In the last couple of years, the Indian market of two wheelers has seen an upward growth in terms of both sales numbers as well as maturity. Talking about the latter aspect, the urban Indian buyer is gradually beginning to think beyond the sole factor of fuel efficiency, as he wants something more from his machine – factors like comfort, features, added power and a bit more muscle in the machine he rides. For all these factors, it is the segment of entry level 150cc commuters which, in these days, is serving them in the most apt way. This particular category of motorcycles may not serve the fuel economy of a 100/110/125cc motorcycle, but then, it surely gives the consumer a feel of riding a bigger motorcycle, without sacrificing much on his pocket.

The oldest player of this field, Honda CB Unicorn, continues to impress its target audience with its no-nonsense approach towards design, strengthened by its robust build quality, refinement and the credit of introduction of the technology of rear monoshock in the Indian market. Yamaha also opened its cards by launching the SZ-RR Version 2.0 below the FZ range, which serves as its most affordable 150cc offering. And then, recently, Hero gave a comprehensive makeover to its underdog, the Achiever, which claims to have become much more desirable and better in its new avatar.

Finally come Bajaj Auto, which has the most versatile lineup of 150cc motorcycles in the Indian market. But then, it offers a very unique product in the market which offers the performance and features of the 150cc motorcycles aforementioned above, but at a price of a 125cc motorcycle. This product is the Bajaj Pulsar 135 LS, the only 135cc motorcycle in the country today, which aims to take all the lower positioned 150cc motorcycles. Which one of these emerges out to be the best bet? Let’s find out:-

In the last couple of years, the Indian market of two wheelers has seen an upward growth in terms of both sales numbers as well as maturity. Talking about the latter aspect, the urban Indian buyer is gradually beginning to think beyond the sole factor of fuel efficiency, as he wants something more from his machine – factors like comfort, features, added power and a bit more muscle in the machine he rides. For all these factors, it is the segment of 150cc commuters which, in these days, is serving them in the most apt way. This particular category of motorcycles may not serve the fuel economy of a 100/110/125cc motorcycle, but then, it surely gives the consumer a feel of riding a bigger motorcycle, without sacrificing much on his pocket.

On closely inspecting this segment, we do find that the motorcycles of the higher and premium end of this segment, which comprises of motorcycles like the CB Hornet 160R, Yamaha FZ-S FI and Suzuki Gixxer, are now churning up impressive numbers. But then, it is the lower end of the segment which is forming up the biggest chunk of this segment, as far as volume is concerned. The oldest player of this field, Honda CB Unicorn, continues to impress its target audience with its no-nonsense approach towards design, strengthened by its robust build quality, refinement and the credit of introduction of the technology of rear monoshock in the Indian market. Yamaha also opened its cards by launching the SZ-RR Version 2.0 below the FZ range, which serves as its most affordable 150cc offering. And then, to cater to the reducing customer interest in Pulsar, Bajaj tried to retain its potential customers with the all new V15, a motorcycle which is quite unique to this entry-level 150cc segment, thanks to its individualistic design and the fact that it contains the metal of the very famous INS Vikrant.

After all the action from its arch rivals in the budget segments, how can Hero be so silent? Just recently, Hero revamped its most affordable 150cc offering for the Indian market, the Achiever, with an all new design and retuned powertrain, which makes it feel like an all new motorcycle. In this story, we are going to compare all these four motorcycles which form the lower end of the 150cc segment, to find out which one fits the tag of the segment leader in actual sense.

If there is one segment in the Indian two wheeler industry which has seen a massive evolution and number of changes, it has to be the segment of 150cc commuters. From a segment which was restricted to only two choices at the time of inception, Bajaj Pulsar and Hero Honda CBZ, the segment now spans with a total range of Rs. 25000, i.e, you can buy a 150cc commuter motorcycle as cheap as Hero Achiever or as sophisticated as the new Honda CB Hornet 160R. In effect, we have a wide range of 150cc motorcycles to choose from, depending upon the features, performance and usability of yours.

On closely inspecting this segment, we do find that the motorcycles of the higher and premium end of this segment, which comprises of motorcycles like the CB Hornet 160R, Yamaha FZ-S FI and Suzuki Gixxer, are now churning up impressive numbers. But then, it is the lower end of the segment which is forming up the biggest chunk of this segment, as far as volume is concerned. Till date, the pioneer of this segment, the Bajaj Pulsar, was undisputedly reigning this segment, but now, with the arrival of newer competitors, the going for Bajaj Pulsar is not easy anymore. The motorcycle did found an apt competitor in the form of Honda CB Unicorn almost a decade ago. The Honda doesn’t come with flashy features, but then, has a huge following for itself as well, thanks to the no-nonsense approach strengthened by its robust build quality, refinement and the introducer of the technology of rear monoshock in the Indian market. Then Hero came with the Hunk, a highly underrated motorcycle, which shares its engine with the Unicorn, but then comes with the feature set list similar to that of the Bajaj Pulsar. Lately, Yamaha also opened its cards by launching the SZ-RR Version 2.0 below the FZ range, which serves as its most affordable 150cc offering.

