Yamaha YZF-R3 Long Term Report: January 2017

Ultimate Riding Machine

I agree that’s is quite a statement and a certain German luxury car manufacturer might cringe over it, but the YZF-R3 is pretty close to being flawless. As Shivank mentioned in the previous long term report, it could do with a better set of tyres, but that can be done easily. We would have preferred if it came with ABS and a slipper clutch, but without these features it’s not the end of the world.

When the R3 joined our long term fleet, I had an issue with its fuel efficiency. It would barely return 20km/l, that too when ridden very carefully. But after a well-deserved service, the R3 now returns around 25km/l, which is quite impressive for a 325cc motor. Unfortunately, we do have a minor issue with the gearbox - not only does it feel a bit notchy, but the cog would hit false neutral too often, which is slightly annoying. But with three different riders riding the R3 and keeping in mind the wear-and-tear, it was bound to happen. Still the sky hasn’t fallen on us because of this as we (Jared, Shivank and I) still fight over the R3. If it weren’t for its insane price, I’d say the R3 is the best bike Yamaha has launched in India after the legendary RX 100.