[after]

Introduction

After months of searching for an upgrade, I have brought home a Yamaha R3. This thread has not just my ownership experience, but how the purchase happened. I decided to make this thread as there was relatively less information about the R3 online compared to many of its competitors. Another reason is, this is my first ever review post on the forum I'm nearing the first service, hence these are my observations after the initial set of rides.



On-road price (KA) - Rs. 4,55,727 (incl. Rs. 1500 for extended warranty)
Variant and accessories - Black, no accessories
Warranty - Extended warranty of 5yrs / 50,000 km on engine/transmission

Pros

• Smooth engine, with great sound. Mild until 7000 rpm, aggressive after it
• Surprisingly approchable ergonomics and low seat
• Great suspension for city commutes
• Cheapest faired twin cylinder motorcycle
• Proven track record of reliability
• Amazing analog feel while riding
• Good fit and finish
• 3 free services

Cons

• Performance disadvantage compared to segment rivals
• Looks, especially compared to previous generation
• Heat in traffic
• Heavy clutch
• Service center support and accessory availability
• Barring ABS, NO features at all
• Very weird horn button placement
• Useless high beam (illuminates sky)

The review is divided into 4 parts

1. Introduction (you are here)
2. Background
3. Pre-Delivery
4. Review

P.S. The original TeamBHP review of the R3/MT-03 has much higher quality pictures from all angles as well as detailed specs. This review is more of things I observed independently about the motorcycle. All photographs were taken on my phone, and during a ride. Please excuse the dust.

[after]

Background

I never any fascination with motorcycles growing up, it was all about cars. Playing countless hours of Gran Turismo and NFS, watching F1 and Top Gear every weekend, borrowing Autocar and Overdrive magazines from JustBooks, going through my car's owners manual front to back, reading TeamBHP articles about new releases, cars were all I was interested in. I never had a two-wheeler in the family either, as they were considered too unsafe. Even before we had a car, we just used BMTC and autos to get around instead of buying a scooter. As a result, two-wheelers were out of sight, out of mind.

Fast forward to when I was in middle school, and I used to visit few of my friends from school to play football and so on. They all lived in layouts, hence had scooters for daily errands. That's where I learnt "triples" riding. It was stupid and scary hanging off the back of a scooty being driven by a kid, but it was also super exciting even if our route was the tiny loop of house -> ground -> house. Eventually I got to experience a wide variety of scooters - 10+ year old Scooty Pep, Activas, Vespas, Dio, even a Chetak. Said friends and I turned 16 and then 18, and actually started getting licenses. Now we could leave the layout roads and go on longer rides at night on the scooters. I was always in the back seat because I still thought two-wheelers were unsafe and didn't trust myself with them, but it was a different kind of fun than a car. The game changer for me was when one of my friends got an NTorq. Its acceleration was simply mind blowing, and I realised then that two-wheelers can provide car-level performance at a fraction of the cost (at least in a straight line - I was aware even then that even bikes are no match for cars in the corners).

Eventually a few friends started to get 200cc - 250cc motorcycles - Gixxer 250 SF was the first motorcycle I truly experienced. The acceleration and braking performance was unbelievable (again, I was on the back). I took some time warming up to the idea of two-wheelers but in 2024, on a whim, I decided I would purchase a bike. I figured getting a car with this level of performance is going to take many many years, and so this is the best option. I did not know how to ride at this point, I did not know a thing about evaluating motorcycles or how to go about buying them. PDI, chain sprocket, swingarm, etc. were just words to me. I decided I would purchase my vehicle myself, I knew what I was doing was stupid and rash and so didn't want to spend my parents' money on such a thing. My plan was to buy a used motorcycle, learn to ride on it and sell it off in a year or two.

I chanced upon a 2014 CBR250R being sold by a used motorcycle dealer - Motozone, Hennur - and decided to buy it right there. The motorcycle was in horrid condition, but it was low mileage and the price seemed reasonable. I was the fourth owner. The dealer just needed a bakra to sell it to, I bet he was really happy when I came by. I can pen a separate thread on this tragic experience some other time. My friend rode the bike home (I did not know how to ride) and I was now the "proud" owner of a motorcycle. I learnt to ride on it, dropped it a bunch of times, went on a few long rides and dropped it off at the mechanic a little too often. Eventually after innumerable issues, I took it to a reputed garage for service. They said they had no way to prove it (no service history at all) but in their expert opinion the odometer was tampered. They also said the engine was not at all running well. They suggested selling off the motorcycle before it gives me more trouble. This came at the same time that I was thinking of selling the motorcycle myself, as a year had passed. So I put it on OLX and soon it was gone, albeit at a loss. The only silver lining in all this was that I learnt a lot about motorcycles because of everything that went wrong with the CBR. In the meantime, I was searching far and wide for my next ride.

