Honda CBR 150r vs. Yamaha R15 v2

It’s barely three months since we aimed Honda’s CBR150R at the Yamaha YZF-R15 V2.0 on road. As a daily use sportsbike, the R15 went one up to prove it holds the edge over the new Honda, but some niggling doubts remain.

ART OF USABLE POWER

Like the Yamaha R15V2.0, the CBR is powered by a near-150cc 4-stroke motor. However, the Honda’s engine seems to be better suited for the race track. A short stroke, higher compression, DOHC head and digital ignition all aim at better peak performance.

The end result is that the Honda’s horsepower is slightly higher. The advantage shrinks when looking at horsepower-per-tonne with the Yamaha slightly lighter. Crucially, the Honda revs higher with more top end performance. All put together the CBR150R’s advantages make it capable putting up a good fight. 

Out on the track the Honda motor feels really good, as it screams through its rev range. Compared to the R15 the CBR is over a second quicker to 100kph from standstill. But this advantage is minimised on a flying lap. Conversely, the CBR’s tall gearing and late torque delivery make getting the most out of the motor a lot of work. Around corners the CBR is less perceptive to throttle input, especially when powering out of corners. The Yamaha meanwhile feels more lively, a combination of heftier torque developed lower in the rev range and its more usable gearing. Data collected at Sriperumbudur showed it was the bike that stays ahead and builds speed quicker in several sections of this technical track.

CRAVING FOR CORNERS

Both bikes use rigid perimeter frames, regular telescopic forks at the front with mono-shocks at the rear. The CBR ergonomics are better than the R15. The reach from the seat to the clip-on handlebars is longer so riders have more space. The steering feels light, turn in is quick and precise, and this Honda feels reassuring even when keeled over.

On the R15, the cockpit can seem a bit more cramped, although on track the Yamaha feels more at home. The R15 boasts of a cast alloy swing arm while the Honda uses a box section unit; and its linked mono-shock is superior as well, with a radial MRF rear tyre providing us far more grip than the CBR.

The upside of the Yamaha’s aggressive seating position is superior front-end feel. The CBR in comparison doesn’t feel as committed at the track as the R15.

 SHARP END OF THE GRID

Both these motorcycle are even in terms of showing off racy looks and more ample features for their segment. However, that’s not what a track test is about, and the CBR150R has curiously been priced a glaring Rs 8-10,000 premium higher by Honda, placing it at a disadvantage.

Despite being the faster bike around the racetrack and easier to ride, Yamaha’s R15 is also more affordable to own. Yamaha’s YZF-R15 V2.0 has retained rightful possession of its numero uno affordable Indian sportsbike slot. 

 Honda and Yamaha have locked horns in India, but never this fiercely. Over the last few years the R15 has epitomised the proper small capacity Indian sportsbike, earning quite a following along the way. With the YZF-R15 Version 2.0, the best just got better.

This Yamaha’s all prepared to take on Honda's spanking new CBR150R. Honda has had the luxury of time to evaluate and build a bike to take on the R15 V2.0. We tell you which bike chants the lighter, faster and meaner mantra with utmost sincerity?

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

Neither the Honda CBR150R nor Yamaha’s YZF-R15 V2.0 leave you wanting for visual drama. The YZF-R15 V2.0 similarly shouts out its sportbike origins, its proven and attractive styling drawing from the acclaimed R1. Dual headlamps, a beefy fairing and a sharp tail mark the R15 out as a performance motorcycle.

The mini Fireblade’s sporty; humpback fuel-tank houses 13 litres, where the R15 fits in 12, and the Honda tips the scales at 138kg, just a wee bit more than the Yamaha’s 136kg. Both bikes come with easily read, sporty and compact instrument counters that display all required information. The CBR’s switchgear is a let-down on account of omitting both, a pass-flasher and engine kill-switch, which are standard R15 equipment.

Fit-finish, build-quality and paint lustre are impressive on both these attractive Japanese sportsbikes.

 ENGINE, GEARBOX & PERFORMANCE

Japanese bikes are renowned for refined engines, and the CBR150R and YZF-R15 V2.0 acquit themselves as no exceptions. Both bikes share much architecture, with single-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled and fuel-injected hearts. The Yamaha displaces 149.8cc, the Honda 149.4cc, and both breathe via 4-valve heads, although the Yamaha drives its valve-train via a single overhead camshaft (sohc), where the Honda relies on dual camshafts (dohc). A noticeable difference is the CBR calling for you to get out the whip to rev it high into its powerband before it makes serious power, which used to be an original R15 shortcoming, rectified on the V2.0. The CBR makes little more power, but is outdone on torque.

