EXCLUSIVE: Yamaha 150cc ADV Incoming

Will it be a good contender to the Hero XPulse 200 4V?

Adventure motorcycles are the best for our brilliant roads and that’s a fact. The entry-level ADV space, especially, sounds like the perfect point to penetrate into our cost-sensitive market, and Yamaha India seems to be targeting exactly that. In an exclusive interview with us, Yamaha India’s chairman revealed that Yamaha’s focus lies on the 125-150cc premium bikes’ segment. The brand will then gauge the possibility to create an ADV in the segment. That leaves us with two possibilities.

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Yamaha could either bring in the WR155R, with its famed 155cc liquid-cooled VVA engine. That said, bits like the 880mm seat height and tiny 8.1-litre fuel tank make the bike a bit too focused for our market. Add to the fact that it’s unlikely to be built in India, and hence will likely cost a bomb. 

The other, and more likely possibility is an FZ-X-based ADV. The bike has been previously modded into a scrambler as well as an ADV and it’s likely that Yamaha will go the same way themselves. That might not sound as exciting as the WR155R, but as a friendly and non-intimidating bike, it could be decent for the beginners. It might not turn out to be as off-road centric as the Hero XPulse 200 4V but it should be rough road ready.

In related news, the RX100 is likely to return, albeit with a bigger motor, so it might not be the RX100, but you get the jist. Check all about it here.