The cursed CBR - my first motorcycle

The Hunt Begins

I was still looking at used motorcycles, because now I was infinitely more knowledgable and patient to evaluate them. I knew I wanted a fully-faired sportsbike and nothing else. I'll admit I haven't extensively ridden any other type of motorcycle so far, but to quote a friend of mine, "I would rather have a slow bike which looks fast than a fast bike which looks slow" The motorcycle should also have enough performance to keep me excited for a long time. As I was funding the purchase myself once again, my only options were the A2-license compliant motorcycles. The next step up in performance would be 600s/650s and those are prohibitively expensive to buy and service. So I started to check out my options one by one. Below are my (unorganized) thoughts about each motorcycle, in no particular order.

1. KTM RC 390
I am a sucker for the old-gen's looks. For some reason, the new one's front end reminds me of a cockroach. I hate cockroaches. The engine was awesome but it was still a super vibey single cylinder, especially at lower speeds. Somehow I also felt this isn't a big enough upgrade for me, though I put that thought in the back of my mind for the moment. One huge advantage was nearly unlimited units on the second-hand market. You are bound to find a clean, well-maintained one eventually. Same with parts and mechanic knowledge, as well as accessories.

2. Kawasaki Ninja 400/500
Too expensive, barely any units in the second-hand market, did not even consider it. That was, until I saw an article on TeamBHP about some dealerships providing 1L+ discount. Read the article, got my hopes up, decided it's worth buying new at this price, immediately made some calls to dealers, found out the discount is only in Mumbai, hung up, gave up.

3. Aprilia RS 457
This motorcycle had me in a trance. From the time it came out, I was following every single review. Everyone raved about the performance. The looks were just like the RS660 and RSV4. The white paint scheme was absolutely mind blowingly beautiful, especially after removing the stickers. The feature set was best-in-class. Despite this it undercut the Ninja by 1L rupees on-road. There were 7 motorcycles on OLX and 2 on FB marketplace in Karnataka, though 4 were from dealers. Since it's a new model, all motorcycles on sale were super low mileage, which made it an attractive proposition. After the CBR debacle though, I had sworn to never do business with a dealer again so half my options were gone. Nevertheless, the hunt was on. In the meantime I also went on a test ride, I've made a post with my observations (Aprilia RS 457 Track Review).

But then, I started hearing more and more reports of timing chain tensioner issues and compression loss. "There are always a few unlucky owners, these things happen", I thought to myself. I created a burner Reddit account and started going through posts and comments. "These issues seem kind of common, but it'll be okay", I thought to myself. I started speaking to friends and acquaintances who owned the motorcycle/knew owners of the motorcycle. Two of them had engine issues - one's engine seized on a long ride and he's not had his motorcycle back for two months now. Forget repairs, there's not even been a diagnosis of the issue yet. Somewhere during all this detective work, my thoughts changed to "Okay, this can definitely happen to my motorcycle". I think when these issues happen to someone you know, it hits a lot harder. I did not have Rs. 4.5 Lakh (avg. listing price on OLX) to throw around on being a beta tester for Piaggio. So with a heavy heart, I bid farewell to my dream of owning the Aprilia, at least for now. My plan was to wait till the issues were sorted, and buy one. This meant not riding around for many months or even a year, but I had made peace with that fact. I packed up my riding gear and went into hibernation, so to speak.

4. Yamaha R3
Disliked the new gen's looks, but the old one looks killer. Watched a bunch of reviews from 2018/19, praising the motorcycle but saying it's due for an upgrade and is too costly. Well it's 2025 now, and there have been basically no upgrades. It's more expensive than the Aprilia, with worse performance. However, at least the reliability is well-known now. There were barely 2 or 3 ads on OLX and all were quoting ludicrous prices. Moreover, Yamaha gives no test rides and I didn't know any R3 owners either. By now I had decided to wait for the Aprilia, so that was the end of that.

