Yamaha R25: First Review

The Yamaha R25 has been one of those bikes that has generated lot of interest from the word go itself, when the R25 concept was showcased for the first time at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. It was the same scenario at the 2014 Auto Expo as the Yamaha stall was swarmed by Indian two-wheeler enthusiasts and now finally the production spec version has been unveiled in Indonesia.  Yamaha hasn’t confirmed about its plan of launching the new 250cc bike in our market but ZigWheels has learnt that a pre-production model of the Yamaha YZF-R25 has already landed on our shores for testing and R & D purpose. So let’s take close a look at the Yamaha YZF-R25 and what it has on offer.

Let’s start with styling, one of the main reasons for the inquisitiveness about the R25 was its M1 inspired styling, the concept bike possessed. The Indian biker has a soft spot for a full-faired motorcycle and the R25 wouldn’t disappoint them on this front. The bike sports a neatly sculpted windscreen below which sits the twin lamp headlight. The lamps are divided by a small duct that gives the front an aggressive look. The fuel tank carries forward the edgy design language with subtle knee recess.

In profile, the bike looks bulkier than what it is in reality and can be easily passed off as a 600cc, supersport offering. The tail section is very minimalistic and sharp with the LED taillight being neatly integrated into it The Yamaha R25 gets equipped with a part-analogue-part-digital instrument console; it sports an analogue tachometer and a LCD screen that houses the speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge and other details. The instrument cluster also features a revv limiter light. The R25 employs a two-into-one exhaust system with a R6 inspired stubby muffler and Y-spoke wheels.  Overall design of the Yamaha R25 is pleasing and though the lines aren’t as sharp as the concept bike, it holds its own amongst the company of its quarter-litre rivals.

One of the highlights of the Yamaha R25 is its powerplant. The 249cc, parallel-twin, 8-valve, liquid-cooled motor pumps out 36PS at a heady 12,000rpm and torque rating stands at 22.5Nm at 10,000rpm. Power is transmitted to the rear-wheel via a six-speed gearbox. According to Yamaha, they have worked on the combustion chamber design to obtain better mixture of air and fuel thereby resulting in better combustion. The cylinder of the Yamaha R25 like all Yamaha twin-cylinder offerings has been built from DiASil (Die casting Aluminum-Silicon) construction, which apart from reducing the weight of the cylinder also improves heat dissipation. 

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The Yamaha R25 employs diamond type frame, which according to Yamaha enables the bike with better handling dynamics and helps in reducing the weight of the frame. The motorcycles weighs in at just 166kg and with the 1,380mm wheelbase that is marginally longer than the R15, expect it to be a lively handling machine. Since the R25 was developed for Asian market, the bike has a saddle height of 780mm, which is 20mm shorter than that of the R15. Although the R25 has clip-on bars and rear-set footpegs, Yamaha claims that it has taken special care on providing a comfortable riding posture and despite the position being sporty it isn’t overly aggressive.  Suspension duties are taken care of by meaty looking 41mm telescopic forks at front and a mono-shock setup at the back. For braking purpose, the Yamaha R25 employs a 298mm, single disc brakes at front and 220mm disc brakes at rear. Yamaha have been generous with the fuel tank capacity and the one on the R25 can gulp down 14.3 litres of fuel, which should be beneficial while touring. 

The Yamaha R25 has been launched in Indonesia at Rs 2.78lakh and we expect it be priced around Rs 3 lakh when it lands on our shores by early 2015. To a fair extent, the pricing might seem to be on the higher side when you compare it with the Honda CBR 250R but its chief rival will be the Kawasaki Ninja 300 as it’s a twin-cylinder offering unlike the single-cylinder, quarter-litre CBR. The extra pot is also the main reason for its pricing as the cost of production is higher (Suzuki Inazuma is a shining example).

India being a price sensitive market, the task on hand for the Yamaha R25 gets tougher. Since by the time the R25 will be launched it will be competing against cheaper offerings like the Hero HX250R, updated Honda CBR 250R, Bajaj Pulsar 400SS and KTM RC 390. Also spec-to-spec, for Rs 50,000 premium, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 offers better performance, cycle parts in terms of a slipper clutch and more importantly, heritage of the Ninja brand. So it all boils down to how competitively Yamaha can price the R25 in the Indian market, since as a product it seems to be a well rounded motorcycle.