Yamaha Motor India has finally launched their first ABS equipped motorcycle in the commuter motorcycle segment. It is none other than the popular mini-super sport machine, the R15 V3.0, that received the safety upgrade in the form of dual channel ABS. Apart from that Yamaha also introduced a new colour variant – Darknight with complete matte finish treatment on the motorcycle.

Now of course with the inclusion of ABS, the bike will cost a bit more than its previous model. To be precise, the new model costs Rs. 12,000 more than the outgoing model, while the Darknight variant costs Rs. 14,000 more. Note that the non-ABS model has been discontinued and now R15 V3.0 ABS is priced at Rs. 1.39 lakh ex-showroom Delhi.

While a new colour was launched, Yamaha seems to have decided to end the MotoGP variant of the R15 V3.0. Yamaha has not said anything about the MotoGP edition that was launched in August 2018 getting this safety feature, which leads us to believe that the limited time period for that model has ended.

However this is surely a good start to the New Year for the Japanese manufacturer, as mandatory ABS norms as per government regulation will come in effect from April 2019. We can soon expect Yamaha to equip its other premium motorcycles with at least single channel ABS to comply with government stipulations.

Other than this, the R15 V3.0 remains identical to the non-ABS equipped version. It is powered by a 155cc, SOHC, four-valve, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected motor that produces 19.3hp at 10,000rpm and 15Nm of torque at 8,500rpm. The motor is paired to a 6-speed transmission that also features an assist and slip clutch.

Among other features are a fully-digital multi-function instrument cluster with a gear-shift light and an LED headlight and tail-light.

On a different note, the launch of R15 V3.0 ABS model also confirms that Yamaha will launch a brand new motorcycle in India on January 21st. As per earlier reports, Yamaha was speculated to launch either an updated FZ-S FI for 2019 or ABS for the R15 V3.0. Now with the R15 V3.0 being out of the equation, we can expect launch of upgraded FZ-S FI.