The Turning Point - A BHPian's R3

Somehow it clicked in my head that I hadn't once looked at TeamBHP classifieds. I opened it up, and voila, a 2018 R3 barely 1km from my house. Mileage was listed as 10,000 kms, which was suspiciously low, but the motorcycle looked well-maintained in the attached pics. At this point however, due to certain sudden personal circumstances, I was debating on whether it made more financial sense long-term to buy a new motorcycle instead of used. This new vs. used choice hinged on a few decisions, circumstances and discussions with family which were ongoing. Nevertheless, I decided I would go check the motorcycle out, since it was so close by that I wasn't sacrificing much time or energy.

I met the owner (if you're reading this, hello!) in the daytime and I was shocked. The motorcycle looked absolutely perfect, save for a couple of scratches on the fuel tank (belt area) and a slightly damaged rear reflector. It had tasteful accessories - R&G frame sliders and radiator guard. It genuinely looked like a < 2-year-old vehicle, not a 6.5-year-old one. Turns out the owner worked on designing engines, including for a famous premium/performance car manufacturer. He had taken immaculate care of the R3 - all services done by Karthik at Highlander, engine oil and all changed more frequently than recommended, and so on. Moreover, I quickly realised the owner loved automobiles. He just didn't have the time to ride the motorcycle. I was upfront and explained my new vs. used dilemma to the owner and told him I may not be able to buy the motorcycle even if I like it. He was totally cool with this, and said I could get back to him whenever I made my choice, and we could figure out pricing then. He suggested I take a test ride, but since afternoon traffic was bad he'd be more than happy to meet again on some evening when the roads are more free. After this, we stood there for a long long time and just discussed cars and bikes.

I took a test ride during late evening, and I was blown away by the R3's smoothness. Once the engine was warmed up, I opened the throttle and it was incredibly fun. The gearbox was slick, the power delivery was addictive, I loved the high-revving 180° twin sound (seriously, how do foreign reviewers call this engine noise boring???) and the shift light coming on at night made me feel like I was on track I was smiling ear-to-ear, huge kudos to the owner for maintaining the motorcycle so well. In my head, the decision was made - if I was going to buy a used motorcycle, this was the one. I was giddy with excitement when I handed the keys back to him, and we stayed there once again talking about automobiles for the next hour or so. Eventually I told him I'll be in touch once I make a decision, and that was that.

For many, many days I imagined myself on that motorcycle. I kept talking about it. I knew exactly what needed to be done post-purchase and had started creating a mental checklist and budget. However, after discussing aforementioned circumstances with family over the next few days, it was settled - it would make more sense for me to buy new, considering all things in my life. This was exciting news, but part of me was really sad that I wasn't going to be able to ride that motorcycle which I had grown so fond of in so little time. I immediately informed the seller, who was very understanding and nice about it. I still think about that motorcycle even today. By now though, I was sold on the R3, especially after the recent price cut of 1L rupees.

[after]

Booking and Delivery Experience

Congratulations on making it through the long autobiography - we are finally discussing my motorcycle now.

I started calling dealers, and found the best deal was being offered by Panache Yamaha, Indiranagar. I spoke to Mr. Pavan, he was very helpful and explained the entire process clearly and I highly recommend his services. The dealership didn't have any scam charges such as "handling charges" and "delivery charges", so I went ahead with them. The showroom is just outside Indiranagar metro station, and is due for renovation to bring it to Blue Square standards. Right now it's a bit dingy and you may just walk past it. There is a service center ~1km away just off 100ft road, which is where delivery and service takes place.

I paid the booking amount of Rs. 2,00,000 first. This is quite hefty compared to the Rs. 10,000 being asked by Aprilia. Most Yamaha showrooms do not have any R3s or MT-03s on display. This bike being a CBU, Yamaha has all vehicles imported from Indonesia and stored in TN. They are only dispatched once booking is done. Within 1-2 days of booking the vehicle is shipped from Chennai, and makes its way to the main Yamaha Bengaluru godown (near Nelamangala) post which it's shipped to the dealership (service center in my case). This entire process took two weeks, since I paid by cheque and there were a few public holidays in between. Ideally it would take around 7-10 days.

