The Yamaha R25 is coming into our market very soon and here are some great reasons to be excited for its arrival.
You’ve read our report when it debuted in Indonesia sometime last year, and you’ve seen our recent spyshot of it undergoing testing on our roads. And now, we can confirm with you that Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn Bhd (HLYM) will be previewing the R25 for the Malaysian market at its upcoming annual motorsports press conference next month.
Here are a few more reasons to get you even more excited for the R25’s impending arrival into our market. Additionally, you can also see more interactive content of the R25 on the dedicated Yamaha Rev Station micro-site.
1. It looks great!
Alright, we won’t kid you on the fact that the concept bike, which was presented in racing form, looked better. But that’s not to say this production version is ugly. It is far from that, and many fans of the brand’s larger R1 and R6 supersports will appreciate the somewhat ‘miniature’ R25’s similarities in design to its larger supersports siblings.
2. It will be one of the fastest 250cc bikes in the market
On paper at least, the R25 looks set to steal the Kawasaki Ninja 250’s thunder upon arrival. Underneath, the R25* packs a 249cc liquid-cooled DOHC parallel-twin heart primed with fuel injection, generating 35.5hp at 12,000rpm and peak torque of 22.6Nm at 10,000rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheel using a six-speed constant mesh/return type transmission, and boast a light claimed weight of 166kg.
Slightly lighter than the Ninja 250’s 169kg kerb weight, the R25 does make do with a smaller 14-litre tank as oppose to the Ninja 250’s 17.4-litre tank size. But the R25 makes up for its smaller tank (and presumably shorter travel distance) by having slightly more power and a higher-revving powerplant over the Ninja 250. Fact: The Ninja 250 has a claimed power rating of 32hp at 11,000rpm and peak torque of 22Nm at 8,200rpm, slightly less than the R25.
Need more proof? Apparently an Indian motorcycling website has claimed to have clocked the Indian-spec R25 reaching speeds above 170km/h! (Source)
(* Specifications based on Indonesian-spec R25. Malaysian-spec bike may vary slightly.)
3. The R25 has motorsports infused in its DNA
Besides the fact that HLYM will preview this new entry-level sports bike during its annual motorsports press conference, it is a known fact that the R25’s development saw input from Yamaha MotoGP rider and legend Valentino Rossi.
Perhaps that should explain why the concept was previewed as a race bike when it debuted during the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. It also goes to show you that the ‘R’ in the R25 moniker really means something, and that is the promise of a lightweight, agile, and relatively quick machine, similar in nature to the larger Yamaha R1 and R6.
Also, the R25’s 250cc parallel-twin mill boasts the brand’s DiaSil Cylinder and Offset Cylinder engineering in it build, plus the adoption of race-derived forged aluminium pistons and carburised connecting rods. This then should explain the R25’s ability to rev higher all the way up to 12,000rpm.
4. It will be affordably priced (…sort of)
Details are scarce at the moment, but given the success of the Yamaha XJ-6 series and the MT-09 in our market, we strongly believe that HLYM will assemble the Malaysian-spec R25 locally in its Sungai Buloh CKD plant. With that, we also believe that the firm will price it competitively against its chief rivals, the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and the Honda CBR250R just below the RM30,000 price mark.
Whether it will be priced lower or higher than the rivalling Kawasaki or Honda remains to be seen, but rest assure the R25 will be the most affordable Yamaha sports bike in the market, offering a lot of bangs for relatively little bucks. Think of it as a stepping-stone towards the Yamaha R6 or R1 you’ve always dreamt of.
5. It will be the ‘coolest’ bike in its segment
Based on reasons numbers 1 ,2, and 3, the R25 has already won a lot of points as far as ‘cool factor’ goes. And lets face it, a quick glance in the local 250cc parallel twin market will tell you that there is no other bike to go for other than the Kawasaki Ninja 250. You could join the pack like everyone else and buy something that’s fairly common, or you could be patient and wait for Yamaha’s rivalling R25 to arrive and stand out better.
We’ll have more on the Malaysian-spec Yamaha R25 from HLYM’s scheduled press conference. For now, enjoy the extensive gallery and videos we’ve collected so far to satisfy your anticipation until the R25 is launched. You could also see and read more about the R25 via Yamaha’s Rev Station micro site.
Additional sources: Asphaltandrubber ( Link 1 / Link 2) and Visordown ( Link 1 / Link 2 )