And now, to cater to the reducing customer interest in Pulsar, Bajaj is trying to retain its potential customers with the all new V15, a motorcycle which is quite unique to this entry-level 150cc segment, thanks to its individualistic design and the fact that it contains the metal of the very famous INS Vikrant. There is one thing common between all these motorcycles – they are now too long in the tooth. In this story, we are going to compare all these four motorcycles which form the lower end of the 150cc segment, to find out which one fits the tag of the segment leader in actual sense:-

In the last decade, Yamaha has woken up from a slumber, in such a way that it has now gone on to become one of the fastest growing manufacturers in the country. Before the advent of the now established YZF R15, this Japanese giant was busy with its not so serious 106cc and 125cc offerings, indicating that Yamaha was not taking the Indian market with the seriousness which should have been there.

But then, the R15 entered on the block, and changed the face of Yamaha in India. After the R15, the advents of the FZ range, the top-of-the-line CBU offerings like R1, FZ1 and VMax and the launch of its 113cc scooter lineup, Yamaha proved that it is not an underdog in the market and it is here to stay for an even longer run, and that too in the action mode.

There is a strong reason to have high expectations from Yamaha – just have a glance of its international portfolio of motorcycles and scooters, and you will agree with us. In the same spirit of growing ahead like in other market, Yamaha is now showing signs of aggressiveness, and a proof of it was its starry existence in the Auto Expo 2016.

Yamaha showcased a variety of models in the auto show – scooters, mass market motorcycles and superbikes, most of which will soon be added or have been already added in Yamaha’s portfolio for India. Following is the list of all the ten most prominent models of Yamaha which stole the show at the Auto Expo 2016.

Yamaha Motor India has taken down six motorcycles from their official website, which means they discontinue these machines in Indian market, as well as made space for new models.

The discontinued models are YBR 110, YBR 125, SS 125, SZ-S, SZ-S and SZ-RR.

The updated official website now showcases the 106 cc 7.6 PS Yamaha Crux as their entry level model, while in the 125 cc segment we can see the 8.3 PS Saluto, and SZ-RR 2.0, the FZ series, Fazer and YZF-R15 sits tightly in the 150 cc segment.

Although Yamaha Motor India didn’t reveal any detail reason behind discontinuing these models, but we assume the poor sales figure is the reason behind this discarding decision, as these models were not meeting the expected sales target from the company. There might be another reason, which is updating the model portfolio to compete in a rising tough market. This means Yamaha Motor India is working on new models as well as upgrading the existing ones with newer versions. The current leader in the economy commuter bike segment is Hero MotoCorp. We assume,

Yamaha will bring new models in the segment to take on the Hero bikes, albeit time will tell the tale.

In the past couple of years, the segment of 150cc motorcycles has spawned a lot of motorcycles. Ranging from budget commuters to fully faired supersports, the 150cc motorcycles are currently the most versatile ones in the Indian two wheeler market. Catering to the lower end of this space, the budget commuters now have a lot of options to choose from. One such choice is the Yamaha SZ-S.

The SZ-S is a successor to the Yamaha SZ-X, which was the first budget 150cc commuter from Yamaha. The Yamaha SZ-X broke the notion of Yamaha motorcycles of being pricier than its competition, as it was launched at a mouth watering price, thus positioning it in the market between 125cc premium commuters to 150cc naked streetfighters.

In this new version, the Yamaha SZ-S covers up all the lack of features and appeal which the SZ-X was suffering from. Here’s a quick look on the Yamaha’s most affordable 150cc motorcycle right now, the SZ-S.

When Yamaha launched the R15 and FZ16 in 2008, both the bikes dramatically revived the fortunes of Yamaha Motor India, which seemed to be in a slumber mode till date. Within few days of their launch, both the R15 and FZ16 rewrote the rules and created new benchmarks of the 150cc motorcycle segments. To keep the rhythm going on, Yamaha played a gamble by launching the SZ series.

The more commuter-oriented SZ series was positioned below the FZ series and catered to that audience which wanted the best of both the worlds of frugality and performance. The unique positioning of the SZ in the highly competitive 150cc segment made it instantly recognizable and since its launch, the motorcycle has been clocking consistent and decent numbers for the Yamaha.

In these years, the SZ has emerged in various avatars such as SZ-X, SZ-R, SZ-S and SZ-RR. The latest joiner in this lineup is the SZ-RR Version 2.0. Powered by the company’s latest innovation in technology termed as ‘Blue Core’, the new SZ-RR intends to be more refined and sorted out as ever. Can the motorcycle create a stir in the entry-level 150cc segment. Read further to find out