Five things you need to know about the new Yamaha R3 before its India debut next month
Five things you need to know about the new Yamaha R3 before its India debut next month.
Yamaha India surprised enthusiasts a couple of months ago when it showcased the new Yamaha R3 and the MT-03 at the MMRT race track on the outskirts of Chennai. While the MT-03 will be launched for the very first time in India, for the Yamaha R3 it’s more of a comeback. As excitement builds for its entry into the fiercely contested 400cc segment, here are five crucial details of the upcoming Yamaha R3.
The Yamaha R3 features a design update from 2019. Despite being an older design language, it still retains the distinctive Yamaha design DNA with twin headlights, making it the sole bike in its global lineup with this look. This styling was inherited from the Yamaha R6 in 2019, incorporating a ram air intake between the headlights, later adapted to a radiator cooler intake for the R3. While the design bears some resemblance to the R15 V3, the proportions are slightly larger, noticeable when both bikes are placed side by side. While the styling has aged well, what hasn’t is the LCD instrument console that looks archaic as even the Yamaha R15 V4 sports a TFT screen with Bluetooth connectivity.
The Yamaha R3 is equipped with a 321 cc DOHC, liquid-cooled 4-valve parallel-twin engine that produces 41.4 bhp and 29.5 Nm of torque. This revvy engine has a red line of 13,000 rpm and apart from the Kawasaki Ninja 300, it will be the only twin-cylinder bike in the 300-350 cc segment in our country.. It is paired to a 6 speed gearbox but misses out on slipper clutch and traction control that's seen on the R15 V4.
Weighing in at 170 kgs, this bike is lighter by a kilo than the 2023 KTM RC 390 and nearly 5 kgs lighter than the upcoming Aprilia RS457. In contrast, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 has a weight of 179 kgs. Consequently, the Yamaha R3 stands out as the lightest bike in its segment. However, it's worth noting that the bike misses out on Yamaha’s Deltabox frame and, instead, utilises a steel diamond frame. The impact of this on handling will be thoroughly discussed in the full review.The big update on the new Yamaha R3 is the inclusion of a USD fork and that should help improve its handling dynamics.
The Yamaha R3 boasts a low seat height of 780 mm, making it accessible for shorter riders. In comparison to other bikes in the segment, this seat height is notably lower. For instance, the KTM has a seat height of 824 mm, and the Aprilia's seat height is 810 mm. The Yamaha R3's lower seat height enhances its accessibility for a wider range of riders, especially shorter riders. Only the Ninja 300 offers the same seat height but the bike also has additional weight due to the larger fuel tank.
The 2023 Yamaha R3 will make its India debut on December 15 at the BIC race track in Noida and we will be riding the bike on the same date. One of the major concerns for the R3 was its high asking price as it was powered by a twin-cylinder engine and also it wasn’t locally manufactured but assembled in India. The last recorded price of the Yamaha R3 was ₹3.5 lakh (ex-showroom) and we expect the 2023 Yamaha R3 to retail between ₹Rs 3.70 and ₹3.95 lakh (ex-showroom), which will make it the most expensive bike in its segment. It will compete against the KTM RC 390, Kawasaki Ninja 300, TVS Apache RR 310 and the upcoming Aprilia RS457.
