Yamaha Sniper 155 – Will It Ever Come To The Indian Market?

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Yamaha Sniper 155 is a popular performance-oriented moped, available on sale in markets like the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc.

Yamaha Sniper (also known as Exciter, Jupiter MX, and Y16R) is an extremely popular sports moped available in South-East Asia. In its latest iteration, which first debuted back in December 2020, the vehicle is powered by the same 155cc engine as the YZF-R15 and MT-15, and features an aggressive and sporty design.

The design of the 2021 Yamaha Sniper is inspired by the brand’s litre-class superbike, YZF-R1. The moped gets a sporty-looking front apron, with multi-piece LED headlamps. It also gets a single-piece seat, with a sleek tail section and LED taillights. The new Sniper 155 also gets a full-digital LCD instrument cluster, and its foot-pegs are centre-set, giving it a sporty riding stance.

Powering the Sniper 155 is a 155cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine. This motor generates a peak power of 17.9 PS and a maximum torque of 14.4 Nm. For improved power delivery throughout the rev-range, the vehicle gets Yamaha’s VVA (Variable Valve Actuation) tech, the same as the R15, although the motor has been detuned for use on the moped.

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Transmission duties are handled by a 6-speed sequential manual transmission, with a slip & assist clutch available as standard. The moped is underpinned by an underbone chassis, and it features conventional telescopic forks at the front, along with a monoshock rear suspension.

Although the demand for sports mopeds is strong in South-East Asian markets, this segment is non-existent in the Indian market. In fact, there aren’t many mopeds available in India, with TVS XL being the only mainstream offering and others being electric mopeds. As such, the chances of Yamaha launching the Sniper 155 in India are low.

2021 Yamaha Sniper 155 side angle

In the Philippines, the 2021 Yamaha Sniper 155 is priced from PHP 114,900 to PHP 120,900 (around INR 1.75 lakh to INR 18.48 lakh), and it would likely be priced similarly if launched here. For Indian buyers, that is an extremely high price, which not many would be willing to pay for a moped.

If Yamaha removes certain features, like VVA and slip/assist clutch, then the price could be lowered to a more competitive level, but this would still remain a niche product in India. The way our market currently is, the chances of Yamaha Sniper 155 launching here minuscule.