Bajaj launched the V15 under its ‘V’ branding which was adopted as a result of the material used in making the tank of the motorcycle which came from the decommissioned aircraft carrier of the Indian Armed Forces, the INS Vikrant. The motorcycle was launched in 2016 and immediately gained traction.
According to a media report, since 2018, the bike lost its popularity as customers started to find issues with its parts and the pillion seat was found to be cramped and uncomfortable. And now we have learnt that Bajaj V15 has been taken off the production line as the motorcycle did not meet the brand’s sales target and hence, the company stopped production before 1st April to skip the ABS safety update leading us to believe that the bike has been discontinued in the Indian market.
One of the USPs on the bike was its price which was around INR 65,626 ex-showroom and at this price the bike competed with the 125 cc segment which falls in the same price range. The ABS update would make the bike expensive which would more or less defeat the purpose of a cost-effective motorcycle.
It is also being speculated that Bajaj may bring back the V12 which is the 125 cc iteration with the cost-effective CBS safety update as motorcycles under the 125 cc require to be updated with only Combi Brakes (CBS) and not the more expensive Antilock Braking System (ABS) which is mandatory on 150 cc segment motorcycles.
The V15 is powered by a 149.5 cc, Single cylinder, 4-stroke, SOHC 2 valve, Air cooled, DTS-i engine that produces 12 PS of power and 12.7 Nm of torque.
The V12 is powered by a 124.5 cc, Single cylinder, 4-stroke, SOHC 2 valve, Air cooled, DTS-i motor that produces 10.7 PS of power and 10.9 Nm of torque.