RC Recommends: Best beginner supersport motorcycle

We’ve always heard elders yap about investments and savings. We find them pretty boring in our teens and later regret them in our twenties. Well, I'm here to advise you teens on a type of investment that you’ll thank me for later in your biking journey. Riding a bike is something everyone does in our country because of how small and frugal they are, but a type of people (you and me) ride them for pleasure and for the adrenaline rush it gives us. Riding hard, revmatching, and leaning into a corner is the way of riding we chose. Mastering this skill takes shit tons of time and requires a starter-friendly motorcycle that will allow you to explore everything while still making you feel safe. 

Our current motorcycle market has a motorcycle for every use. In our case, small capacity super sport. 

What is a supersport? 

A fully-faired motorcycle with a high-revving engine that is designed to handle the best on a race track is called a super sport. Manufacturers make these bike road legal by installing the necessary equipment and selling it to customers so they can enjoy the motorcycle out on the road as well as hit the track without any big modifications.

Returning to the investment part, to gain a certain skill, you need to invest your time and money to master the skill. When it comes to motorcycling, you need to invest in the right motorcycle and safety gears. To learn the art of motorcycling, your first motorcycle needs to be low on power, handle great, have basic safety features, and be easy to maintain. Well, when you consider all these points, you circle down to two bikes, the Yamaha r15 and the KTM RC 200. Both bikes are better than one in different ways, and you might get confused while choosing one. Well, I am here to help you with my choice. 

The Yamaha r15 

Yamaha India was the Kickstarter of the segment with the r15 v1 back in 2008. It was the first fully-faired motorcycle for the masses, and it also had a lot of segment-first technology in it, for example, fuel injection and liquid cooling! The r15 was built around Yamaha’s delta box frame, which was technically advanced at that time. Fun fact: the term delta represents a triangle in Greek. Why would they name their frame triangle box? Well, the frame of the motorcycle is joined together by many sections to form a complete chassis. Yamaha developed a method where the frame is manufactured with aluminium and the joints are welded according to the stress a certain area undergoes. The areas with higher stress had thicker welds, and the areas with lower stress points were welded lighter to keep the weight in check. With all these and more, Yamaha managed to get the weight down to roughly 140 kg, which gave the motorcycle an insane power-to-weight ratio. 

Every generation of the r15 has been a success, and the motorcycle is in its fourth iteration, hence the name r15 v4. The v4 still retains the high revving nature of the 149cc mill while being even more smooth and frugal thanks to the VVA technology introduced in the v3 iteration. The v4M in particular would be my choice if I got a r15 today, as the bike almost has everything you would need to start your motorcycling journey. You get a quick shifter for upshifts, slipper clutch, and abs, which would make your rides safer and more fun. 

The R15 v4M now gets upside-down forks, which work a tad bit better than the older telescopic ones. There is a beautiful coloured display that hosts a ton of information that you don’t require. The seats are well cushioned now, and they feel comfortable for breakfast rides. 

Imagine this: it is a beautiful Sunday morning. You are on your motorcycle cruising at 80, and there is a long section of twisty roads. What would you do? Pull the clutch, blip the throttle, downshift, and gas into the corner! To do this confidently, you need a motorcycle that will do what you need it to do, and that motorcycle for a beginner is the R15! 

The stock r15 has so much potential that it’ll take you many years to overgrow it. You can even join a racing school with the R15 to enjoy your future bikes more safely. 

The money you invest in the r15 will show its returns when you purchase a bigger capacity motorcycle since you are now very confident in riding and know the basics strongly. 

The r15 was known for its quality compared to its rivals, but the v3 and v4 have damaged the reputation. Common issues such as rusting and valve clearance going off often are known issues. Since the engine goes through a lot of stress, Yamaha advises owners to service the vehicle at every 3000 km, which means if you average 10k km a year, you’ll have to service the motorcycle 3 times a year, and each service costs roughly 2500, which can feel a bit high.

Here are some of the best fluids and accessories for your r15 that I've personally tried and tested in my 25,000 km of ownership. By purchasing through this link we get a small commission that will help us run this page.

Best engine oil - https://amzn.to/3XJwykS

Best coolant - https://amzn.to/3Y0AIpE

Best summer riding jacket - https://amzn.to/3TPNF3j

Chain Maintenance - https://amzn.to/4ezpIFk

Best trim restorer - https://amzn.to/4eA4J5q ( I have been using this on my aerox for the last year )