Yamaha developing a streetbike based on the R25

Pics of a naked motorcycle that was caught testing on race track by Yamaha officials in Indonesia along with the R25 has been posted on the internet. It is speculated that the motorcycle in question is the streetbike version of the Yamaha R25 supersports offering and will be most likely christened MT25. The new motorcycle will have traditional streetbike styling and is expected to have design cues similar to the MT-series of naked motorcycles. During the M125 launch, Yamaha had announced that it will launch a 250cc or a 300cc parallel-twin streetbike offering in the European market. And the Yamaha R25 seems to be the ideal donor bike for this upcoming naked motorcycle. (Also Read: New Yamaha MT-150 and MT-250 for India?).

Apart from the design changes, Yamaha will also fine tune the riding position to better suit to the streetbike riding dynamics. The Yamaha MT25 will dump the clip-on bars for a more conventional single piece and wide handlebar that will endow the rider with an upright and comfortable riding stance.   Providing firepower will be the same 249cc, parallel-twin, 8-valve, liquid-cooled motor as seen on the R25 that pumps out 36PS of peak power and 22.5Nm of max torque. But it is expected that the Japanese two-wheeler giant will tune the motor to suit the streetbike dynamics of the MT25 which would result in a drop of power output but hike in the torque figures. The motor will be mated to a 6-speed gearbox but it assumed that the gear ratios would be revised. The Yamaha MT25 will carry forward the diamond type frame, suspension setup and brakes from the R25. Since the Yamaha MT25 would be devoid of any fairing or extra bodywork, expect it to be lighter than the Yamaha R25’s kerb weight of 169kg. 

In the Indian context, Yamaha has garnered fair bit of success with the FZ range of naked bike series and the Yamaha MT25 could be slotted above it as their premium streetbike motorcycle in the Indian market. Also since the bike will be devoid of any extra bodywork, Yamaha will also be able to price it cheaper than the R25 in our price sensitive two-wheeler market. The MT25 is still in its development stages and there is still time for Yamaha to launch it in the international market, but we personally feel that Yamaha should get the bike to the Indian two-wheeler space. Although many Indian motorcycle buyers associate performance with a faired motorcycle, given their aggressive and uncomfortable riding stance its target audience is restricted. If the Yamaha MT25 does make its way to our shores it will go against its Japanese compatriot - Suzuki Inazuma. Also Read: Yamaha R25 First Review