The Bajaj V15 is the latest 150cc commuter motorcycle from Bajaj Auto. A homage to heritage and history, the V15 gets metal from the scrapped aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. In a way, that in itself is the USP of this bike, named after India's first aircraft carrier - and marketed as a tough as nails, bold, sturdy new commuter motorcycle. For a motorcycle in the 150cc commuter segment, the V15 makes quite a bold statement - that of something, which stands apart. It doesn't look anything like any of the commuter bikes we see on the streets, it's not radically different from what a motorcycle should look like.
In fact, the way the Bajaj V15 looks could very well be attributed to a neo-retro design. So you have a muscular tank and a rear seat cowl which evoke café racer-ish elements. The biggest USP of course, is the name itself, the V being named after the decommissioned, dismantled and scrapped aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The Bajaj V15 is a completely new motorcycle - new design, new chassis (a double downtube frame), and a completely new engine. Where it differs from any of the current 150cc engines from the Bajaj stable is that this one has been built keeping in mind the strong personality of the bike.
The exhaust note is meaty - deep throated and quite bassy for a 150cc bike. In fact, within the city and in traffic, it's quite a pleasant bike to ride. You could change gears in rapid progression and the engine will pull cleanly, without a hint of stress or knocking. In fact, fifth gear is good enough to pull cleanly from as low as 38-40kmph. What this means, for the average commuter, is less gear changes, less stress and effortless riding.
