This R15-powered Moped Has Landed In Malaysia

The outlandish Deltabox-framed Yamaha F155 concept may have been the headline grabber in Vietnam a couple of months ago, but the event was actually dedicated to the launch of the MX King 155 moped. Or the Exciter 155, depending on where you live. Or the Y16ZR, actually, because that’s the guise under which this moped has just been launched in Malaysia.

Underbone mopeds are a rarity here in India but what’s familiar about the Y16ZR is its motor. The 155cc VVA motor powering this moped is the same unit seen in the YZF-R15 here in India. As a result, output figures are similar too, at 17.7PS and 14.4Nm. That aside, the moped has its own thing going on, and actually trumps the R15 in some areas! It gets LED lighting and digital instrumentation just like the little sports bike, but the Y16ZR ups the ante by introducing keyless operation and a DC charging port.

Unlike the F155’s upside-down fork, this production moped gets a conventional telescopic fork, but like the concept, the rear suspension is a monoshock. The Y16ZR’s 17-inch wheels should help it ride and handle quite similarly to a motorcycle, and disc brakes at both ends means stopping power is pretty ample too.

With no real market for underbones here in India, the MX King/Exciter/Y16ZR is highly unlikely to land on our shores anytime soon. But Yamaha also makes an R15-powered scooter, the NMax 155, and that might just launch in India sometime soon. So stay tuned...