After announcing the prices of the YZF-R1 and the YZF-R1M earlier this week, Yamaha UK has officially revealed the prices of the new MT-09 Tracer and the YZF-R3. The MT-09 Tracer has been priced at GBP 8,149 (Rs 7.89 lakh) while the R3 will retail at GBP 4,799 (Rs 4.64 lakh).
As the name suggests, the MT-09 Tracer is based on the three-cylinder MT-09 naked motorcycle. Yamaha has made quite a few changes to make the MT-09 Tracer more suitable for long distance touring such as the suspension travel has been increased considerably to provide a more comfortable ride.
The new fairing gets a tall windshield for better wind deflection while the seating position has been altered to suit the motorcycle’s purpose. It employs the same three-cylinder 847cc crossplane engine from the MT-09, which produces 115bhp and 84Nm of torque, through a six-speed gearbox.
The R3 was unveiled in October and is Yamaha’s answer to the Kawasaki Ninja 300. It looks very similar to the YZF-R25 which was unveiled earlier this year and is built around the same lightweight tubular steel diamond type frame. It is powered by a 321cc, in-line twin cylinder engine which develops 40.5bhp and 29.6Nm of torque, through a six-speed gearbox. With this price tag, the R3 undercuts the KTM RC390 by GBP 200 (Rs 19,365) and the Kawasaki Ninja 300 ABS by GBP 400 (Rs 38,727).
While we do not expect the MT-09 Tracer to be launched in India anytime soon, the R3 is one hot product from Yamaha, we can look forward to. Once launched here, the R3 will rival the RC390 and the Ninja 300, though we expect it to be priced higher than the KTM in the Indian market.