Yamaha R3 launched at Rs 3.25 lakh

Yamaha India launched the new R3 performance bike for the Indian two-wheeler market. The new Yamaha R3 has been priced at Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The new motorcycle will be locally assembled and will be the flagship offering from Yamaha India in our two-wheeler market (barring the CBU motorcycles). The Yamaha R3 belongs to the supersports genre of motorcycles and for this purpose sports a sporty design language. The Yamaha R3 has been exclusively developed for the European and American two-wheeler market whereas the Yamaha R25 was restricted mostly to the Asian markets. But given the fact that both the bikes would have made their way into our market via the CKD route, it seems Yamaha has given the higher displacement bike preference. The Yamaha R3 will square off against the Kawasaki Ninja 300, Hyosung GT250R and the KTM RC 390 in the Indian market. 

In terms of styling the bike has sharp and edgy lines that should appeal to the masses that have a soft spot for full faired motorcycles. Powering the Yamaha R3 is a 321cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor churning out 42PS at 10,750rpm and peak torque of 29.6Nm at 9,000rpm. The mill is mated to a 6-speed constant mesh gearbox. In terms of power output, the Yamaha YZF-R3 sits between its arch rivals the Kawasaki Ninja 300 (39PS) and the KTM RC 390 (43.5PS). Braking is done by disc brakes at front and rear while ABS is standard in the international spec model. In the Indian context, ABS has been given a miss to keep costs low. The bike employs telescopic front forks and monoshock at rear for damping duties. The Yamaha R3 has a fuel tank capacity of 14 litres, which should be beneficial while touring and it tips the scale at 169kg. The slightly raised clip-on bars and rear-set footpegs result in a sporty but comfortable riding posture. The Yamaha R3 will be available in two colours - Blue and Black. Deliveries for the bike will start by last week of August and it will be sold in only around 100 exclusive dealerships across the country. We will be riding the Yamaha R3 soon, watch this space for more details.