15 BHP of power. It isn't a lot now, but it was quite the revolution back then. The classic round headlamp and the bulky tank gave it a muscular look, and it opened the biking scene up in India.

The pulsars are slightly unstable, and that's what makes them so much fun to ride. All your focus needs to be on the bike. If you misbehave with it, it will promptly throw you off. All old pulsars have a raw, untamed feel to them and I think that they're the best bikes to learn on. A Pulsar's unstable nature will force a beginner to focus and hence master the art of anticipation, handling and control.

I happened to test ride the new Pulsar 200NS and I shall explain what it felt like. This isn't meant to be a comprehensive test, and neither will it dwell on specifications too much. All I want people to know is what the 200NS feels like.

Bajaj has put in a lot of thought into this bike. You realize that when you mount yourself onto the bike and it feels like you've just put your underwear on. You do get the feeling that the design folks at Bajaj made sure that the bike fits you well. I'm 6' 2" and I felt very comfortable on the bike. It was a very snug fit. That's a good sign because if you fit a bike well, you are a part of it. The ergonomics of the Pulsar 200NS are excellent, they've done a very good job. I didn't drive it long enough to check for backaches and other issues, but I reckon this bike should be comfortable.

The next thing that catches your eye is a mid-ship exhaust. You can spot the exhaust in the image below. If you can't, you should check the first image. The mid-ship exhaust gives the 200NS something the older Pulsars lacked: excellent balance. Bajaj has also given this bike a monoshock. A monoshock isn't a luxury on this bike, it's a necessity.

The older pulsars do tend to twitch a bit and give you little scares every now and then, but this one is eager to please you while going round a corner. As a result of the monoshock, good weight distribution and an improved chassis, the 200NS handles well. It has improved balance and can be chucked into corners without the worry of finding your face in a pile of dust if you happen to overdo it.

They've given it a new engine, which produces 23 BHP of power at 9500 rpm and 18.3 Nm of torque at 8000 rpm. What this translates to is no worries at the bottom end, when you're riding around in the city. The gear ratios seemed to be well spaced, and  you wouldn't need to worry about constant upshifts and downshifts while riding around in traffic.

With the new engine, I was worried that it would end up being too smooth and that it would lose its sweet exhaust tone. This isn't the case, the 200NS makes a good noise. You'll know that it is a pulsar once you rev it up and let it rip. I wasn't able to max the throttle in the fifth gear, but the way it accelerated through the first four was enough to tell me that it's been well designed. The gear shifts are slick, the clutch feels light and that's good news. It promotes aggressive shifts and adds to its eager personality.

The 200NS comes equipped with front and rear disc brakes. They've given it ByBre brakes, from Brembo. Braking Performance is also dependent on its chassis and suspension, but these brakes do tend to give it the preciseness that Pulsar's braking system always needed. A very necessary change, and I am very happy with the new brakes that the 200NS comes with.

Summary:

The older pulsars were unforgiving, challenging and scared you a bit. All these qualities make the old generation of pulsars a very exciting, lovable bike. With the new Pulsar 200NS, Bajaj has polished the diamond. It's not quite there yet, but it's a huge improvement over the old design and engineering.

The 200NS is easier to ride, handles better, takes off faster and has precise braking. It loves corners as much as a cat loves chasing a ball of wool. With a top whack of 136 kmph and a 0-100 kmph sprint in just under 10 seconds, this bike is a bundle of joy.

I expected the bike to be more precise when it comes to gearshifts, handling and braking. This made me assume that the 200NS would be reduced to a lifeless being. I'm happy to report that this isn't the case. The Pulsar 200NS has retained its wild streak. It's the talented teenager who graduated from college. He's not quite there yet, but he isn't an unpolished diamond anymore.