Battle Of The 150cc Supersports!

QJ Motor Sai 150 = Honda CBR150R + BMW S 1000 RR…here’s how

QJ Motor recently launched the Sai 150, an attractive 150cc supersport. And every time the words ‘150cc’ and ‘supersport’ are mentioned, we Indians are reminded of the lovely Yamaha R15 V4. So here we put them against each other to see if the Sai 150 is as good as it looks. 

Design

Most supersports look absolutely gorgeous and both bikes live up to that… but in different ways. The R15 has always been a looker and in its fourth generation, the bike looks as good as ever. The golden USD fork,  R7-inspired headlight and attractive paint schemes on offer make it look like a ‘proper’ large-capacity supersport. The Sai 150 might look really good, but its twin LED headlight setup is… let’s just say inspired by both the Honda CBR150R and the BMW S 1000 RR. If you’re okay with that, it’s definitely an attractive bike. 

Engines

Talking about their hearts, the R15 V4 makes a solid 18.4PS and 14.2Nm from its 155cc liquid-cooled heart. The Sai 150, on the other hand, makes 16.9PS and 13.5Nm from its 150cc liquid-cooled mill. Even its 145kg kerb weight, despite not being on the higher side, is 4kg more than the featherweight R15 V4. 

Underpinnings

Both bikes get a USD fork and monoshock. While both get 17-inch wheels at both ends, the R15’s 140-section rear tyre is fatter than the Sai 150’s 130-section unit. Plus the R15 V4’s rear tyre is a radial unit, meaning we had a whole lot of fun during our road test review. 

Features

The Yamaha R15 V4 M, after its latest update, gets a Yamaha R1-inspired TFT console, making it the only bike in the 150cc segment to get one. Additionally, there’s traction control, quickshifter, Bluetooth connectivity, a lap timer, gear position indicator, call/message alerts, mobile battery status, connection status, average fuel efficiency and last parked location. The Sai 350, on the other hand, gets an LCD console that is a bit small and looks rather dated. In fact, it’s the same unit as the one we saw on the SRK 400. 

Price

At nearly 14,000 Yuan, the Sai 150 costs the equivalent of Rs 1.60 lakh. Yamaha, meanwhile, has priced the R15 V4 from Rs 1,81,700 (ex-showroom Delhi) onwards. So yes, the R15 V4 is undoubtedly a pricier proposition, but with its exciting performance and sporty handling, it’s a very engaging bike to ride. So for once, we’re not really sad about a bike not coming to India!