If you’ve been reading my stuff here on RideApart, then you know I’m a huge fan of small-displacement motorcycles, in particular, sportbikes. Here in the Philippines, nearly every motorcycle you see on the road has an engine smaller than 200cc.
I’m of the belief that folks who ride little sportbikes have the most fun on tight city streets and twisty backcountry roads. And out of all the small sportbikes offered by any of the mainstream manufacturers, the Yamaha YZF-R15M has always stood out as the best in its class.
We’ve talked about this bike quite a lot in the past, particularly about how its styling and technology are derived from Yamaha’s flagship YZF-R1 superbike. But now, in the Indonesian market, where a bulk of Yamaha’s Asian lineup is manufactured, the YZF-R15M just got even better.
Yamaha’s thrown in pretty much everything you’d expect from a petite sportbike that just wants to have fun no matter where you ride. Superbike-inspired looks? Check. Sporty ergonomics? Check. Quickshifter as standard? Check. The R15 even gets a slipper clutch, traction control, and ABS as standard, too.
And for the 2025 model year, Yamaha has given the R15 and R15M smartphone connectivity, too. Sold under Yamaha’s Y-Connect software, it allows riders to view all of the bike’s pertinent information through their smartphone. Features include onboard diagnostics, periodic maintenance reminders, ride tracking, and quite a few others.
Now, in the context of the US and European markets, a bike like the Yamaha YZF-R15M makes sense only as a beginner-friendly machine for someone just starting out on bikes. But over here in Asia, it’s a bike a lot of people aspire to own, and one that lots of riders upgrade into.
But to be honest, there’s so much more about this bike than its small stature and impressive spec sheet suggest. I got the chance to ride the previous iteration of the R15M around Yamaha’s testing facility a couple of years ago, and back then, I felt like this thing could be the perfect foundation for riders looking to sharpen their skills on track.
And so I wouldn’t consider it a watered-down sportbike designed for commuting. Rather, it’s a compact, capable, small-displacement sportbike that just so happens to be good at commuting.
So, for you folks living in the US, would you consider getting a bike like the YZF-R15M just as a fun toy on twisty roads or a track bike to get good on? Would you commute with it, too? Let us know in the comments.