Both sportsbikes delight with quick throttle response, creamy smooth power deliveries and little to no vibes. The Honda revs a 1000 odd rpm higher than the Yamaha, but this isn’t that much of an advantage when seen in light of the R15 never requiring to be ridden this hard to claim all its potential. Both bikes transmit power via 6-speed, 1-down and 5-up shifted gearboxes.

The CBR150R proved itself up on performance, a bonus on sportsbikes like these. From a standing start, the R15 outdoes the CBR150R to 60kph taking 4.58 seconds to 4.73secs.   

 STYLING AND BUILD

The R15 has been around since 2008. Even when the motorcycle had a midlife refresh last year, Yamaha decided to work primarily on the rear end. This means the bike still uses a four-year-old front end that we are all too familiar with. But this does not mean that the Yam is a bad looking motorcycle. It is one of the edgiest and most aggressive designs in the market today. The aggression is carried over to the rear as well with the version 2.0’s R6-inspired tail section and split seat. The CBR is a fresher package with the VFR-inspired styling which has been carried over from the CBR250R but has undergone some minor changes. For example the plastic around the headlight has a small dip right in the middle, there is a shorter stubbier silencer and completely new graphics. Talking about colours, the CBR gets some very interesting options with the flagship orange and white, a green and black, a white and black as well as a red and white paint job. The R15 meanwhile opts for the tried and tested blue, red and black colours. There is also a very interesting red flame paint job and a 50th anniversary red and white livery that is now on offer. Both motorcycles are evenly matched in the build quality department and come with their own sets of flaws. The CBR for example has the same switchgear from the CBF Stunner and lacks an engine kill switch and a pass button. The R15 on the other hand does not have grab rails for the pillion which considering the high, split seat is a bit of a concern.

 ENGINE AND PERFORMANCE

Both motorcycles use electronically fuel injected, liquid cooled four stroke engines that are 149.4cc (Honda) and 149.8cc (Yamaha). While displacement is pretty much similar the difference is in the bore and stroke. The CBR150R has a bore of 63.5mm with a stroke of 47.2mm. The oversquare layout of the engine points to a very high revving unit that makes its peak power of 17.82PS at a tall 10,500rpm. The R15 on the other hand has a bore and stroke of 57mm and 58.7mm. Unlike the Honda the R15 makes its peak power of 17PS at a very accessible 8500rpm. While you can argue that the high revving characteristic of the CBR makes it perfect for the racetrack, let’s face it - not many of the people who buy the CBR will use it extensively at the track? The R15 with its powerband resting around 8500rpm makes for a much more usable motorcycle in real life.

The difference becomes even more apparent when you look at the torque figure of 12.66Nm that the CBR makes against the 15Nm that the R15 makes. The R15 even makes its peak torque at 1000rpm lower than the CBR. In real life this translates to fewer gearshifts and hence a more relaxed ride. In our performance runs the R15 managed a 0-100kmph run in 13.07 seconds while the CBR took 13.23 seconds. While the difference might not be much, the way the R15 delivers its power is where the difference lies. The moment you drop a gear the Yam instantly responds, making for a very involving ride. The CBR on the other hand feels sluggish and lazy. Coercing any kind of urgency from the motor is a task in itself. You need to work the gearbox and rev it right till the end to make it go quick. Ride it hard enough and you can post a quarter mile time of 18.62 seconds which is only marginally worse than the R15’s 18.25 seconds. And it is not just in acceleration, even in our top speed test the R15 emerged victorious with a max velocity of 131.7kmph (130.74kmph for the CBR).

So far, the R15 has managed to best the CBR at everything from the fun factor to top speed and acceleration. But the one area where the CBR wins hands down is in engine refinement. Where the R15 is quite smooth though loud at higher revs, the CBR is a typical Honda – silky smooth. And it is not just in refinement that the CBR wins. The Honda is way more efficient than the R15. It returns 67.5kmpl on the highway and 44.8kmpl in the city making for an overall efficiency of 50.5kmpl. The R15 on the other hand returns only 53.4kmpl on the highway and 36.3kmpl in the city. This is a difference of almost 10kmpl in overall efficiency.

