All about the performance kit from yamaha
The 3.7km long Chennai circuit was the place where I got my first taste of the R15's full potential, last year. After that I have been visiting the MMST race-track very often and have had many occasions to ride and race the R15 there. But all those bikes were in stock-trim without a single modification. So this looked really promising. An entire day with the best track-tool on one of the only two race-tracks in the country meant I would show no mercy on the bike or stop for nothing, at all. The weather sure was on our side as it was cloudy and over-cast throughout the day, which also meant that the lap-times would drop more than before due to lower track temperatures. A couple of laps on the stock bike and the best lap time I could do was 2 minutes 19 seconds around the long loop of the Chennai circuit. Then I jumped onto the race-spec R15 and the first thing I noticed was the exhaust note, which reminded me of the race-spec Yamaha T135 underbone bikes I raced in January at the Yamaha ASEAN Cup in Bangkok. It was insanely louder than anything on our Indian roads, and had a lovely throaty growl at idle revs. Coming out of the pit-lane I whacked open the throttle and the R15 raced ahead with an enthusiasm of a school-kid darting out of the day's last class.
Two laps down, the lap time dropped by a few seconds but it took me sometime getting used to the altered power delivery. Sadly, Yamaha had only two bikes ready with them and with the entire media fraternity present at the do, it limited the track-time on the modified bikes. The two modified bikes ran different gear ratios with one running a stock gear setup while the other bike had a slightly shorter gearing. The back-straight on the Chennai circuit allows for a good top-speed run and on the stock bike the best figure I have ever seen on the speedo is 134km/h. On the modified R15 with stock gearing, I touched 141km/h on the same back straight! With a quicker exit on C6, better rubber and more suitable track temperature, I?m sure that figure could easily cross the 145km/h mark.
The power delivery was smoother and had a much punchier feel to it over the stock bike. The revs climbed much faster with an aggression never felt on the stock bike. The performance kit changed the character of the R15, entirely. Suddenly from its docile and forgiving self, the R15 had become a hooligan yet comforting in a very nice way. Revving all the way upto almost 13,000rpm, the new ECU gives the bike a wider powerband starting from 7,500rpm, allowing the rider to keep the power handy at all times, effortlessly. Throughout the track, the revs never dropped below 8,000rpm and it allowed me to keep the bike in its sweet spot all the time. In the real world though this will work against the R15 as on the crowded city streets it will require the rider to keep dancing on the gear lever. In the cityscape, one needs power low down the rev-range to really enjoy riding around the town and make swift overtakes. Yamaha claims that the entire performance kit bumps up the horsepower by 30%, which means with the kit the R15 would make 21PS of power! This means the R15 with the performance kit will have the best in-country power-to-weight ratio of 175PS/tonne!
The brake upgrades only improved things even more as I could comfortably enter the corner carrying all my speed and then trail brake with precision to correct the line. Late brake manoeuvres and shedding excessive corner speed was a breeze on the bike thanks to the braided brake hose and the 296mm diameter front disc. The rear set adjustable pegs were set on medium position and it didn't make much of a difference than the stock setup. However, the rear sets have three more rearward settings, which I believe can be more useful for the track.
The bike is in its element on a racetrack and feels much more fun than the stock setup, fulfilling all the needs of a hardcore racer. The primary target for Yamaha is the R15 championship racers and serious track-day goers. Yamaha has announced that this kit will be for closed circuit use onlY
Two laps down, the lap time dropped by a few seconds but it took me sometime getting used to the altered power delivery. Sadly, Yamaha had only two bikes ready with them and with the entire media fraternity present at the do, it limited the track-time on the modified bikes. The two modified bikes ran different gear ratios with one running a stock gear setup while the other bike had a slightly shorter gearing. The back-straight on the Chennai circuit allows for a good top-speed run and on the stock bike the best figure I have ever seen on the speedo is 134km/h. On the modified R15 with stock gearing, I touched 141km/h on the same back straight! With a quicker exit on C6, better rubber and more suitable track temperature, I?m sure that figure could easily cross the 145km/h mark.
The power delivery was smoother and had a much punchier feel to it over the stock bike. The revs climbed much faster with an aggression never felt on the stock bike. The performance kit changed the character of the R15, entirely. Suddenly from its docile and forgiving self, the R15 had become a hooligan yet comforting in a very nice way. Revving all the way upto almost 13,000rpm, the new ECU gives the bike a wider powerband starting from 7,500rpm, allowing the rider to keep the power handy at all times, effortlessly. Throughout the track, the revs never dropped below 8,000rpm and it allowed me to keep the bike in its sweet spot all the time. In the real world though this will work against the R15 as on the crowded city streets it will require the rider to keep dancing on the gear lever. In the cityscape, one needs power low down the rev-range to really enjoy riding around the town and make swift overtakes. Yamaha claims that the entire performance kit bumps up the horsepower by 30%, which means with the kit the R15 would make 21PS of power! This means the R15 with the performance kit will have the best in-country power-to-weight ratio of 175PS/tonne!
The brake upgrades only improved things even more as I could comfortably enter the corner carrying all my speed and then trail brake with precision to correct the line. Late brake manoeuvres and shedding excessive corner speed was a breeze on the bike thanks to the braided brake hose and the 296mm diameter front disc. The rear set adjustable pegs were set on medium position and it didn't make much of a difference than the stock setup. However, the rear sets have three more rearward settings, which I believe can be more useful for the track.