Once the bike arrived, I received a call and I headed to the service center for the unboxing.

First look

The PDI team took it from here. They connected the battery, license plate holder, put in the first aid kit and the toolkit. Then they washed and polished the bike, and took it upstairs to top up fluids and check the motorcycle. This process took about 2.5 hours. Post this the motorcycle was brought back down for my PDI. I didn't find anything wrong with the motorcycle, hence decided to take delivery on the same day. No fancy delivery experience, as due to some delays the service center was shutting down. Just as well, because I did not want a big scene either. Just wanted to take the motorcycle and ride back. I appreciate Mr. Arun (service center head) for ensuring everything was done smoothly and in time even though they were closing down.

Ready to go - I knew it'll never ever look this shiny again

Post this, I headed back to the dealership to reunite with family. Even though it was quite late, doing puja on same day was non-negotiable We wrapped everything up at a temple nearby, and now it was time to go home.

Waiting for puja. Notice the fingerprints already. First thing I was told by my family when they saw the bike is "good luck maintaining a black vehicle"

A few days later, HSRP plate fitting was done at the dealer for no extra cost.

[after]

Engine

The R3 is powered by a 321cc liquid cooled 180° parallel twin engine, which makes 42 horsepower and 29.5 Nm of torque. Redline is around 12500 RPM. Throttle is cable-actuated, with a pretty long twist needed to open fully.

This is the smallest engine in its class. Having a slightly lower torque figure means the bike takes a little while to start pulling hard. Contrast this with the Aprilia, where from as low as 3000 RPM you can open the throttle and the acceleration hits you like a slap. This delay is not at all large though, so you can always overtake almost immediately. The bike's fueling at low revs is really good - I was rarely lugging the engine, second gear even works well from a near-standstill. The engine is mostly quite refined, except from 6000-7000 RPM where there is a buzz which starts from your bum and moves to the handlebars. Through my boots I didn't find the pegs to be vibey. The engine does get hot in traffic. Fans come on almost immediately and blow the hot air right into the riders thighs. Occasionally the temperature went to 4 bars, but the fans got it down to 3 bars in less than 15 seconds every time. Overall the engine is very sedate until 7000 RPM and great for city riding.

Above 7000 RPM the engine comes alive. It's got loads of power and torque from here all the way till redline. Throttle response is immediate, the bike pulls and pulls with no apparent gap in power anywhere. Various sources have quoted the top speed to be in excess of 160 kph GPS. Note that bike is also known for having the famous Japanese speedo error of upto +20 kph at top speed. I haven't yet rode my motorcycle anywhere close to this speed yet, but the engine is comfortable cruising at 120 kph all day.

I wouldn't say you should buy this bike for the engine alone, but you certainly get your money's worth. There's also something to be said about the proven reliability of this engine, fingers crossed that mine doesn't turn out to be an edge-case.

Gearbox

The gearbox is a six-speed. There is no quickshifter or slipper clutch available. The clutch is cable-operated.

The clutch is extremely heavy. I went back to four-finger clutching within 5 minutes of my first ride in traffic. The lever is non-adjustable which feels like a huge miss. I have felt the R15 clutch lever and it is so much lighter, I'm assuming this has something to do with the slipper clutch on the R15, but I'm not sure. The shifts are slick (except for one issue - described in the "issues" section) and there is great feedback from all the transmission controls. It's very easy to find the clutch bite point, shifts are tactile even through thick boots, each gear change has a satisfying sound, and the gear throws are not too short or too long. The nice gearing and great fueling means it's really easy to cruise around in second and third inside the city. 6th gear on the highways makes for a really chilled out ride.

Shifter and left footpeg

Exhaust

The exhaust is quite quiet at idle, but moves to a pleasing sound once you set off. Once you pass 7000 RPM though, it opens up to a wonderful roar. The engine is half an inline-4 but it's definitely got more than half the sound. The high redline also helps its case. On going off-throttle, the exhaust frequently burbles menacingly. On my ride back home from the dealership, I thought the engine is misfiring The muffler also looks sleek and is not overly large. I think most people will be happy with the stock exhaust.

Handling and Tires

From the factory, the motorcycle comes with Dunlop Sportmax GPR-300 tubeless tyres. The sizing is 110/70 R17 at the front and 140/70 R17 at the rear. The tires are mounted to colour-matched alloy wheels. The bike has clipons.

