Yamaha has confirmed that it will be launching new
products in Thailand on 17 August 2019. The Japanese manufacturer will be
unveiling these at the Big Motor Sale 2019. We can expect one of these new
products to be the rumoured Yamaha XSR155 (codenamed B1V).
Based on the Yamaha MT-15, the Yamaha XSR155 will be
the latest entrant to the brand’s Sports Heritage line-up. The retro-styled
café racer is expected to get a familiar teardrop-shaped fuel tank and a
circular LED headlamp seen in the XSR700 and XSR900.
The digital instrument console will carry a similar
shape but it will be positioned at the centre of the handlebar. That’ll be
different from the slightly side-mounted unit seen in the XSR900 and XSR700.
The Yamaha XSR155 will carry forward the deltabox frame from the Yamaha MT-15
and Yamaha R15 v3.0. Also, the swingarm will be a die-cast aluminium unit seen
in the ASEAN version of MT-15.
The Yamaha XSR155 will be suspended over upside-down
fork up front and a monoshock at the rear. The braking setup will include discs
at both ends. ABS will be optional in the ASEAN region. If Yamaha introduces
the XSR155 to India, it will have to make several changes to keep costs under
check. These will include a conventional telescopic fork and a box-type
swingarm. These are the same changes which helped the company launch the MT-15
at a lower price.
The powertrain of Yamaha XSR155 will be the same 155
cc VVA single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected mill. Coupled to a 6-speed
gearbox with slipper clutch, the engine produces 19.3 PS of power and 14.7 Nm
of torque. The 2019 Yamaha R15 v3.0 is priced in Thailand at THB 97,500. The Yamaha XSR155 could be priced around the THB 85,000 mark.
