Modenas V15 – “The New Kid on the Block”

The retro-styled V15 offers something different and unique to the 150cc category in the Malaysian market.

The cafe racer inspired motorcycle offers great styling, impressive fuel mileage and affordable pricing which are all the things most people look for when wanting to purchase the perfect two-wheeler.

Based on the Bajaj V15, the bike has been rebadged and assembled by Modenas to offer Malaysians something that is unique in the 150cc category. Considered as one of the most popular bikes in India, the V15 injects the retro-styled two-wheeler with a dash of cafe racer-inspired styles and substance.

With simplistic styling combined with reliable hardware, the V15 has been said to be a bike that’s no hassle to ride and requires minimum amount of maintenance to get it running smooth for a long time according to Bajaj. Sitting on the bike feels like you’re sitting on a cafe racer with a flat sitting position that goes across the fuel tank.

Powered by Bajaj’s 150cc DTS-i engine, the V15 comes with dual-spark technology that pumps out a good 11.8hp at 7,500rpm and 13Nm of torque at 5,500rpm. Weighing at just 136kg, the bike feels comfortable to ride especially around city streets. Although the bike wasn’t build to go fast, it can comfortably cruise at highway speeds easily but you’re not meant to go fast on the V15. You’re meant to cruise along to be noticed in the most hip areas in the country (although we did manage to hit 120km/h with great effort and high levels of vibration).

Going through the five-speed gearbox seemed a bit odd at first considering that all upshifts are performed by hooking the shift lever upwards and vice versa when downshifting. Similar to most kapcais, the V15 gains a lot more with that extra fifth gear to get the retro bike nicely settled at highway cruising speed.

Equipped with a telescopic front fork and twin rear shocks (despite the mix up of the spec sheet stating that it has a rear monoshock), they provide enough travel to absorb any minor bumps on the road with no issues.