Yamaha YZF-R3: 16,000km Long Term Review

Oct 26, 2017
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5 min read

A Japanese supersport indulges in a mild bit of off-roading. You won’t believe what happens next

Ahh, autumn. That laidback time of the year when the salt-laced rains stop trying to oxidize our bikes when not entirely successful in washing them away, and also the time when the scorching Indian sun stops trying to turn us into omelettes. And with everything turning a pleasant shade of yellow, it is also the perfect time for bike rides. The roads are dry-ish, the temperature is turned down a wick, and hitherto unruly crosswinds turn into a pleasant breeze on the body.

Oh yeah, autumn also brings with it a lot of holidays in India, so there’s that.

And so, with a three-day holiday in hand, I pointed the nose of our long term Yamaha YZF-R3 southwards towards the hill station of Mahabaleshwar -- about 150-odd kilometres away -- for a weekend of basically ambling about and doing nothing.

It might look like a cross between a steroid-ingesting Yamaha R15 and a slightly sober R6, but the R3 is anything but. Despite sitting bang in the middle of these two hyper-sporty machines, the R3 possesses a docile nature that is supremely suited for relaxed long rides. The ergonomics are spot on and the engine virtually stress-free. Out on the wide and arrow-straight stretch of Bengaluru-Pune highway that connects the hill station to the latter, our long termer gobbled up the miles as if she was in a bigger hurry than us to reach the destination.

Things turned even better once we left the highway and got onto the winding hill roads. Even with my better half as pillion, the R3 had no problems taking on the badly paved and narrow roads that snaked their way upwards into the sky. Dodging careening Innovas and taxi-sedans, we finally made our way to the hotel.

The next day, we went sightseeing and spotted a rustic-looking and rather inviting dirt road that seemingly went nowhere. It looked like the perfect stretch to see if the R3 could take some off-roading in its stride or simply break down and weep for forgiveness like others of its ilk are wont to.

Now, I’m no Chris Birch -- my biggest outings off the beaten track have always been out of necessity more than intention, like those unexpected stretches of kaccha roads that connect one end of the paved stuff to another. And the R3’s road-biased tyres are nowhere close to being in good condition for off-road sojourns.

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But the R3, this spunky little thing, didn’t mind at all, no sir. With the sublime chassis and suspension working overtime to compensate for all its failings, the R3 soldiered on over small bumps and puddles of water. And while bigger riders might struggle with the sporty ergonomics, my diminutive frame found it pretty reasonable for stand-up riding in the dirt. Fuelling from the EFI-controlled engine was also precise, which thankfully kept scary bursts of acceleration at bay. With the worn out tyres scrabbling for grip, it was the perfect setup for some controlled sideways action. My only worry was that I would get carried away by the fun of it all, and lay her down on her side on the hard soil in front of my wife, who was watching from a safe distance. The thought of dinging that smooth plastic fairing kept me from overshooting my limits, and we turned back to the familiar paved roads to reward ourselves with some of the delicious strawberry shakes that this place is famous for.

The R3, meanwhile, was rewarded with a pressurised wash and a fuel tank top-up for her efforts. With an average fuel efficiency figure of 22 kmpl she’s certainly a bit heavy on this auto hack’s wallet, but her fun factor negates this disadvantage pretty well.

Holiday over all too soon, it was time for us to head back to the city. Our timing was a bit off though, for just before we entered Pune the skies opened up. With not a single shelter from the rain in sight, we decided to soldier on towards home, putting all our trust in the R3 and our rain gear.

Our trust in the latter turned out to be misplaced, because we were thoroughly drenched by the time we reached home. But the R3 held up her end of the bargain well, and not once did I feel like stopping, even in the rains -- even when the first signs of roadside shelters (dhabas) came into sight. Sure, the tyres weren’t as confidence-inspiring in the rains, and I had to ride slower and brake more gingerly to conserve traction but it was anyways a better safeguard than going all out in the rains. And pillion comfort, even with that sportbike seat, was reasonable enough that I heard no complaints from my wife once we were home.

This is a machine that now has seen every sort of biking there is, and taken them head-on.

Oh wait, she hasn’t seen a trackday yet. Kartik, umm, about that, I hear it’s pleasant in Sriperumbudur this time of the year, and Diwali is right around the corner...