The new Yamaha R3 has been launched In India at Rs 4.65 lakh (ex-showroom) and this is the bike’s comeback in our country after it went off sale in 2019. The high price is due to the fact that the bike comes in the Indian market as a CBU import from Indonesia alongside the MT-03, its naked counterpart.
Yamaha R3 – Highlights
The bike sports a USD fork and the same chassis as the old version along with the same LCD display and features as the MT-03 such as dual-channel ABS. Moreover, this version of R3 has been out overseas for almost 3 years now, which explains why it doesn’t have Yamaha’s latest design elements that we see on its sibling bikes like the R1, R6, R7 and even the R15, which is quite popular in India among the youth. So, for some, this bike might seem outdated.
Yamaha R3 also uses the same 321cc parallel-twin engine as the MT-03 which produces 42 hp and 29.5 Nm. Apart from that the bike weighs 169 kg with a seat height of 780 mm, which makes the bike not only light and easy to ride but quick on its wheels.
The Yamaha R3 is priced much higher than the single-cylinder KTM RC 390 (Rs 3.18 lakh) and is a closer rival to the recently launched Aprilia RS 457 which is priced at Rs 4.10 lakh (ex-showroom). At this price point, the bike might seem overly expensive and not worth the price due to the lack of features like traction control and riding modes.
However if Yamaha manages to produce the R3 as CKD units, the price would go lower and this bike would then become more VFM since the engine’s refinement and power delivery is top notch in both the R3 and MT-03 siblings and it would be a shame to see these beautiful machines flop due to being overpriced. Check out the review of both the Yamaha R3 and MT-03 by OVERDRIVE.