Handling is sporty, but not overly so. The motorcycle takes a little effort to turn in, compared to something like an RC 390 which feels ready to lean over at any moment. Once the turn is initiated, the bike feels planted and the tires are grippy enough for medium speed riding. Track riders will want to move to something stickier. There is good grip in the wet too. Slow speed turns are easy thanks to the friendly position of the clipons.

Good looking triple clamp and clipons, with offset keyhole

Rear tire and exhaust

Recommended tire pressures

Suspension

The motorcycle is equipped with USD forks in front and a shock in the rear. Ground clearance is 160mm.

Suspension is quite comfortable for city riding. It absorbs a good chunk of "character" of our roads, though keep in mind this is a sporty motorcycle so you will have to slow down for medium and large potholes/bumps. Ground clearance is good and I haven't once scraped the underside even on large humps. Full disclosure, I ride the motorcycle gently as it is still quite new, but unexpected undulations were dealt with by the suspension satisfactorily. The suspension is also quite supportive in corners and braking, but it's definitely too soft for a hard track day (compared to competitors).

The front forks though are really thin, 37mm if I'm not mistaken. I purchased Kriega fork seal protectors and to my surprise, they were too big. For now, I've ziptied the bottom and left it as-is. At least the fork seals and forks are somewhat protected from dust and rock chips this way. I need to remember to check and clean the protectors frequently. I'm not sure why Yamaha fits these skinny forks on here, especially considering the R15 has larger diameter ones installed.

Wasted money on fork seal protectors which don't fit

Braking

The motorcycle comes with single discs on both the front and rear. Front and rear ABS comes as standard. The brake lines are rubber hoses. The reservoir recommends DOT 4 brake fluid.

Braking performance was adequate. The bike can stop from speed well, ABS is non-intrusive for the most part and lever feel is good. Initial bite is good without being grabby. I cannot comment on brake fade as I haven't had a chance to ride it hard on track. The front brake lever is non-adjustable. The rear brake lever is easy to find and press even in boots. Rear brake application is very progressive, allowing for smooth stops from low speeds. To sum it up, even while cruising at highway speeds the stopping power feels sufficient.

Rear brake lever. Notice the easily accessible rear brake fluid reservoir

Ergonomics

The bike leans more towards being a sports tourer than an out-and-out sportsbike. Clipons are surprisingly easy to reach and the metal footpegs are not too high. The 780mm seat height means most riders can easily flat foot the bike even without boots. This makes waiting at signals and reversing super easy. The seat itself is supportive and comfortable (for my bottom, your mileage may vary). I'm yet to do an all-day ride, but after riding for multiple hours I did not find any issues with comfort. It's easy to ride in a relaxed position, as well as to tuck in. The windscreen does a good enough job for me, a 178-cm rider. It is also easy to grip the fuel tank during braking and cornering.

Pillion Seat and Storage

Very thin seat. Like most sportsbikes, pillion will be sitting on the first floor. There are no grab rails - in fact, even the fairing can't be held properly. Only take a pillion if you want them to hate you.

The pillion seat comes off to reveal a small but usable storage space. A small toolkit is held by a rubber on the underside of the seat. There is enough space for papers in a Ziplock bag, provided medical kit and a small rag.

Fuel

The bike comes with a 13-liter fuel tank. The fuel tank cap doesn't come off, instead it flips open. I have mostly done city rides so far and gotten ~17 km/L. This is a far cry from the claimed numbers and ones published by Autocar, but I'm chalking it up to spirited riding and Bengaluru traffic being worse than most places. Will update the thread with highway mileage once I have reliable data.

Features

Let me be generous and try to name a few features

• Front ABS
• Rear ABS
• Side-stand cutoff sensor
• Customisable shift light

...
Nevermind. As you can see, there are practically no features on this motorcycle.

Display

The bike comes with an LCD display, which shows your usual information along with fuel efficiency. There is a shift light which can be set to glow or blink at your preferred RPM. The display is always backlit. It's surrounded by all the usual warning lights.

I find the display extremely annoying, especially compared to the old generation R3. There are no ride modes, no fancy electronics, NOTHING which actually requires this LCD. So someone explain to me, why they have replaced the beautiful analog tach with this boring old screen? P.S. I know the answer is "marketing new features" but come on, Yamaha. Moreover, the older generation had a large, centrally-mounted shift light which was so much easier to see in your peripheral vision.

