Yamaha Sniper 150 - All you need to know

Yamaha Sniper 150 is one of the most popular underbones, ever since its launch in the Philippines market in 2007. It is a blend of fascinating design and top of the line performance, crafted to cater to the needs for both racing and streets. The latest offering of the Sniper lineup is its 2020 variant which offers a larger front tire and the revised front fender, updated styling and decals, the LED headlamp cluster and a fully-digital instrument panel.

The current model is positioned as a premium class bike and carries more aerodynamic design than its predecessors, which manages to strike a delicate balance between refinement and versatility. However, with its premium-class features, the Sniper still faces competition with Suzuki Raider R150 and Honda RS150R that lie in the same engine and styling segment.

The Yamaha Sniper 150 price in Philippines starts at Php 102,900, making it higher than its predecessor by almost Php 3,100.

Engine Specifications

The automaker's latest sport class bike generates a maximum speed of 15 hp at rpm rate of 8,500 and features a kick and electric start option. With a fuel tank of 4.2-litre capacity, this four-stroke cylinder is efficient enough to provide an efficient return of 35 km per litre in the city and 46 km per litre mileage figures on the highways, making the Sniper a reliable vehicle to cover distances of 160-189 km.

 

Engine	Single-Cylinder, 4-Stroke, 4-Valve, Liquid-Cooled, SOHC
Displacement	150 cc
Power	15.15 hp at 8,500 rpm
Torque	13.8 Nm at 7,000 rpm
Transmission	Constant Mesh, 5-Speed
Bore X stroke	57.0 mm x 58.7 mm

Exterior

The very first thing that catches the attention of any observer is the new Sniper 150’s aerodynamic styling cues along with its aggressive, ready to race looks. The newly designed triple lamp led headlight increases the riding experience at night by allowing a better and brighter vision and visibility.

The updated Sniper variant also sports a fully-digital instrument panel. The sharp and swooping bodywork experience tends to provide increased stability in mid to high speed along with a compact wheel to maximize traction control. Moreover, the bike also features a Telescopic fork and Monocross suspension for the front and rear end respectively. From the factory, the bike comes wrapped in four colours, namely Race Blue, Matte Green, Black Raven, and Yellow Hornet.

Dimensions

The dimensions of Yamaha’s latest offering sees no change in its overall length. However, there have been updates on the vertical height of the motorbike as now it features an updated tyre set at 90/80-17. Here is a look at Yamaha Sniper 150 dimensions:

Overall length/width/height	1,970 mm x 670 mm x 1,080 mm
Wheelbase	1,290 mm
Minimum ground clearance	135 mm
Seat height	780 mm
Weight (with oil and full fuel tank)	116 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity	4.2 L
Engine oil capacity	1.15 L

Safety

For the improved safety and security of the riders of the vehicle, the automaker has included a plethora of features in the Yamaha Sniper specs sheet. The Sniper 150 features stability control for an enhanced cruising experience for the city, highways as well as for offroading. With better stability control, users also get a pass switch, engine check warning and shutter lock in the vehicle.

Moreover, Sniper also offers a street riding mode that tends to deliver an extra push to the output of the engine and results in higher performance while riding on the streets. Lastly, the improved tyre set and drum-brakes of the vehicle assure a safe riding experience under different weather and riding conditions.

Competitors

The underbone market has become a hotbed of competition for its easy reach to customers, in an extremely short time span. Although Yamaha enjoys its popularity in this segment, it faces intense competition with some of the giants in the motorcycle manufacturing business. Some of the current market competitors of Yamaha Sniper 150 are Suzuki Raider R150 and Honda RS150R which give it a cut-throat competition.

Yamaha Sniper 150 vs Suzuki Raider R150

The Suzuki Raider is a lightweight offering and has a kerb weight of 106 kg. The two-wheeler runs on a 147.33 cc oil-cooled, 4-Valve, single-cylinder engine that throws it in the same segment as the Yamaha Sniper 150. This engine in the Raider delivers the maximum power of 15.42 hp at 9,500 rpm, which makes it slightly better than Sniper.

However, when it comes to torque production, the 12.4 Nm of torque( at 8,500 rpm) is inferior to the 13.8 Nm of the Sniper. Moreover, the maximum torque in the Yamaha is available at 1,500 rpm earlier, which makes it grunty and responsive right from the onset.

Final words

The Yamaha Sniper 150 underbone moped belongs to a sporty class and is a visual treat, for sure. It has every single element that you would expect a expect from a 150cc scooter or moped, be it style, comfort, utility or power and is good to go.

However, since the Philippines market is not short on any alternative options in this class, prospective buyers can take a look at the competitors to make a better choice.

Also read: Yamaha Nmax: Design, Features & Performance Review