Retro motorcycles have quite a fan-following in Europe and the brand believes it can achieve the same in Asia with a new small capacity motorcycle, which are more than welcome in these parts of the world. The motorcycle in question is the neo-retro naked street fighter from the brands Sports Heritage XSR line-up, called the XSR155. While the XSR155 is not yet official, reports claim that this bike is in development.
The new XSR155 is likely to carry the same design philosophy as seen on the big XSR900, like the name suggests, and it is expected to use the water-cooled 155cc powertrain from the Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0 & MT-15. The Indian-spec motor develops 19.3 PS of power and 14.7 Nm of torque and comes with VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) feature, that might be seen on the XSR155. The bike might also retain the same 6-speed transmission unit with a slipper assist clutch but the gearing is likely to be similar to the MT-15.
In terms of hardware, the international version of the bike is likely to feature upside-down front forks, and a rear monoshock along with a deltabox frame. The Indian-spec model, if at all it ever lands on our shores, is likely to miss out on the USD forks and may get conventional telescopic forks to keep the costs in check. We have seen the brand use similar strategy with the recently launched MT-15.
In the styling department, as mentioned above the bike will feature retro-styled rounded headlights, large circular unit on the instrumentation, a sculpted fuel tank, semi step-up seats, wide handlebars, rounded tail lamp housing, etc.
According to a media report, the Yamaha XSR155 is expected to be launched in Indonesia by November this year. At this point of time it is difficult to speculate if the bike will arrive on the Indian shores. In related news, the brand has temporarily discontinued sales of the Yamaha YZF-R15S and Fazer 150 in India, as the bikes have not received the mandatory ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) upgrade.