ZEEGNITION/Priyadarshan Bawikar
After having spent a few laps riding around the Buddh International Circuit with the new Yamaha YZF-R3, we dive into some questions which should be on everyone’s minds
What took them so long?
Right from the “good old days” that a lot of veteran bikers keep talking about, when two-stroke motorcycles like the RX100 and the RD350 epitomised power and speed, there is no escaping the fact that Yamaha has had a prolific effect on how enthusiast motorcycling has been perceived in our country. After a many year lull that followed the demise of the two-strokers, it was in 2008 when Yamaha managed to rekindle that fire in our hearts with the first proper, full-faired, made-in-India sportbike – the YZF-R15. But the company hasn’t touched the performance segment since then, choosing instead to focus on building its commuter and scooter portfolio. Not that we have a problem with that, but it felt that passionate bikers like us were largely being ignored in a bid to hit those mass market numbers. And the fact that we kept getting teased with the company’s small to mid-capacity performance bikes that were flooding the East Asian markets didn’t really help. But now it seems that the endless wait is done with, which brings us to this shiny new YZF-R3 standing before us looking resplendent in Yamaha’s Racing Blue livery.
Does it look like a Yamaha should?
Absolutely. It has floating panels on the sides like you find on the latest iteration of the R1 as well as its slightly blocky profile at the front when seen bang-on from the side. There are a lot of good looking design bits such as the stubby, side-mounted exhaust, tall sculpted fuel tank, sharp tail section, and the well-integrated windshield. And the blue alloy wheels available on the blue-liveried bike are rather sensational. There are some other bits which look a bit pedestrian, particularly the turn indicators and even the analogue-digital instrument, though extremely functional, isn’t anything to write home about. Overall though, the R3 does look like it means business.
What’s under the skin?
To do its business and do it well, the R3 packs a 321cc parallel twin motor that puts out 42PS of peak power and 29.6Nm of torque. But more than the outright numbers, it’s the way this grunt is delivered that makes a solid impression on your first ride. Unlike the other couple of 300-odd cc parallel twin motorcycles that are available in the country, the R3’s motor doesn’t feel peaky at all and offers a good boost of thrust in its mid-range. Coupled with the rather short first gear of its 6-speed gearbox, not only do you get sharp acceleration off the line, it also allows you to putter around at fairly slow speeds in relatively high gears. Everything, of course, is held together by a tubular steel twin-spar frame, and while there are those who would like to cry foul over this, the boffins at Yamaha made a conscious decision to do away with a beam perimeter frame, not just to keep costs down, but also because their chassis of choice is more than adequate to handle a motorcycle and motor of this configuration.
Is it at home on the track or the street?
On the track, this new YZF-R3 proved to be a hoot and a half. The nimbleness of the bike is clearly evident from the first corner itself. It’s quick to steer in and that makes it highly manoeuvrable when flicking it from corner to corner. But this flickability doesn’t come at the cost of mid-corner stability, which makes the R3 an extremely easy bike to ride hard on a track. I really believe most wouldn’t find it lacking strongly in any particular aspect if they were to take one of these to a race track for some corner-carving shenanigans. With only a few laps around the rather generously sized BIC, it’s maybe too early to tell whether this new R3 will be enjoyable for road use, but a lot of its characteristics certainly point in that direction. The 780mm seat height is short enough for all but the tiniest of riders to keep their feet firmly on the ground when pulled to a stop. Even the handlebar position, although low, and the footpeg position, although rear-set, don’t force you to sit in a foetal position on the bike, making for a very comfortable riding posture. And then its fairly light 169kg wet weight with a perfect 50-50 weight distribution makes it feel very agile and easy to handle even at slow traffic speeds. So while we haven’t really ridden the bike out on the streets to make a fair assessment of its everyday usability, we do wholeheartedly believe that the R3 strongly delivers on the high versatility that Yamaha has promised with this bike.
Do those MRFs do it justice?
While the R3 will be assembled in India with most of its bits coming in the form of completely knocked-down (CKD) kits from Indonesia, some amount of localisation has already started. And the most obvious one we could figure out was the MRF rubber it comes shod with at both ends. Both the 110/70 R17 Zapper-FY front tyre and the 140/70 R17 Zapper-S rear tyre are the cross-ply type (and not radials), but did have adequate grip even at track speeds and lean angles. However, push them too hard and you might get some chatter. I for one would love to see the R3 shod with the Metzeler Sportec tyres which have proven themselves so well in India on the KTMs.
Is it well put together?
That answer is a resounding yes! The overall part quality and fit-and-finish is absolutely top notch, done in a manner that has been typically Yamaha’s forte over the last so many years in our country. There isn’t a single panel gap to speak of, and the bike feels solid enough to actually make you believe that a lot of other rival motorcycles in this segment have been rather hurriedly put together.
Does it skimp on anything?
There are a lot of voices being heard across the internets voicing discontent over Yamaha’s choice to go with conventional forks (albeit beefy 41mm units) rather than upside-down ones. But let’s be honest here – the ones on the R3 work just fine as they are and USD forks would’ve done nothing but mark up the price of the bike. It’s not really a critical piece of kit and just because some of its immediate competition runs with them, doesn’t make this front suspension debate of any real consequence. However, the lack of ABS, even as an option, feels like a bit of a compromise, and is certainly an opportunity missed to silence at least some of the naysayers.
Does it feel like a scaled-up R15?
Yes and no. And this is actually a good thing. It does feel bigger and chunkier than the R15, and obviously a lot more powerful too. Even it terms of ergonomics, it’s more comfortable than the R15 v2 by a huge margin. The R3 does have its own distinct character, but you can feel hints of the company’s ‘R’ lineage (as they like to call it) in a lot of areas. But the perfect characteristic that this larger sibling seems to have borrowed from its smaller one is its unintimidating feel on the move. Even if all you’ve ridden in your life are really small capacity commuter bikes, the R3 welcomes you on-board and inspires immediate confidence.
Is it a Ninja beater? What about the RC 390?
At Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the R3 certainly isn’t what you might called economical. But when you compare it to its nearest competition, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 (which comes to India in CKD form as well), the Yamaha’s 35,000 Rupee price advantage makes it more value. And then the R3 also makes more power, more torque, and is lighter than the Ninja 300. Plus the Yamaha’s motor also offers significantly higher tractability over the Ninja’s. At first glance at least, it does feel that the R3 is a proper Ninja beater, but we’ll have to wait for a proper on-road comparison to determine if that statement holds merit. When it comes to the KTM RC390, it’s a slightly different story. The RC does offer higher power and torque and is certainly better suited for attacking corners. But it’s this single-mindedness of the KTM that might see a lot of riders preferring the versatility of the Yamaha, even though the R3 demands a premium of well over 1 lakh Rupees. But this is something we’ll have to wait and watch.
Yes Yamaha?
Oh, most definitely!
