The ever-heating, small-displacement sportsbike segment in the country features some interesting offerings such as the KTM RC390, Kawasaki Ninja 300, and the Honda CBR250R. This segment got another addition today with Yamaha launching the YZF-R3.
Priced at Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the India-spec Yamaha YZF-R3 borrows plenty of styling cues from its bigger brother, the Yamaha YZF-R6. It has a similar front-biased mass silhouette, albeit with more angular styling, and less muscle. On the front end, it gets a set of twin lights, and the rear end of the bike looks quite similar to the R6. The bike will come in only two colours – Racing Blue (white with blue) and Black Lightning (black with red).
On the performance front, the Yamaha YZF-R3 gets a 321cc, parallel-twin, four-valve engine that is fed by a fuel injection system, and makes for 41bhp of power at 10,750rpm, and 3.0kgm of twisting force at 9,000rpm. Further down the drivetrain is a six-speed gearbox.
Suspending the Yamaha YZF-R3 are hydraulic units on the front, however it misses out on USD forks. At the rear is a hydraulic monoshock unit. It gets 110/70 tubeless tyres on the front, and 140/70 tyres at the rear, each mounted on 17-inch alloys. Ready to ride, the entire set-up weighs 169kg.
Some of the features available on the Yamaha YZF-R3 are current fuel consumption, average fuel consumption and coolant temperature readouts, two trip meters, a fuel trip meter and an oil trip meter. Bringing the motorcycle to a halt is a 298mm single disc brake up front, and a 220mm single disc brake at the rear. Disappointingly, Yamaha has not added the safety net of ABS.
At this sticker price, the YZF-R3 is priced considerably lower than the Kawasaki Ninja 300, but almost Rs 1 lakh above the popular KTM RC390. The motorcycle will be imported from Indonesia, and will not have any local sourcing as of now, says Yamaha. Scheduled to reach showrooms within a week, the manufacturer expects to sell up to 1,000 units a month.
Ved Janve
Vishal Venugopal
Dinshaw Magol
