Ross Edworth
10-16-2009, 05:01 AM
It's nice not to be able to hear just the wind following you around the track. Every downshift extorts a sweet, prolonged growl from somewhere near your ankle.
Every corner exit is accompanied by a rowdy roar and not the usual wimpy whirr from the exhaust. And that is what all fun motorcycles should sound like, no? Never mind that this is rarely the case.
However, for those amongst you who want your R15s or FZ16s to have the extra edge over the others of their kind, Yamaha will soon launch aftermarket parts that will help your rides go faster. What parts are these? Well, for the R 15, Yamaha will offer a new ECU, high-lift earn, free-flow exhaust, sprockets, adjustable rearsets, quick-action throttle, 298 mID petal front brake rotor and braided steel brake lines for the front and rear. And the FZ gets the brake rotor, an exhaust and ... er, that's it. There are other bits too, like adjustable-span front brake lever for both bikes and a rear seat cover for the R15, but these are just garnish really. What, no fat tyre for the R15.
So, do these parts make a difference to the way these bikes behave? Let's see. First, the R15. The kit for this bike is pretty comprehensive, with every step of engine performance - intake, combustion and exhaust - getting a boost. All these changes mean that the bike now revs well beyond its usual 9800 rpm redline to over 12000 rpm. Handy when you want to hold a gear through a corner and also for liberating more top-end power. The RI5-R (my name for the modded bike and totally copyright-free I is more potent right across the rev range, though the power gains are really evident only when you start caning it.
5581
When the power kicks in beyond 8500 rpm, there is no missing the fact that this bike is much quicker than the stock R 15. On the track, it feels like a proper single-cylinder four-stroke racer, rather what I imagine one would feel like. On the straight sections, the top end is exhilarating, while the extra power shooting you out of corners is eminently enjoyable.
I didn't really feel much of a difference in the seating position after jumping onto the R 15-R from the stock bike, but that just me I guess. The unit can be adjusted three ways, so finding your comfort zone shouldn't be a problem. Acceleration is noticeably quicker, and so is the strain on your right wrist. thanks to the extra-stiff action of the quick throttle. Now all the exercise my wrist gets is at the keyboard, so the R15-R's throttle was not too welcome. Nothing you can't get used to, though I did feel that the hard action robs you of some feel from the throttle. Or perhaps it was just my aching wrist. Sorry, I don't have the exact numbers, but I think it's safe to say that the R 15-R will be at least a second quicker than the stocker in all respects and top speed too should see at least a 10 kph jump. The front brake is the best yet on an Indian bike and offers excellent levels of feedback and bite. Braking into corners is even more precise and effortless than before and so is outright stopping power.
But the revelation was the FZ-R Icopyright-free, again). That free-flow exhaust frees up more power and a lot of sound, something that the brawny-looking but meek-sounding FZ earlier lacked. No doubt. the R 15-R is the one for breaking lap records, but I had the most fun riding the FZ-R on the track. It's just the way the comfortable, supermoto-ish riding stance, confidence-inspiring suspension/tyre package and single-cylinder blat come together at speed - even keeled over at close to triple-digit speeds, the FZ is planted, fun and musical. And that 298 mm disc makes this already good stopper even better. Good enough for my first attempt at a rolling stoppie, though I just couldn't get it right! These aftermarket performance parts are specifically made for Yamaha by Daytona, a Japanese tuning firm.
Every corner exit is accompanied by a rowdy roar and not the usual wimpy whirr from the exhaust. And that is what all fun motorcycles should sound like, no? Never mind that this is rarely the case.
However, for those amongst you who want your R15s or FZ16s to have the extra edge over the others of their kind, Yamaha will soon launch aftermarket parts that will help your rides go faster. What parts are these? Well, for the R 15, Yamaha will offer a new ECU, high-lift earn, free-flow exhaust, sprockets, adjustable rearsets, quick-action throttle, 298 mID petal front brake rotor and braided steel brake lines for the front and rear. And the FZ gets the brake rotor, an exhaust and ... er, that's it. There are other bits too, like adjustable-span front brake lever for both bikes and a rear seat cover for the R15, but these are just garnish really. What, no fat tyre for the R15.
So, do these parts make a difference to the way these bikes behave? Let's see. First, the R15. The kit for this bike is pretty comprehensive, with every step of engine performance - intake, combustion and exhaust - getting a boost. All these changes mean that the bike now revs well beyond its usual 9800 rpm redline to over 12000 rpm. Handy when you want to hold a gear through a corner and also for liberating more top-end power. The RI5-R (my name for the modded bike and totally copyright-free I is more potent right across the rev range, though the power gains are really evident only when you start caning it.
5581
When the power kicks in beyond 8500 rpm, there is no missing the fact that this bike is much quicker than the stock R 15. On the track, it feels like a proper single-cylinder four-stroke racer, rather what I imagine one would feel like. On the straight sections, the top end is exhilarating, while the extra power shooting you out of corners is eminently enjoyable.
I didn't really feel much of a difference in the seating position after jumping onto the R 15-R from the stock bike, but that just me I guess. The unit can be adjusted three ways, so finding your comfort zone shouldn't be a problem. Acceleration is noticeably quicker, and so is the strain on your right wrist. thanks to the extra-stiff action of the quick throttle. Now all the exercise my wrist gets is at the keyboard, so the R15-R's throttle was not too welcome. Nothing you can't get used to, though I did feel that the hard action robs you of some feel from the throttle. Or perhaps it was just my aching wrist. Sorry, I don't have the exact numbers, but I think it's safe to say that the R 15-R will be at least a second quicker than the stocker in all respects and top speed too should see at least a 10 kph jump. The front brake is the best yet on an Indian bike and offers excellent levels of feedback and bite. Braking into corners is even more precise and effortless than before and so is outright stopping power.
But the revelation was the FZ-R Icopyright-free, again). That free-flow exhaust frees up more power and a lot of sound, something that the brawny-looking but meek-sounding FZ earlier lacked. No doubt. the R 15-R is the one for breaking lap records, but I had the most fun riding the FZ-R on the track. It's just the way the comfortable, supermoto-ish riding stance, confidence-inspiring suspension/tyre package and single-cylinder blat come together at speed - even keeled over at close to triple-digit speeds, the FZ is planted, fun and musical. And that 298 mm disc makes this already good stopper even better. Good enough for my first attempt at a rolling stoppie, though I just couldn't get it right! These aftermarket performance parts are specifically made for Yamaha by Daytona, a Japanese tuning firm.