Recently, a group of people in Vietnam formed a team and converted a Yamaha R15 Version 3.0 into the mighty R1M superbike. All the parts have been replaced, leaving the chassis and the engine behind. At present, Yamaha R1M is not available in India, but to get the feel of the superbike, a few R15 V3 owners in India have also converted their bikes using the R1M kit.
Coming back to the Vietnam-spec modified model, the kit used wasn’t a bolt-on kit, but a near-complete transformation was made. The altered YZF-R15 V3.0 is outfitted with Ohlins-sourced shock absorbers. The international-spec model already has an upside-down fork system, but the modified motorcycle benefits from even beefier units from the premium suspension manufacturer.
The modified brakes consist of twin disc brakes at the front that would be more effective than the already impressive braking setup on the standard motorcycle. The new alloy wheels are fitted with soft-compound tyres to achieve a complete look.
As previously stated, everything except the engine and chassis has been replaced. The motorcycle already gets a slipper clutch and is powered by a 155cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine mated with a 6-speed gearbox that generates a power of 19 hp at 10,000 rpm and 14.7 Nm of peak torque at 8,500rpm.
The front of the modified motorcycle carries twin projector headlights with LED DRLs, along with an air intake in the centre and a tinted windscreen on top. Apart from that, the fuel tank and the rear panels are also replaced with units from the YZF-R1M. After installing the body panels and hardware, it has been painted to follow the paint theme of the 1000cc superbike. The YZF-R1M kit for the R15 V3 comprises silver body panels along with carbon fibre texture and blue streaks.
To give it a track-ready look, the pillion seat and footrests were removed. The pillion saddle has been replaced by a sporty cowl. Another part of the YZF-R1M kit for the R15 V3 is the swingarm. In addition to that, an Akrapovic exhaust system is mounted on the motorcycle, which makes it completely look like an R1M. We don’t have the details regarding the total cost of conversion while the maximum time taken to complete the process is 15-20 days.
