Yamaha R3 spotted testing in India

The Yamaha R3 has to be among the most keenly awaited motorcycle to make its way into the Indian two-wheeler market. Yamaha had showcased the R25 concept at the 2014 Auto Expo and it had many motorcyclists salivating. Images of the Yamaha R3 being tested has emerged on Indian soil has emerged on the internet. It is still not clear that whether the Japanese two-wheeler giant will launch the R25 or the R3 in India but we speculate that it will be the R3 heading to our shores. The Yamaha R3 was sporting Uttar Pradesh number plate as the head office for the Japanese bikemaker is at Surajpur. This confirms that the launch of the bike isn’t faraway and one can expect the Yamaha R3 to be launched by the festive season. 

In terms of styling the Yamaha R3 is similar to its 250cc sibling with sharp and edgy lines that should appeal to the masses. 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. With localisation and CKD assembly we can expect the Yamaha R3 to be priced around Rs 2.5 to 2.75 lakh. If Yamaha is able to pull this off, then it has a winner on its hands as the Yamaha R3 can deliver the refined nature of the Kawasaki Ninja 300’s twin-cylinder motor and match up to the KTM RC 390’s power output.