Yamaha MT-03 spied testing in India

The Yamaha MT-03 has been spotted testing in India. However, the exhaust of the test mule is different from the ones sold in Europe, hinting that Yamaha might be working on making the MT-03 BS IV-compliant.

The MT-03 test mule sported a stubby exhaust inspired by the FZ-S’s exhaust in place of YZF-R3’s elongated canister. The rear section also features a tyre hugger and saree guard to meet the Indian norms.  The rest of the bits seem identical to the Euro-spec model. The MT-03 is a naked version of the Yamaha YZF-R3 which shares the diamond-type steel chassis. At the heart is a 321cc parallel-twin powertrain delivering 40.5bhp and 29.6Nm of torque. The stripped-down MT-03 is four kilograms lighter than the YZF-R3. It also gets a single-piece handlebar in place of the YZF-R3’s clip-ons and a more upright riding position. 

Once launched, the Yamaha MT-03 will be locally assembled in India just like the YZF-R3. It will compete with other streetfighters like the KTM Duke 390, Kawasaki Z250 and the Benelli TNT 300.