 RIDE AND HANDLING

One of the most striking differences between the two motorcycles is in the way they handle. We tested both motorcycles in wet conditions so traction was at a premium. The very first thing you will notice is that going into corners, the R15’s front end feels more planted. There is more confidence going in and coming out of corners. Especially in exits you don’t have to keep the revs at the limiter to accelerate out. The CBR on the other hand feels front heavy and you cannot throw it into corners as easily as the R15. The fact that the Honda uses a 100 section tyre in front as against the 90 section tyre on the R15 is one of the reasons for this. Also, like Shumi said in the road test last month, there just isn’t enough grunt to power out of corners and make a quick exit. Another point to be noted is the difference in tyres. Most entry level sports bikes in India now come with soft compound rubber. The first-gen R15 set the standard for this with its super sticky MRFs. The version 2.0 continues this tradition. The CBR however opts for more durable harder compound rubber from MRF and this hinders its handling a great deal. Especially in wet conditions, you can feel the tyres losing grip and almost washing out at the slightest hint of lean. So, where the R15 goes flying through corners in the rain (not as fast as it would have in dry conditions, but fast nonetheless) the CBR gets left behind. The lack of grip is evident under hard braking as well. Where the R15 takes 16.69m to come to a halt from 60kmph, the CBR takes 18.63m even though both use a 276mm disc at the front and 220mm at the rear. This is not only due to the fact that there is not enough grip in the tyres, but also because the CBR’s brakes lack the kind of bite that the R15’s have.

The CBR however is not sprung as hard as the R15 is. This means that the Honda has a suppler ride and will not rattle your bones like the R15. This, added to the fact that the R15 has a way more aggressive riding position, makes the CBR a very comfortable bike to ride. On the other hand the softer setup will mean that the Honda will not be able to keep up with the R15 when ridden right at the limit. Of course, we will only be able to say this with authority once we unleash them at the racetrack.

 VERDICT

The CBR150R costs Rs 1.27 lakh while the R15 costs Rs 1.25 lakh (both ex-Mumbai). Both bikes look good, even if the R15 is a bit dated. The build quality too is pretty much the same. When it comes to performance however, the R15 is clearly the winner. It accelerates harder, goes faster and corners better. The CBR150R on the other hand is more efficient and more comfortable to ride. Sadly for the CBR, these are not qualities we look for in a sportsbike, whether entry level or not. So essentially, if you buy an R15 you will have a quicker, faster, better handling bike for Rs 2,000 less than the CBR.

    Honda CBR150R vs Yamaha YZF-R15 V2

                             Comparison 

It’s been four years since the Yamaha YZF-R15 drew first blood in 2008, a world class motorcycle to hit Indian shores unheard of by the masses. Just as the old generation blue-smoking 2-stroke Yamaha bikes did, the new YZF-R15 too brought back cool to Indian motorcycling. Last year the YZF-R15 received its first update with more aggressively styled bodywork replicating a true blue supersport-like demeanour in its new 2.0 guise. Undoubtedly this Yamaha has been the most able track scorcher amongst the current crop of motorcycles in the country.

This year though, Honda slipped in the CBR150R to challenge Yamaha’s potent track tool in a rather low key  and subtle manner. Priced a little higher than the Yamaha YZF-R15 2.0, the Honda CBR150R is well matched on paper with regard to the power and performance, the only aspect where it fails to match the Yamaha being the features. Here the Yamaha YZF-R15 2.0 clearly takes top honours, with the Honda CBR150R making do with poor quality switchgear, cheap footpegs and lacking an important feature like a pass switch, which though minor is much needed on Indian roads.

These track-bred pocket rockets are to be ridden and raced hard. But with just two race tracks being accessible (barring the BIC due to its costs and more importantly due to the impracticality of running 150cc machines on it!), the Indian biking junta will be riding these machines on public roads. It was our cue to take the two machines to on one of our favourite mountain roads near Pune, with corner-carving veteran Abhishek Nigam astride the Yamaha YZF-R15 version 2.0 and the Honda CBR150R was straddled by Ravi Ved, a regular tourer who is new to the thrills of knee-downs and cornering. But before we get to their ride experiences, let’s talk a bit about the design and style of the two motorcycles.

