[AtheK]

Yamaha is better off by not getting this bike to India at all, except for Yamaha fans not many will give this bike a second look. They will not sell again and yamaha will say India is not the market for them, fine by us Yamaha, we have enough manufacturers now in our market to look upto.

If this and RS457 get priced almost same, RS457 will sell way better. The only upside could be Kawasaki might wake up and update the Ninja 300 which has hardly been getting any attention from them and hardly selling.

Rishaad is trying extremely hard to justify his tickets and stay sponsorship to Bangkok, but even he knows this won't fly.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Rishaad is trying extremely hard to justify his tickets and stay sponsorship to Bangkok, but even he knows this won't fly.

Agree that the R3 looks outdated even before launch. Looks like competition to the old N300 still, but then this may not be priced against it.

The comments section reflects the market feeling properly -

[RD150]

So R3 doesn't get Traction control, Slipper Clutch, Quick Shifter, TFT display. But R15 gets it. The highly underpowered FZ also gets the traction control I guess.
This seems like stock clearance to me. Poor effort from Yamaha. Only an attractive pricing can help Yamaha now.

[hikozaru]

Originally Posted by RD150

This seems like stock clearance to me. Poor effort from Yamaha

This is proper nightmare fuel. The only thing worse than an overpriced R3 is yet another MT09 launch disaster. But I don't think it is stock clearance because the R3 is not getting any updates at least for 2024, at least from what they've announced for Europe.

This whole review launch seems weird. The bike has been reviewed by foreign media. The only thing worth reviewing is how it fares in Indian conditions but the test ride was in Thailand. And once again our Indian reviewers have let us down by not educating the general populace properly, preferring gimmicks like quickshifters over actual functional components like adjustable levers and slipper clutch. Autocar's review was so blank compared to their Himalayan and Duke review. No review from Sagar Sheldekar and no idea if Motorinc got a ride.

[dkar228]

Originally Posted by hikozaru

This whole review launch seems weird. The bike has been reviewed by foreign media. The only thing worth reviewing is how it fares in Indian conditions but the test ride was in Thailand.

100% right!
I believe these are reviewed in Thailand because cbu bikes will not be available for test rides in India. This is what I sensed after talking to couple of dealers.
I don't think anyone should buy these bikes without a test ride. Especially if they will be priced near 4 lakhs. That is a lot of money to spend without knowing what we are actually getting.

[ChauhanSaurabh]

Originally Posted by RD150

So R3 doesn't get Traction control, Slipper Clutch, Quick Shifter, TFT display. But R15 gets it. The highly underpowered FZ also gets the traction control I guess.
This seems like stock clearance to me. Poor effort from Yamaha. Only an attractive pricing can help Yamaha now.

I was on a sunday ride recently with my R3 in picture. You stated exactly what I and my friend who owns the R15M next to it were discussing. Neither the feature list works in its favor launching today. Nor the math considering inflation and 3.5 lakh ex showroom when i bought from the last batch in 2020.


It will be miracle to me if Yamaha can price this less than 3.8 lakhs ex showroom.

Originally Posted by dkar228

100% right!
I believe these are reviewed in Thailand because cbu bikes will not be available for test rides in India. This is what I sensed after talking to couple of dealers.
I don't think anyone should buy these bikes without a test ride. Especially if they will be priced near 4 lakhs. That is a lot of money to spend without knowing what we are actually getting.

Test ride situation was same even when i bought it in 2020. Best bet is to get hold of a pre owned bike dealer. Some might call it unethical but that's the only way to experience a low selling bike before plonking 4 lakhs. No matter how much I abhor the dealers in Karol Bagh but they were the only vulnerable ones to offer a satisfactory test ride for something that sold nearly 2000 in a span of 5 years in entire country.

[dkar228]

Originally Posted by ChauhanSaurabh

Test ride situation was same even when i bought it in 2020. Best bet is to get hold of a pre owned bike dealer. Some might call it unethical but that's the only way to experience a low selling bike before plonking 4 lakhs. No matter how much I abhor the dealers in Karol Bagh but they were the only vulnerable ones to offer a satisfactory test ride for something that sold nearly 2000 in a span of 5 years in entire country.

This is what I was thinking too but the downside is that if the bike is not maintained well then I will not get the right feel for the bike.
2000 is a much bigger number than the number of cb500x owners I found (25) when I used to own one.
Bike seems perfect for our conditions and to me based on the many international reviews I have read about the bikes. Coming from cb500x, I never felt the need for tft, riding modes or quickshifter. No tech can compensate for what the engine can provide. And these bikes have gem of an engine.

[ChauhanSaurabh]

Originally Posted by dkar228

This is what I was thinking too but the downside is that if the bike is not maintained well then I will not get the right feel for the bike.
2000 is a much bigger number than the number of cb500x owners I found (25) when I used to own one.
Bike seems perfect for our conditions and to me based on the many international reviews I have read about the bikes. Coming from cb500x, I never felt the need for tft, riding modes or quickshifter. No tech can compensate for what the engine can provide. And these bikes have gem of an engine.

That is right. Back then I was 100% confident of the engine. Riding posture/geometry was the only thing i wanted to check and be confident with test ride. I didn't need any fancy features in 2020, nor i wish for them now. 300-400 twin category is most bang for buck for a single bike garage.

