2015 Yamaha YZF-R3
A bigger version of the YZF-R25, and muscling in on the Honda CBR300R and Kawasaki Ninja 300Yamaha has pulled the covers off the YZF-R3 in America -- a bigger version of the Indonesian-built YZF-R25 which was released in Asian markets earlier this year. The YZF-R3 will go on sale in Australia by June 2015, with price still to be announced, but it will undoubtedly be around the 6K mark. The ABS CBR300R is $5999 and the Ninja 300 at the same spec is $6699.
While the 250cc produces 35.5hp and 22.6Nm, the 321cc twin-cylinder YZF-R3 takes it out to 42hp and 29.6Nm, but the rest of the equation contains no surprises: a tubular steel frame, two-into one muffler, 41mm forks, Monocross rear suspension, 10-spoke cast aluminium 17-inch wheels, clip-on handlebars, as 298mm front disc, and the analogue tacho/digital speedo configuration.
Anti-lock braking is standard on the YZF-R3, it has a 1380mm wheelbase, and weighs in at a claimed wet figure of 169kg. The seat height is 780mm.
Yamaha Motor Australia currently has the 150cc YZF-R15 in its stable, but the next biggest sporting motorcycle in its range – with apologies to the venerable Virago cruiser and reborn SR400… – doesn’t kick in until about the 600cc mark, so there’s a big gap that’s about to be filled by the YZF-R3.
And of course, the financial rewards are there for the taking, with the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Honda CBR300R both big sellers in Australia – particularly the former with 2146 retailed in the first nine months of 2014.
Price is still unknown, but it will undoubtedly be around the 6K mark – the ABS CBR300R is $5999 and the Ninja 300 at the same spec is $6699.
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