Three fully-faired bikes. Three different manufacturers. Three different engine capacity bikes but all between Rs. 1.4 lakh to 1.5 lakh. We are talking about the KTM RC125, Bajaj Pulsar RS200 and the Yamaha R15 V3, all of which are pitted against each other in the video below by Ayush Verma. Not the KTM RC 125, as its name suggests, is a 125 cc bike, the R15 belongs to the 150 cc segment while the RS200 is the most powerful of the lot here with an engine displacement of around 200 cc. As mentioned earlier, all of them are priced almost identically and hence the question here arises that which amongst them is the best in terms of straight-line speed. Let’s take a look at the video to find out the same.
Now in this video, we have two winners. The Bajaj Pulsar RS200 wins straight out in terms of outright performance due to its powerful engine and shorter initial gearing. Hence it is the champion here when considering a short length drag. However, when it comes to high-end grunt and best top speed, the winner among this trio is the Yamaha R15 V3 which zooms past the RS200 after the attains it top speed.
The KTM RC125 however, starts from the last here and being the least powerful bike here, stays way behind the other two bikes in this race. That said, the RC125 is one of the best track-focused tools one can get under Rs. 1.5 lakh. Though expensive, its fit and finish along with the quality of equipment are unmatched in the price range. For those wondering why the R15 V3 managed to pass the RS200 with ease at higher speed despite the latter being much powerful, there are two answers for the same. One, the R15 is much lighter than the RS200 and second, it comes with VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) technology which enables the bike to have a punchy top end.
Coming to the specifications, The KTM RC125 is powered by a 125cc, liquid-cooled four-stroke engine that churns out 14.3 Bhp of peak power at 9,250 rpm and 12 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox with slipper clutch comes as standard. The bike has a kerb weight of 135 kg and comes with a single-channel ABS. The Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0 gets powered by a 155 cc engine that puts out 18.7 Bhp of power at 10,000 RPM along with 15 Nm of torque at 8,500 RPM. The engine comes mated to a six-speed gearbox and gets a slipper clutch as well. It comes equipped with a dual-channel ABS and the bike has a weight of 139 kg.
The Bajaj RS200 is powered by a 199.5-cc single-cylinder, fuel-injected engine that puts out 24.5 Bhp of power along with 18.6 Nm of torque. The bike has a kerb weight of 165 Kgs and comes equipped with a single-channel ABS.
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