New R3's dash (credit: Google Images)

Old R3's dash. Never forget what they took from us (credit: Google Images)

Lights

The bike comes with LED DRLs in the front. The low beams are just average. The high beams however, seem to be angled to illuminate the sky. This makes them useless for two reasons - you can't see any better with them, and they shine directly into the eyes of oncoming drivers. Even those driving SUVs, in fact.

The turn signals are LED, but not having them integrated into the headlights was a big miss for me. The front indicators look especially flimsy and stick out of the side panels. It's very likely that they'll be snapped off if I drop the bike, or in a tight squeeze inside parking lots.

Switchgear

Lack of fancy electronics means the switchgear is quite standard. Right side gets engine kill switch/starter button and hazard light switch.



And the left side has high/low beam switch, indicator switch, horn and pass switch on the back.





Firstly, the weird horn button placement has to be called out. I still cannot reliably find the horn, even after countless practice attempts. It also doesn't help that the button is so small, compared to the hinge-style buttons we usually see. I still end up pressing the indicator from time to time. All the switches are of good quality though. I do wish the indicator had a more tactile feel when cancelling, as it is a little hard to feel the bump while wearing gloves.

Mirrors

The mirrors are satisfactory. They don't extend totally over my shoulder, but I kind of prefer having my shoulders in frame as it helps me judge distance better. Around 6500 RPM when the vibration moves to the handlebars, the mirrors vibrate as well, but they are smooth otherwise. I also think they look decent on the motorcycle.

Looks

I have saved this topic for last. To get to the point, I don't particularly like how the new R3 looks from the front. I don't think it's ugly, but I feel it's a step down from the previous generation. The front end is a bit too rounded, compared to the aggressive and angular one on the old generation. I'm also not a fan of the ram air intake, which sort of looks like a bird's beak. And that's not just on the R3, but also on the current ZX-10R. The old generation looked menacing. This one looks a little too friendly for me. I'm sure I'll grow to like it more once I make memories on this bike, but for now this is where I am at.

The previous generation R3, with its aggressive front end. Never forget what they took from us (credit: Yamaha)

From all other angles, I love the looks. There are two colorways, blue and black. Although Yamaha is synonymous with the blue, I chose black as the blue variant had many black panels. I liked the clean look, and I'm looking to remove the stickers as well.

Issues / Niggles

Just a few, but I would appreciate readers' opinions on these issues. I'm hoping these get resolved after the first service, I will bring them to the mechanics' notice regardless.

• When stopped and trying to shift from neutral to 1st gear, the shifter sometimes doesn't go down fully and the bike stays in neutral. To engage first gear, I can do one of two things. I can slightly roll forward and the shifter falls into gear, or I can release the clutch and pull it in again. Then the bike shifts into first easily. Note that this is while the engine is running.
• While idling in neutral, there are slightly different vibrations when the clutch is pulled in vs. when the clutch is released.

Closing Thoughts

I think I have put down basically all of my thoughts in this post, so there's not much of a conclusion left. All I can say is, I've been having a blast on this motorcycle ever since I got it. It certainly feels like a worthy upgrade to my CBR250R in all aspects. I'll be the first to admit that it's not the most technologically advanced vehicle. People usually compliment the analog feel of a vehicle to somehow justify the lack of technology, but I do feel like this bike makes the most of what it has equipped and gives the rider a really good connection, to whatever matters. I've got my fingers crossed hoping for a long and reliable stint with this motorcycle. I'll be updating this thread regularly, with service details and so on.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[bpapache]

@after,

Hearty congratulations on your new R3. Wishing you thousands of smile filled miles. Beautifully written ownership report

[R15M_Rider]

Congratulations on acquiring the R3! Happy to know, one more BHPian has joined the club. Wishing you many safe kilometers of joyful memories on this beautifully engineered machine!

Great write-up as well. As a fellow R3 owner, here are some of my thoughts:

Originally Posted by after

The exhaust is quite quiet at idle, but moves to a pleasing sound once you set off. Once you pass 7000 RPM though, it opens up to a wonderful roar. The engine is half an inline-4 but it's definitely got more than half the sound. The high redline also helps its case. On going off-throttle, the exhaust frequently burbles menacingly. On my ride back home from the dealership, I thought the engine is misfiring The muffler also looks sleek and is not overly large. I think most people will be happy with the stock exhaust.