[hikozaru]

The tyranny of low expectations strikes once again. I was unpleasantly surprised to know that a lot of people had preordered the new duke 390 when I went to the showroom for a test ride a couple of weeks after the launch when they told me they did not have any test bikes. I could not even get a RC390 for a test ride where they said all KTM dealerships in Bangalore share the same bike and they pass it on in a cycle between all the branches or some hogwash like that. Same thing with Kawasaki for the ZX4R. They did not even have a display bike and their excuse was people sat on bikes that were going to be delivered to customers (fair enough but not even allowing other people to get a feel for the bike ergos is a bit excessive). Each time I was only able to wonder whether these people are made of money or if they simply buy these bikes as collector items. Only Honda gave me a CB300R and a CB650R for a couple of laps around the showroom block. Meanwhile we see reports from other forum members how manage to get test rides for all big bikes from Triumph. I suspect it has to do with some kind of incentive from the company, like a test ride bike does not cost the dealership any money. Ideally we should have company sponsored demo days at tracks like they do overseas for a nominal fee that will let us understand the bike at both fast and slow speeds but it is what is I guess.

Originally Posted by dkar228

This is what I was thinking too but the downside is that if the bike is not maintained well then I will not get the right feel for the bike.

You can rent one from twist throttle seeing as you are in Bangalore. RACR also has some R3 you can rent if you are doing their track day programmes (super expensive though). If you want my unsolicited opinion on the feel of the bike, here goes:

The 2019 clip ons are about as low as the latest R15, the rear sets are not at all rear set and they are too low for me to grip the tank (2019 has a reshaped tank with unchanged peg position from what I can see. I've also changed my riding style since then, so I assume gripping the tank should be a bit better now).

The throttle is quite heavy compared to the Hondas (presumably the CB500x too, comparable to a Kawasaki 650) and can be tiring to hold on to on long rides as it does not come with cruise control. The throttle also needs a big twist to hit full rpm. R6 throttle swap is a common mod abroad to fix this from what I've seen on youtube (R6 throttle is also heavy apparently).

The clutch is heavier than even the RE350 and the bike I rode had vibes on the bars from 4k rpm but I suspect on a well maintained bike it shows up only from 8k (check the powerdrift video where Varun talks about buzz at 120kmph. that is 8k). Also the 2015 R3 has a lot of speedo error so I'd say the buzz creeps in as early as 105kmph which can be quite annoying given the heavy throttle and no cruise control. Honestly, I'd say its no better or worse than the Speed 400 or the CB300R (R3 is a lot better on the pegs, seat and the tank). If refinement is a concern I'd say just stick with your CB500x.

Ground clearance is not an issue at all which is remarkable for a sports bike.

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by RD150

So R3 doesn't get Traction control, Slipper Clutch, Quick Shifter, TFT display. But R15 gets it. The highly underpowered FZ also gets the traction control I guess.
This seems like stock clearance to me. Poor effort from Yamaha. Only an attractive pricing can help Yamaha now.

It's not stock clearance as the R3 is sold with the same feature set all over the world.

The bike needs an update but since it's an entry-level Yamaha for the European market they have given it a very minimal feature set.

The bike will be prohibitively priced but I am sure Yamaha knows this bike won't fly off the shelves and will be imported in small quantities similar to how Honda handles their bike bikes.

[dkar228]

Originally Posted by bf1983

It's not stock clearance as the R3 is sold with the same feature set all over the world.

The bike needs an update but since it's an entry-level Yamaha for the European market they have given it a very minimal feature set.

The bike will be prohibitively priced but I am sure Yamaha knows this bike won't fly off the shelves and will be imported in small quantities similar to how Honda handles their bike bikes.

Yes, the same model is launched for 2024 in all countries. I also agree that they don't expect to sell in huge numbers. Hence the cbu import and the limited number of Blue Square showrooms.
I believe their bikes will be charged at a premium and only a few will get them.

Anyone saying Aprilia is vfm, then they are right but also need to consider the riding ergonomics and the maintenance cost/experience as well.

[maskebail]

R3 launched at 4.65L and MT03 at 4.6L

[blue_wizard_v12]

Originally Posted by maskebail

R3 launched at 4.65L and MT03 at 4.6L
Attachment 2544426

Attachment 2544427

At this price, I wonder if they can even clear the first batch of CBU imports.Yamaha rocked it again.
They took dark side of Japan too seriously in India.

[Turbojc]

Originally Posted by maskebail

R3 launched at 4.65L and MT03 at 4.6L

Ouch. Can't believe Yamaha India management is still so far removed from ground reality. This is ridiculous pricing IMO, especially considering the fact that the model is around five years old, and it doesn't come with a slipper clutch or even traction control, features that even the R15 get. They've played it right into Aprilia's hands.

[surjaonwheelz]

Ridiculously priced, Yamaha shouldn't have wasted their money in organizing media drives in Chennai, Thailand and BIC.

Update the website with prices and provide test ride bikes to every Blue Square showroom, that's it!

This is a gross waste of everybody's time. We can only hope that Yamaha corrects the price soon.

I just can't hear the call of the Blue.