Yamaha has launched
the 2019 Yamaha R15 v3.0 in Thailand. The fully-faired motorcycle has received
a small price hike of THB 500 and now costs THB 97,500. The MY2019
update is only cosmetic. The MY2019 update has brought new colour options
including Blue-Black, Black and Grey-Yellow. The Japanese bikemaker had earlier
in March 2019, introduced these colours in the Indonesian market. There these
colours are called Racing Black, Racing Yellow and Racing Blue.
Mechanically, the
2019 Yamaha R15 v3.0 is unchanged. Suspension duties are administered by an
upside-down fork up front and a monoshock in the rear with adjustable preload.
In comparison, the Indian variant uses a conventional fork in the front to keep
costs under check. An upside-down suspension setup allows the Yamaha R15 v3.0
to perform better at corners and keep it more stable on uneven road surfaces.
The powerplant is
the same 155 cc liquid-cooled, 4-valve, SOHC mill with Variable Valve
Actuation. Coupled to a 6-speed gearbox the engine can produce 19.3 PS of power
and 14.7 Nm of torque. The Yamaha R15 v3.0 in Thailand is significantly lighter
than the Indian version. In fact, it tips the scales at just 137 kg, which is a
full 5 kg lighter. However, one reason for this can be the lack of dual-channel
ABS as Thai laws do not require motorcycles to have this safety feature. Other
ergonomics like seat height and ground clearance have remained the same.
Key features
include a large 140-section rear tyre and all-digital instrumentation with
large readouts and a gear shift indicator, disc brakes and aluminium swingarm
as well. The gearbox is assisted by a slipper clutch.
