Overall OK, disappointing in some respects. Review on Bajaj V15

One liner verdict: V15 should suit to people who want to have decent looking vehicle with reasonable mileage and ride quality at average city speeds and not bike enthusiasts who press/rev hard.

This review is based on the usage of the vehicle for about 6 weeks. The odometer is 1250 Kms.

I give 3 stars as of now. Will change it to 3.5 if the vibration issue goes away after 2000 Kms. But, I don’t expect the gear to speed ratio to improve.

First, the bad things:

• Gearbox - Terrible. Really terrible. No exaggeration at all.

First, the gear to speed ratio is just ridiculous, gravely inadequate. Didn't expect such a pathetic engineering from Bajaj who also produce popular bikes like Pulsar, etc.

Need to be on 5th(top) gear if the speed is anything above 34 Kms. Otherwise, it starts vibrating a lot. So, need to up shift quite often to stay in the comfort zone. On an average, one has to change gear on about every 8 Kms increase in speed.

Usually one can expect the 3rd gear to pull a bike till around 35 Kms at least if not more. But, V15 engine starts the grunting sound as soon as the(3rd gear) speed crosses 22-24 Kms. So, one has to up shift to 4th gear. Same is the case for 2nd gear at around 16 Kms, 4th gear at around 34 Kms.

Also, the gears don't seem to lock in position if the engine revolutions is not in the right range.  Half of the time, it locks in once the clutch is disengaged and some throttle is given. For a new vehicle, this can happen often initially but here, this seems to happen more often than not.

• Vibrations - It starts vibrating just above 42 Kms. It is as if a 100cc bike vibrating above 70+ Kms. This is by far the biggest let down. I can understand if a new vehicle vibrates above 55-60 Kms. But vibrating just above 40 Kms is ridiculous. Seems Bajaj made an engine for some vehicle in mind and spotted the issues. So, they made marketing gimmick of "INS Vikrant" to sell off the produce. But, surprisingly, the vibrations come down above the speed of 55 Kms. It is strange. Other owners say that this vibration issue goes away once it crosses 2000 Kms of running. So, need to wait and see.

Did notice that vibrations above 42 Kms come down after the running in of around 700 Kms. So, this may really improve as other owners say.

The rest:

• Engine - The 150 cc does the job but not sporty. So, it is not for enthusiasts. I haven't really revved it hard so far though. It does heat up than expected. Perhaps the heating may reduce after running of 2-3K. That's what other owners say. Pulls well with 2 people on it. That is one of the reasons why I was looking for a 150 cc bike. It has good torque.

  
  




• Mileage - Checked only once and it is around 58 Kms/litre. I have been riding well within the 44 Kms/Hr speed as advised in the usual manual(for first 1000 Kms) except on 3-4 occasions where I had to sprint to cover couple of kilometres. So, once the average speed goes to 45 Kms and above, the mileage may come down to may be around 50 Kms/litre.

  
  




• Comfort - Riding comfort is good in terms of riding posture it demands and the overall seating position & handling. But as soon as the vibrations start, one feels really bad as it really goes through the rider's arms from the handle bar. Some short people may find that handle bar position is bit far from the seating position but it adjustable.

  
  




• Reliability - Above average. Haven't had any issues so far.

  
  




• Road grip - Seems to be good in general but did skid once on hard breaking. That was the first occasion of hard breaking. So, it doesn't bring confidence on hard breaking.

  
  




• Engine/Exhaust noise - Bit load compared to vehicles of same category. I don't like it but it is ok.

  
  




• Fuel tank - Specification says it is 13 litres including the reserve capacity. Filled to full couple of times. Strangely, had to fill 18+ litres to make it ‘really’ full once and the next time it was 16+ litres. 5 more litres on top of the specification? couldn't believe and suspected the petrol pump outlet did something. So, tried another outlet the next time and it still was 16+ litres. Seems, it does have capacity around 18 litres.

  
  




• Brakes - Front disc break is sharp as expected and does an excellent job. Back drum break is not that sharp. I don't see it improving.

  
  




• Suspension - Good. Front is bit stiff. Stiffness should go away after few thousand Kms I guess. Rear is very good. But, one can still feel the small pot holes and bumps though. Seem to handle the large pot holes well.

  
  




• Head lamp - It is the new'always on' spec(as per supreme court's recommendations based on recent study to avoid accidents). Once the engine is started, head lamp comes on. It is very bright even in low beam. In high beam, it is very bright and can challenge and win against some cars. Bajaj didn't seem to bother in introducing a new lamp for that'always on' norm. They simply made the low beam as the default'always on'. For high beam, there is a switch as usual. The switch on the right side to turn the head lamp on is missing and that area is covered with a plastic strip(non-removable). The pilot lamp comes on when the key is turned to'on' position.

  
  




• Tail lamp - Small in size but does the job. Kind of unique in terms of size, shape and position.

  
  




• Around 40 Kms speed, the ride quality is very smooth(without any vibrations). If it is the case even at 45-60 Kms, then I would give it 4 stars.

  
  




• In the instrument panel, there is only one light for both right and left turn indicators with both arrows. So, one cannot know which one is really turned on without looking at the turn indicators.

  
  




• There is no trip meter.

  
  




• All the switches(self starter, horn, turn indicator, high/low beam, dipper, choke lever) are smooth especially the turn indicator one. But the choke lever is flimsy in design and the plastic build. It could be a target for vandalism as it can be easily broken.

  
  




• The rear view mirrors are just ok quality in terms of the things they reflect. Come with the vertical position by default but can be made it to horizontal or other angles as they rotate 360 degrees.

  
  




• Need to remove the side cover and the seat to reach the tools pouch & first aid kit or if one keeps the RC, insurance, license copies there. There is no separate box area inside the side cover as in other bikes to keep these things.

  
  




• On road price - Rs. 75, 000 in Chennai.