The Yamaha YZF-R3 recently made a comeback in the Indian market, albeit via the CBU route. Barring its pricing and features, the motorcycle has a lot to like. If you want to know everything about this bike, you are at the right place. In this article, we list the top five highlights of the new YZF-R3.
Sporty Styling
Although the design of the new R3 is three years old, it is easily one of the better-looking motorcycles in the segment. The styling is inspired by the older Yamaha R1, which is a good thing. It gets twin-pod LED headlights, sporty fairing, and a raked tail section with split seats. The overall paint quality and fit and finish levels are quite good.
Punchy Engine
The YZF-R3 is powered by a 321cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor that makes 41.4bhp at 10,750rpm and a peak torque of 29.5Nm at 9,000rpm. The DOHC motor comes paired with a six-speed gearbox. The engine offers excellent refinement and provides healthy mid-range and top-end punch. However, the lack of enough low-end grunt robs you of tractability in the city.
Features
The features department is where the R3 falls short by a huge margin. While its rivals offer features like ride-by-wire throttle, ride modes, colour TFT display, cornering ABS, bi-directional quickshifter, Bluetooth connectivity, and more, the Yamaha R3 makes do only with a fully digital instrument cluster and dual-channel ABS. This lack of features makes it less value for money, especially considering the motorcycle is on the pricier side of the spectrum.
Cycle Parts
Regarding hardware, the R3 is underpinned by a lightweight diamond frame that is suspended by 37mm upside-down forks at the front and a monoshock at the back. The motorcycle rides on 17-inch wheels at both ends wrapped on a 110/70 R17 tyre at the front and a 140/70 R17 tyre at the back.
Price and Availability
As we mentioned earlier, the Yamaha R3 is imported into the country as a CBU, and that is apparent from its pricing. The motorcycle is priced at Rs. 4.65 lakh (ex-showroom), making it substantially more expensive than the KTM RC 390 (Rs. 3.16 lakh) and the made-in-India Aprilia RS 457 (Rs. 4.10 lakh). Bookings for the motorcycle have commenced already, and the deliveries will start early next year.