On the outside

The Yamaha YZF-R15 2.0 clearly takes the cake with its ultra gorgeous Yamaha YZF-R6 inspired design endowing it with striking track tool poise. The revised fairing is neatly crafted and the raised tail section with LED tail lights compliments its overall racer bearing. The Honda CBR150R tries to replicate its elder sibling, the CBR250R’s design albeit with sportier overtones while its curvy mass is skillfully hidden thanks to its snazzy three-tone graphics. The Honda is certainly more subtle in form but lacks the razor sharp look which is a hallmark of race pedigree motorcycles. Sophisticated and elegant, the baby CBR looks chic but fails to charm the average racer, while the Yamaha has the pizzazz to make an average Joe feel like a MotoGP star.

Firepower frenzy

Both bikes are almost identical in their engine specifications, the only major distinction being the Honda employing an advanced double over-head camshaft (DOHC) while the Yamaha has a conventional single over-head camshaft (SOHC) set-up. The benefits of running a DOHC are plenty but the key is that it allows easy implementation of the 4-valves-per-cylinder configuration and efficient operation of the valvetrain resulting in better performance at higher engine speeds. The benefits are not significant in a small capacity engine however, which is why there is not much difference in performance between the two motorcycles. While the YZF-R15 pumps out 17PS of power at 8,500rpm, the CBR150R produces 17.6PS of power at a rather peaky 10,500rpm. To really tap into the CBR’s outright performance, one must keep the revs above 8,000rpm. But the high revving Honda engine ensures the CBR150R strong performance, the 0-100km/h dash taking 11.87 seconds, which is over a second quicker than the Yamaha YZF-R15 2,0’s 0-100km/h time of 13.15 seconds.

That said, the Yamaha’s SOHC set-up does offer some interesting benefits as the less complex single camshaft configuration is lighter than DOHC and its lower weight makes for better low end torque than the DOHC set-up as a result of which the Yamaha churns out 15Nm torque at 7,500rpm while the Honda only managing 12.66Nm at a  higher 8,500rpm. Better low end torque helps the Yamaha on crowded city streets as well as in in-gear acceleration by a huge margin at that, the R15 taking just 10.75 seconds in the fifth gear 30-70km/h roll-on, while the CBR150R limped across in a dreary 17.52 seconds!

Drop it like it’s hot!

While the YZF-R15 is perfectly balanced between road and track, the CBR150R outshines it on a race track. The Honda engine’s high-revving power delivery and the frame’s neutral handling helped by well drawn ergonomics not only make it easier to ride, which is paramount for mastering race craft, but also allows the rider to push the envelope in a more confident and approachable manner. After riding both machines on the Kari circuit near Coimbatore and with feedback from professional racers who rode them back to back, it’s the CBR that posted quicker lap times than the R 15, both bikes running stock set-ups. For the large part, the baby CBR’s ability to outrun the R15 comes from its extremely friendly ergonomics which allow the rider to get comfortable and explore the bike’s absolute potential quick time. Meanwhile the R15’s focused approach, razor-sharp handling dynamics and supersport-derived ergonomics mean that the rider needs serious track time before he can fully exploit the Yamaha’s prowess.

Abhishek, who has a race win to his credit at the Kari circuit, was very happy as he was able to pull off cornering capers on the Yamaha. Ravi, who has clocked oodles of touring miles, was instantly at ease astride the Honda, thanks to its rather less track-focused seating posture and road-friendly stance. It’s clear that riders familiar with supersports or race replica machines will have no trouble coming to terms with the YZF-R15 version 2.0, but newbies to corner carving will find the Honda a lot easy to ride and tractable. The experienced Abhishek used the R15’s racing dynamics to a great extent, and Ravi was able to keep pace courtesy the Honda’s compliant chassis set-up. When they swapped bikes, Ravi’s nervous air on the R15 was evident, while Abhishek zoomed off on the baby CBR, and was sporting a mile-wide grin on his return.

End of the sprint

Abhishek’s smile said it all. The easy to ride Honda will enable expert riders to post faster lap times on the race track. That is why the CBR150R scores high marks, in our opinion. Make no mistake, the R15 is no slouch and it runs pretty close with the Honda; in fact, the R15 proves to be  more rider-friendly in the city thanks to the torque available lower down the rev range, but its ultra-focused super-sport riding stance is not for any and everyone. But for newbies who are yet to figure out the dynamics of a race pedigree machine and how to handle it around corners, the Honda CBR150R is ideal to get started on.