Glad to know you also have similar opinion on the sound. Above 7K RPM, the sound is soothing to hear and as you rightly described, has a slight inline-4ish kind of sound, kind of explains the 180 degree "inline-two" configuration of the engine. The burbles are icing on the cake. You might get some addiction to rev match just to hear them!

Originally Posted by after

The clutch is extremely heavy. I went back to four-finger clutching within 5 minutes of my first ride in traffic. The lever is non-adjustable which feels like a huge miss. I have felt the R15 clutch lever and it is so much lighter, I'm assuming this has something to do with the slipper clutch on the R15

It's indeed the difference between the slipper clutch and normal wet clutch. I hope when the new gen R3 which has a slipper clutch, reaches our shores, we can retrofit to 2024 models. As you ride more, you will eventually get used to this clutch, and may not feel that heaviness as much as like you felt in initial ownership. Still, slipper clutch is a miss on this one.

Originally Posted by after

Handling is sporty, but not overly so. The motorcycle takes a little effort to turn in, compared to something like an RC 390 which feels ready to lean over at any moment.

Suspension is quite comfortable for city riding. It absorbs a good chunk of "character" of our roads, though keep in mind this is a sporty motorcycle so you will have to slow down for medium and large potholes/bumps. Ground clearance is good and I haven't once scraped the underside even on large humps.

The bike leans more towards being a sports tourer than an out-and-out sportsbike. Clipons are surprisingly easy to reach and the metal footpegs are not too high. The 780mm seat height means most riders can easily flat foot the bike even without boots. This makes waiting at signals and reversing super easy. The seat itself is supportive and comfortable (for my bottom, your mileage may vary).

Indeed, It's very much capable of being a daily commuter, weekend ride and track-days. I use mine daily like a single-bike garage. Suspension setup is very forgiving for our roads especially for a sports bike. Sure, its not as sharp as a handler compared to is younger sibling - the R15, but in the real world, it indeed has much better ergonomics.

Originally Posted by after

The bike comes with a 13-liter fuel tank. The fuel tank cap doesn't come off, instead it flips open. I have mostly done city rides so far and gotten ~17 km/L. This is a far cry from the claimed numbers and ones published by Autocar, but I'm chalking it up to spirited riding and Bengaluru traffic being worse than most places. Will update the thread with highway mileage once I have reliable data.

Mileage will definitely improve after first service. I am seeing numbers of 24-25 kmpl in city commutes. On screen display reports 27 kmpl as average so far, this includes 4-5 days of 46 km commute (to and fro), and a weekend dash of about 160 km if I go for one. I guess the traffic situation has a role to play, but I believe you should start seeing improvement here.


The heat/temperature will also improve a lot post first service. I still remember my first ride back home after delivery where I was feeling cooked near my legs. It does become a bit toasty in stop and go traffic. But as soon as you get moving, temps start to come down.

Originally Posted by after

I have saved this topic for last. To get to the point, I don't particularly like how the new R3 looks from the front. I don't think it's ugly, but I feel it's a step down from the previous generation. The front end is a bit too rounded, compared to the aggressive and angular one on the old generation. I'm also not a fan of the ram air intake, which sort of looks like a bird's beak. And that's not just on the R3, but also on the current ZX-10R. The old generation looked menacing. This one looks a little too friendly for me. I'm sure I'll grow to like it more once I make memories on this bike, but for now this is where I am at.

I guess, this proves design is highly subjective. I believe this R3 design language to be the last of the best. The new gen R3 has also switched to the projector with sleeker DRLs like the rest of the R-series lineup. When I bought mine, I just fell for this design such that I could not look past it/consider any of the rivals no matter how many times I tried. Pure obsession. I believe, this design will definitely grow on you.

Originally Posted by after

When stopped and trying to shift from neutral to 1st gear, the shifter sometimes doesn't go down fully and the bike stays in neutral. To engage first gear, I can do one of two things. I can slightly roll forward and the shifter falls into gear, or I can release the clutch and pull it in again. Then the bike shifts into first easily. Note that this is while the engine is running.
While idling in neutral, there are slightly different vibrations when the clutch is pulled in vs. when the clutch is released.

