Review Of The 2021 Yamaha MT-15 - Class 2B Streeter From The Dark Side Of Japan

Yamaha's entry for the Class 2B street bike market comes in the form of the Yamaha MT-15, or Yamaha MTN155 if you are being technical. Like its elder siblings, the MT-07, MT-09, etc, it adopts the MT moniker and goes by the tagline - "The Dark Side of Japan". Its name is not just the only thing that takes after the much more powerful motorcycles however, as you can tell from its looks, that a lot of styling and design cues are also inspired from the larger Class 2 motorcycles. This two wheeler is more focused on design and positioned as a street racer.

Yamaha Singapore Official Distributor

Hong Leong Corporation - Yamaha Motor Singapore
Address: 178 Paya Lebar Rd, Singapore 409030
Phone: 6749 0588

 Click HERE to ENQUIRE now on ANY Yamaha Motorcycles! Special price for SBF members! 

This is the naked or street version of Yamaha R15 (which we have reviewed here) with slightly different capabilities. The overall look of the bike remains same as MT series and the bike is more oriented to city like driving conditions and priced at S$14,000 (including COE, excluding insurance) prices itself right up against similar offerings from Honda and other Japanese manufacturers. Will MT15 carve out a niche for itself? Let’s find out.

Styling & Design

Well, as soon as you see the bike, your eyes get stuck on it. The bike looks muscular and its headlamp makes it more special. The headlamp cluster is equipped with twin-LED position lamps which gives the impression of eyes and a LED projector lamp positioned beneath it.  Hence it appears to resemble Transformer (fictional character) and makes it unique in this segment.

The 10-litre tank is shaped in such a way that it provides a muscular look to the bike and air-intakes further accents this trait too. The handlebar is a single-unit and keeps you in an upright and comfortable riding position, unlike the racing position on the Yamaha R15. The quality of bar end weights and switches are excellent and goes to show the excellent qualities of the Yamaha brand.

Coming to the rear of the bike, the tail lamp is integrated at the rear of the seat. The exhaust sound complements the feel of a sports bike and has a nice tune to it. The single-seat design and rear fitted foot pegs give you a slightly more aggressive riding position on the bike but even riding on longer journeys, the ride is very compliant and smooth. The seat though is plushy for the rider enough so that you could actually go long-distance touring on the MT-15.

Engine & Performance

The MT-15 gets the same 155cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that we have seen in YZF-R15. For MT15, the engine gets even more refined low-end torque. It generates 19.3hp power at 10,000rpm and 14.7Nm of torque at 8,500rpm. The motor is mated with a 6-speed gearbox.

Since the engine is refined for more low-end torque, handling traffic and congested streets is a much easier task for the bike. This has been possible due to 52-teeth sprockets compared to 48 teeth on the R15. It helps in initial faster acceleration but after 100kmph, the R15 leaves MT15 far behind. The maximum speed we attained was 130kmph but the R15 can go above 140kmph. The bike gets telescopic forks at the front and a mono-shock at the rear which can save you from small potholes although harsh bumps will have no compassion on your back, it is always a trade-off!

Ride & Handling

The MT-15 is a clear winner for the city-like driving conditions. Riding in lower gears at traffic situation is not a problem for this bike. Second gear can reach 40kmph speed easily and its mid-range punch is striking too. The bike remains stable at lower speeds even on higher gears.

The MT-15 gets VVA tech which adds some more power to the ride through its variable-valve-actuation technology - This helps with mid-range torque as well as maintaining excellent fuel economy as your ride the motorcycle. It also get a slip and assist clutch facility which reduces the chances of wheel locking. The bike only gets single-channel ABS however while R15 get dual channel which is just another difference between the 2 siblings. Cornering is not really an issue in this bike.

Our Conclusion

To sum up, it will not be wrong to say that bike is practical for all purposes and can astonish you with its striking looks. The bike can be used for day to day riding and even deliveries if you're up for it, and if you want nimbleness and fun bike then MT15 perfectly fits in your bracket. Striking good looks, excellent technology, and build-quality and warranty backed by the official Yamaha distributor in Singapore - What more can you ask for? (Cheaper COE probably..)

P.S. You can watch this review from an MT-15 owner done by @Farhan Tre: