Quick ride: Bajaj V15
You have to hand it to the boys at Bajaj: they know how to add value where one didn’t think was possible. With the new V15 motorcycle, they’ve done that in spades, while touching that soft, patriotic bit of your heart that defies all critique. You see, the V15, now famously, incorporates metal from the storied INS Vikrant aircraft carrier in its tank assembly and says as much in an etching on the filler cap. Marketing ploy? Perhaps, but one can only expect a positive rub-off from the association with a war hero.
The Vikrant association is evidently quite strong, as we had a couple of bikers chase us down to ask if this was the “Vikrant bike”. Mission accomplished, Bajaj marketing team. A pat on the back for the agency guy who thought this one up.
The V15 is all about visual mass. As Bajaj officials tell it, the product took form in a sketch from the design team and moved ahead from there. It’s a conventional format, but uses the “modern classic” aesthetic that seems so much in fashion these days. Bajaj claims to be using an all-new 150cc motor for the V15 sitting in an all-new chassis. Bodywork, obviously, shares nothing with any other stablemate and that’s a key USP: nothing else in the market looks like the V15. The execution is coherent and while it is inspired from things that exist already (note the Moto Guzzi-alike tank and emblem), the sum of the parts is something new.
As you’d expect from a Bajaj product, there are things that are first/bigger/better than the competition. The forks are 33mm, the front disc is wavy, you get a rear seat cowl (cleverly detached with an allen key built into the ignition key), a bright and uniquely-shaped headlamp, and the rear tyre is a 120-section 16” hoop developed specially for the bike with TVS. It all comes together rather well, at the expense of features that you could live without, at least for a bike of this intent. You don’t get a tachometer or a kill switch for instance, and the peak horsepower figure is among the lower ones in the segment.
What you do get though, is a very smooth, quiet and refined motor that’s almost Honda-silent at idle. We experienced this with their recent Avenger 150 motorcycle as well, and we’re impressed by how well the manufacturer is handling NVH these days. The V15 also uses one of the largest exhaust diameters we’ve seen on this segment and while the note is not particularly evocative, it does get noticed by passers-by. Torque is [email protected], which compares well with the competition. At these levels, this is not the sort of motive thrust you feel in your gut, but rather allows for practical performance at middling speeds that commuters spend most of their time at. You can lug the engine in high gears at low speeds and it doesn’t shudder or complain. This lends a very relaxed character to the bike, something I had to spend some time getting used to, having ridden to the press event on a much larger, more powerful motorcycle.
While the V15 does appear generously-proportioned and has a relatively long wheelbase, in practice it is a compact motorcycle that’s easy to hustle through traffic. The handlebar is wide, though reach is short and the footpegs are a bit high. This creates slightly odd ergonomics for the rider, with one needing to lean forward, while one’s knees are a bit above parallel to the road surface. To be fair, we tested while wearing riding boots, so the average joe wearing sneakers or chappals should be comfortable. But please don’t ride with chappals.
The gearbox is a mixed bag on the V15. It’s a smooth unit that’s quick and easy to row through the five speeds, but it’s an all-up pattern, which is unfamiliar to most. The heel-toe shifter is acceptable, but those with larger shoe sizes will find the toe end hard to manipulate. Use the heel, however, and going up the gears in traffic is a faultless affair, and the bike prefers to be short-shifted into top gear as quickly as possible. Sixty is the sweet spot, while going above 80kmph is laborious. We didn’t bother testing top speed because we have full, productive lives. There is some buzz coming through the grips and footpads at most speeds, but we suspect Bajaj will iron that out quickly. Ride quality is slightly firm, relative to some other similar motorcycles, and it likes to fall quickly into corners. We didn’t bother to get our knee down, however, because we have full, productive lives. Coming to a stop is surprisingly rapid thanks to the 240mm wavy disc in front.
Originally published at ThrillOfDriving.com on March 4, 2016.