I can confirm having experienced this. Releasing the clutch and then reengaging it fixes it. Thankfully, this does not happen all the time/frequently.

As far as reliability is concerned, you can rest easy as this bike is nearly bullet-proof. I wish you have an entirely trouble free-experience. Coming to edge-cases, well I guess I was one of them , where a stator coil had failed post first service and the bike would not start. (probably has something do with the bike being in storage since Feb when I got it in Oct last year). But the service center handled it pretty well and got it covered under warranty. Hope servicing remains hassle-free for you too. But post that, I have used the bike every single day and as of today the odo stands at 7915 km, nearing 8k. Not a single hiccup post that and hope it continues.

I wasn't kidding when I said, I used the bike for almost everything.

Make sure you invest in good quality gears too (I can see a glove in one of the pics so I guess you are already having them).

Once again, enjoy this machine to the fullest!

Ride Safe!

[jomson13]

Congratulations on the new R3. Enjoy the bike to the fullest and wish you a safe ride everytime!

I've always drooled on this bike but unfortunately it never worked out for me.
The last image of the previous gen R3 put a smile on my face

Is the heat felt on the legs during slow moving traffic?

[after]

Originally Posted by bpapache

@after,

Hearty congratulations on your new R3. Wishing you thousands of smile filled miles. Beautifully written ownership report

Thank you, bpapache!

Originally Posted by R15M_Rider

Congratulations on acquiring the R3!
...

Thank you! Your post was tremendously helpful when I was making a decision. It's also helping me now as I know a lot more about what to expect during ownership.

Relieved to hear that a lot of things get better after first service. Also your motorcycle looks awesome, good to see it being used for such varied tasks I do have a full set of gear. Unfortunately it's getting really hot this time of year but that's the price I pay for some safety.

Do you plan on performing any mods?

Originally Posted by jomson13

Congratulations on the new R3. Enjoy the bike to the fullest and wish you a safe ride everytime!
...
The last image of the previous gen R3 put a smile on my face
...
Is the heat felt on the legs during slow moving traffic

Thanks jomson! Yes I agree, that was a real looker. The current ZX-6R front end looks quite similar, maybe that explains my affinity towards the Kawasaki.

About the heat, I wear riding pants for anything more than a short trip to the petrol pump. Because of the thick fabric I don't directly feel the heat on my skin, but the fabric heats up noticeably from the fan. I also wear boots when I ride, so I'm not sure if heat radiating off the engine block will be felt on shin/ankle area or not.

[100Kmphormore]

Nice bike, congratulations and many kilometers with this bulletproof machine. Black looks very stealthy. Heat is indeed surprising - does it heat up this much, or is it due to the lack of it on your previous CBR250R? Thought the R3 and RS457 both were somewhat very dismissive, especially if you wear jeans - even the heat from my Duke seems quite normal, even in worst of traffic jams, the loud fan sound being an embarassment. The KTMs were the benchmark in this sub 400cc class.

[after]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Nice bike, congratulations and many kilometers with this bulletproof machine.
...
Heat is indeed surprising - does it heat up this much, or is it due to the lack of it on your previous CBR250R?

Thanks a lot! About the heat, yes, you do have a point about me coming from the CBR 250R which was a pretty cool motorcycle. I also know the KTMs are known for running hot - my friend's RC 390 is often close to the max temperature level in stop and go traffic. I guess it depends on your baseline and what your expectations are.

Coming to my motorcycle, I didn't find the heat to be unbearable, but it's enough to make me list it as a negative. Although @R15M_Rider has mentioned above that it gets better after first service, so I'll wait for that before finalizing my opinion about this.

[chiyaanchinnu]

Originally Posted by after

Booking and Delivery Experience

I started calling dealers, and found the best deal was being offered by Panache Yamaha, Indiranagar. I spoke to Mr. Pavan, he was very helpful and explained the entire process clearly and I highly recommend his services. The dealership didn't have any scam charges such as "handling charges" and "delivery charges", so I went ahead with them.

The dealerships I went to in Koramangala & Bommanahalli were least interested in selling R3 or MT-03. Could you please share Mr. Pavan's contact number? I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind could you please get in touch with me at chiyaanchinnu@gmail.com (I don't have access rights to send a PM). Thanks in advance.