YZF-R3 -- 321cc sportbike. USA-bound, too!

Dustin

Dustin

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Yamaha YZF-R3 Revealed

About time, Yamaha! 321cc, 368 lbs wet and said to have 'class leading power'. Me likey
 
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[video=youtube;c9cnbzaBBI4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9cnbzaBBI4[/video]

Colin Edwards promo video :rofl: It's terrible
 
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Should have class leading power because it has class leading displacement. The Ninja twin is a 296cc and the Honda CBR single is 286.

Yamaha is making a statement with it's new lines. I think they leapfrogged Honda and only have to deal with Kawasaki. Will Yamaha release a large touring bike outside of the FJRs or will they focus on smaller displacement?
 
Unfortunately not adjustable suspension and witht he price tag, a bit expansive if you upgrade the suspension. In principle a 300cc would be fun for the track, because it really trains the riding skills because you can not use power to compensate mistakes, they are directly reflected in bad lap times. However for this the KTM seems better because of the suspension. Anyway as long as the 300cc bikes are more expensive than a good used 600er there is little chance for getting them for a track bike. So let's see how they are selling in EU and US as starter bikes. I guess they might be also well selling in asia.
 
This bike should be sub-$5000 so I think it's unreasonable to ask for adjustable suspension. The beefier forks give it a leg up (get it?) over the Japanese competition. I think the RC390 would be over $7000 in USD so it's not apples to apples, IMO

There's also rumours brewing about an AMA small bike class for the US; the goal being to bring up more young American talent. That would be cool now that there's four players in the 300 class
 
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Hi Dustin the R3 will be 5k eur in Germany and 5k in the Us similar to the ktm. However l guess it targets beginner and than I guess Yamaha will go for soft suspension compared to sporty but lets see.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
 
I find it hard to get excited about a 250,300,321 cc whatever.

Maybe back when I was learning how to ride, I might have cared.

Good fun for newbies I suspect but give me a thou any day.

Sent from my Nexus 5
 
ballmead said:
I find it hard to get excited about a 250,300,321 cc whatever.

Maybe back when I was learning how to ride, I might have cared.

Good fun for newbies I suspect but give me a thou any day.

Sent from my Nexus 5
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I think I'd still take one... superb MPG . . it would make a great commuter and around-town bike. It's getting sad that the car does better than my FZ1 for MPG and commuting. I have now determined that (perhaps) I'm a bit heavy-handed on the FZ1 during my commutes. But with all the mods and Ivan's flash, how do you control yourself? I can't! :Rockon:
 
I was thinking the 300 class may be fun for a track bike as suggested because of having to learn better riding skills to be able to keep good times.

I don't think I would like a 300 for commuting. I test rode the Ninja 300 2 years ago and it was annoying for the way I ride. I think the shift from first to second happens around 33 mph. I typically rabbit start on the Fz1 up to 45-50 and then double shift up into 3rd. Also in terms of carving traffic dropping down into 4th on the freeway makes getting through 2-3 moves quick and easy. Less time in a pass equals less time exposed to a potential accident. I guess if I could ride the streets like I would drive with my grandma in the car it would make sense for the mpg saving, but I ride to save time, avoid traffic and generally have fun.
 
Sky, I think it's all about perspective.

People ride small bikes in more congested countries with faster roads. I drove thousands of km in Germany in a 70 hp Opel on unrestricted highways and tiny two lane 62 mph roads that would be 40 in the USA and 35 in Canada. I could imagine myself zipping through the city streets and through villages to the autobahn on a little 300 without a care in the world.

Still, I see where you're coming from; North America doesn't have the skilled and aware drivers other countries do. Driving skill is replaced with distraction, ego and paranoia instead. Still, I think a little bike offers some advantages a big bike doesn't; it's a matter of adjustment, eh?
 
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I've considered a smaller bike for commuting... something about getting close to 90mpg just hard to beat....
as to fun... heck, I twist the crap out of my 6R, can run up through the gears without getting into jail speeds.... I demo day'd the R1... and never left 1st gear... what fun is that?

perspective!!!
 
Dustin said:
I heard rumours that the RC390 won't be $5000 when it hits the US. If that's actually the case, that's a hell of a bargain!
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Most likely you are right. Yamaha prices the bikes the same in US $ and EUR so they account for the cheaper prices in the US. What I saw from KTM they do not do this. Anyway let's see how the R3 suspension tests.
 
It must be very different in the US and Canada, all the 250-300cc motorcycles here in Australia have L (learner) or P (provisional) plates attached to them.

For the road, no thanks but for cheap racing they would be fun against similar bikes.
 
There's no tiered licensing system in North America; you are free to buy a Hayabusa or S1000RR for your first bike if you like. Most people ride for image so in a world of 'easy financing' and 'zero down', what do you think they opt to buy? :D
 
Found some interesting specs from a thread on ADV Rider:

KTM RC390

340 lb wet
43 hp @ 9500 rpm
26 ft·lb @ 7250 rpm
10,500 max rpm
7.9 lb per hp
10L tank

Yamaha YZF-R3

368 lb wet
42 hp @ 10,750 rpm
22 ft·lb @ 9,000 rpm
12,500 max rpm
8.7 lb per hp
14L tank

This is not as big a difference as I thought. The only big consideration is the chassis & suspension of the RC390 and how much they'll actually cost here in North America. Oh, and it's dead sexy. That's a thing.

Yamaha took ages to bring out this 300-class bike but it's looking to be a winner on paper. I'll be eager to read the reviews and ride one for myself
 
Dustin said:
Found some interesting specs from a thread on ADV Rider:

KTM RC390

340 lb wet
43 hp @ 9500 rpm
26 ft·lb @ 7250 rpm
10,500 max rpm
7.9 lb per hp
10L tank

Yamaha YZF-R3

368 lb wet
42 hp @ 10,750 rpm
22 ft·lb @ 9,000 rpm
12,500 max rpm
8.7 lb per hp
14L tank

This is not as big a difference as I thought. The only big consideration is the chassis & suspension of the RC390 and how much they'll actually cost here in North America. Oh, and it's dead sexy. That's a thing.

Yamaha took ages to bring out this 300-class bike but it's looking to be a winner on paper. I'll be eager to read the reviews and ride one for myself
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I have absolutely 0 experience with ktm sport bikes but based on the ktm bikes I've worked on in the past I'd probably get the rc 390 the build quality is unmatched, the fit and finish is awesome. I'd take the ktm over Yamaha...but that's with no experience on ktm sporties either.
 
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