Thanks Vaibhav for taking all the pics, & sharing with us.

After today's sighting, it is definitely clear than a fresh looking R15 is on the cards from Yamaha. The bike looks visually nice with the new tail panel, split seats, LED tail lamp, & upgraded rear fender

According to me, the bike will only be an upgraded R15, with the upgrades being in the looks department only (again)!
The drive chain looks the same as the current one, hence I don't see the possibility of a bigger engine. But with reduction in weight (courtesy newer rims), a wider tyre can't be ruled out.
Also, I don't think they will re-tune the 149.8cc engine, coz if they wanted to, they would have done so at the launch itself (which was after initially testing bikes dishing out figures of 23-24 bhp).

The R15's tail section had already faced enough criticism since the bike was showcased at the 2008 auto Expo, hence this change is a welcome step.

Regarding new pricing, I think the bike might retail for the same price as the current models, as with localised production of parts, Yamaha was already making better margins than when the bike was originally launched (one of the reasons for the high pricing was imported parts).


The FZ that we see in the pics might be the Fazer250! (Yamaha is launching the Fazer250 tentatively in May 2011).
But from what I had learnt, the Fazer250 would be the global model, which looks very different from the FZ series of bikes. So, I'm confused with the FZ sighting!

Anyways, keeping my fingers crossed.
Yamaha is definitely bracing itself to face the upcoming competition from other manufacturers.
Yes Yamaha!

According to me, the bike will only be an upgraded R15, with the upgrades being in the looks department only (again)!
The drive chain looks the same as the current one, hence I don't see the possibility of a bigger engine. But with reduction in weight (courtesy newer rims), a wider tyre can't be ruled out.
Also, I don't think they will re-tune the 149.8cc engine, coz if they wanted to, they would have done so at the launch itself (which was after initially testing bikes dishing out figures of 23-24 bhp).

@tibby: fazer 250?? may'11?? what is this now??

Did i miss something? When did they test bikes with 23-24bhp? I've heard of that TP1/TP2 BS from someone who had visited their factory amongst other BS. But was this out in some press launch? Seems like I am grossly outdated on this front.

No point in waiting for yamaha to do something radical and launch it. They've done their research and have come out with a cosmetic upgrade and for all those who cried for a bigger rear tyre, they're giving them what they want. Now everyone's pretty happy with these. But it's good enough for those who cant have enough of the looks on the bike. And their 24 HP setup will remain in their closet for good.

Now that's a news to me, oz when i asked the showroom manager he said that there's no 250 on cards, but he said of the upgraded R15... May be not true.
@tibby can you share the source info?

Yes. Heard that from a friend who visited the Yamaha factory (I'm sorry I can't give his/her name).

The TP1's were 23-24bhp bikes. Didn't make it to the roads due to emission & other regulations I believe.

The TP1's were 23-24bhp bikes. Didn't make it to the roads due to emission & other regulations I believe. They will remain at the Surajpur plant for good! (I sometimes get the feeling that the R15s at the Press Launch at MMSC, were TP1s )

atleast tell us the gender.

ya, even I heard that time that R15 was initially R20 or something with 22 bhp+ but was restricted to what it is now, due to possible above reasons and additional premium pricing

At most a bunch of prototypes which Yamaha will never launch for their 'own reasons'

AFAIK The bikes at Press Launch were 20P bikes. Not TP1. 20P bikes you and I now own!

I'm sure they would have launched it if it was possible. Testing a 23-24bhp bike for keeping it in the godown was definitely not their intent.

Kwok: a certain xBHP member who also got a chance of riding the test mule did confirm that there were multiple test mules. Infact even the fz had 3 setups, the r15 wasn't rejected due to emission; it was held back for mileage issues and yamahas perception of their service centres back then.

Kwok: a certain xBHP member who also got a chance of riding the test mule did confirm that there were multiple test mules. Infact even the fz had 3 setups, the r15 wasn't rejected due to emission; it was held back for mileage issues and yamahas perception of their service centres back then.

then can you tell me how was the other FZ s looked like from the current one??