Yamaha R25 based streetbike spotted testing

The naked version of the Yamaha R25 has been spotted testing in Indonesia. The image of the bike being tested has been posted by Iwanbanaran.com. Although the picture is hazy and low res one can spot the tail section of the upcoming bike which is similar to the Yamaha R25. The new streetbike offering will be christened the Yamaha MT25 in sync with the common nomenclature for Yamaha naked bikes. 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.

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. 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.  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 . The Yamaha MT25 could be slotted above it as their premium streetbike motorcycle in the Indian market. The MT25 is in its development stage and there is still time for Yamaha to launch it in the international market, but we  feel that Yamaha should get the bike to the Indian two-wheeler space. If the Yamaha MT25 does make its way to our shores it will go against the Kawasaki Z250, Suzuki Inazuma and the recently launched Benelli TNT 302. Expect the Yamaha MT25 to be priced around Rs 2.8 lakh in India.