The bike is in its element on a racetrack and feels much more fun than the stock setup, fulfilling all the needs of a hardcore racer. The primary target for Yamaha is the R15 championship racers and serious track-day goers. Yamaha has announced that this kit will be for closed circuit use onlY
performance kit
1] Re-mapped ECU
2] High-lift cam-shaft
3] Full exhaust system
4] Special alloy sprockets
5] Adjustable Foot rests
6] Larger diameter petal disc front brake
7] Stainless steel brake hose
8] Race-spec master brake oil cylinder
2] High-lift cam-shaft
3] Full exhaust system
4] Special alloy sprockets
5] Adjustable Foot rests
6] Larger diameter petal disc front brake
7] Stainless steel brake hose
8] Race-spec master brake oil cylinder
RE-mapped ECU
Re-mapped ECU:
The R15 chassis always felt under-used with that puny 150cc liquid-cooled motor and every time on the track it felt like the bike could do with more horses. Well, that is the focus of the advanced ECU in the performance kit. The rev-limiter has been moved further and instead of 9,800rpm cut-in point of the stock ECU, the race-prepped ECU kicks-in only after the rev-counter needle breezes past the 12,800rpm mark. And that makes a hell of a lot of difference! Yamaha has developed this special ECU which is tuned and mapped to suit the other performance upgrades that come in the package. However, the ECU has been configured with a prefixed map canceling out the great opportunity of allowing the end-user to program it according to his own liking and needs. How we would love to see a programmable ECU on offer! Maybe that's the next thing in line from Yamaha...
The R15 chassis always felt under-used with that puny 150cc liquid-cooled motor and every time on the track it felt like the bike could do with more horses. Well, that is the focus of the advanced ECU in the performance kit. The rev-limiter has been moved further and instead of 9,800rpm cut-in point of the stock ECU, the race-prepped ECU kicks-in only after the rev-counter needle breezes past the 12,800rpm mark. And that makes a hell of a lot of difference! Yamaha has developed this special ECU which is tuned and mapped to suit the other performance upgrades that come in the package. However, the ECU has been configured with a prefixed map canceling out the great opportunity of allowing the end-user to program it according to his own liking and needs. How we would love to see a programmable ECU on offer! Maybe that's the next thing in line from Yamaha...
High-lift Camshaft:
Yes! You read it right. The package also boasts of a high-lift cam which provides better flow of air-fuel mixture by getting the valve further out of the way than stock. The altered ECU further helps in smoothening out the extra power produced by the engine and care has been taken that the high-lift camshaft does not put strain on the valvetrain.
Full exhaust system:
This one will be a big seller. Loud, throaty and adds instant punch to the bike. The full exhaust system is a bolt-on part and immediately improves low-end torque and power delivery. And one thing is for sure, you can't sneak into your home after a late night ride, 'cause this stainless steel muffler will wake up your entire neighbourhood. It's short, sweet and smart as a whip. And yes, this is a race track only feature as is the ECU because of both useability in traffic and also the noise level is above the permissible street limit of 80db.
Duralumin Special Alloy Sprockets:
The key factor behind R15's mind-blowing performance and handling has always been its superlight frame. Yamaha has kept this focus on its after-market parts too and the sprockets are no exception to this. As of now, there are two options for the rear sprockets with 40 teeth and 42 teeth, made out of lightweight special alloy called Duralumin. The product line-up hasn't been confirmed for the sprockets yet, as Yamaha has plans to introduce multiple sprocket options depending upon the demand and need of the users.
Brake upgrades:
Braking was phenomenal on the stock bike too, but the bigger 296mm diameter petal disc upfront coupled with a stainless steel braided brake hose, put the R15's brakes into a different league altogether. The feel has improved significantly and the bike inspires a lot of confidence under hard-braking and mid-corner speed-shedding, dropping braking times and distances by a big margin over the stock bike. The kit also includes a la MotoGP race-bike style master brake oil cylinder. The improved power and braking demands stickier rubber though than the stock tyres can deliver and this is a sore spot worthy of being treated. Exactly a year ago, many were stunned with the performance of the tyres employed on the R15 and were raving mad about them. However, the stock tyres now seem to be struggling to cope with the added horses
Quick throttle:
The package also includes a racing quick throttle that reduces the total travel angle of the throttle from the stock bike's 90 degrees to 60 degrees. The quick throttle helps in reducing throttle actuation time and provides quicker response from the bike with minimal movement of the wrist. A boon for racers.
Rear set footrests:
Apart from the performance boosting bits to the drivetrain, Yamaha have thoughtfully provided one very critical upgrade to the bike which is exquisitely crafted rear set footrests. This positional placement of foot rest with allied linkages perfectly optimized for gear shifter and rear brake pedal is most welcome and highly recommended. It is three-way adjustable depending on rider preference and comfort.
The entire kit works in perfect harmony as the high-lift cam, ECU, the exhaust and the sprockets all have been tuned to work together to give the best possible performance. All of this sincerely satisfies the needs of a serious track-enthusiast or the newbie racer. To match the go, Yamaha is also offering an HID headlight kit for that added bling factor!
The sad part is that Yamaha still hasn't disclosed the pricing of these parts or the full kit as they are yet to determine the exact costs, since the parts will be imported directly from Daytona (the firm) in Japan. Yamaha will start taking orders from July for these parts by email and via their website. The parts will be available by September and trained technicians at Yamaha dealerships will install these parts on the customer bikes.
The entire kit works in perfect harmony as the high-lift cam, ECU, the exhaust and the sprockets all have been tuned to work together to give the best possible performance. All of this sincerely satisfies the needs of a serious track-enthusiast or the newbie racer. To match the go, Yamaha is also offering an HID headlight kit for that added bling factor!
The sad part is that Yamaha still hasn't disclosed the pricing of these parts or the full kit as they are yet to determine the exact costs, since the parts will be imported directly from Daytona (the firm) in Japan. Yamaha will start taking orders from July for these parts by email and via their website. The parts will be available by September and trained technicians at Yamaha dealerships will install these parts on the customer bikes.
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