Yamaha YZF-R15 V4 Performance Drop Explained

Though it may not appear so, the dip in performance has an upside too

The fourth generation of the YZF-R15 made its global debut starting with the Indian market. While the V4 scores high compared to R15 V3 in terms of equipment, the slight drop of performance had everyone bewildered. But as it turns out, Team Blue had a very good reason to do so.

The VVA (Variable Valve Actuation)-equipped 155cc, liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine now produces 18.4PS and 14.2Nm which is a dip of 0.2PS from the Yamaha R15 V3, though the torque has seen a slight bump of 0.1Nm. Now, while all this may not seem much, Yamaha says that the engine has been retuned to improve riding performance in the city.

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Another big change with the Yamaha YZF-R15 V4 came in the form of the new bodywork, inspired by the new Yamaha R7. The new design, however, isn’t purely an aesthetic choice, as it has reduced the coefficient of aerodynamic drag (CdA) from 0.307 (on the the R15 V3) to 0.293. What does this translate to? Simply put, the lower the CdA, the better it is for the vehicle’s fuel consumption as well as its top speed. In fact, Yamaha claims the new bike has a higher  top speed than the outgoing model.

It sounds interesting on paper,  but can the dip in the performance of  Yamaha R15 V4 really be felt in the real world? Well, we have tested the bike, so stay tuned to find out.