Yamaha YZF-R3 First Look Review

Yamaha YZF-R3

When all Yamaha enthusiasts in India were eagerly waiting for the R25 to be launched in India, Yamaha seems to have decided to bring the R3, a bigger version of the entry-level sports motorcycle, to the Indian market.

The R3 is indeed a step up from the R25 even if it is built around the same lightweight tubular steel diamond type frame. The motorcycle borrows cues from the R25 and sports twin-headlamps like its sibling. It gets the sporty character thanks to the airduct in between the headlamps. In fact, the aggressive headlamps and the LED tail lamps differentiate the R3 from the other motorcycles in Yamaha's portfolio. In terms of suspension, it gets telescopic forks in the front and a monoshock at the rear.

The Yamaha R3 is powered by a 321cc parallel twin liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine that produces 42bhp of power at 10,500rpm and 30Nm of torque at 8,500rpm. This mill comes mated to a six-speed transmission. The motorcycle comes equipped with performance-oriented features like racing-derived forged pistons, carburized conrods and a direct drive camshaft. The braking power for the 169kg (wet weight) motorcycle, comes from a 298mm disc in the front and a 220mm disc at the rear and ABS comes as standard.

Yamaha is promoting the R3 as a sportsbike that one can ride every day. They have designed the R3 to be ahead of the Yamaha YZF range and the other quarter-litre bikes. We expect Yamaha India to sell the R3 as a complete knockdown unit (CKD), meaning an affordable price tag for the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and KTM RC 390 rival. It will be assembled at Yamaha’s local plant situated in NCR region.