2016 R3

HoneyBadgerRy · February 27th, 2016, 03:08 PM

Today I sat on a 2016 Yamaha R3, and I'm going to have to buy one... Its gonna look nice alongside the rest of my bikes.

csmith12 · February 27th, 2016, 03:16 PM

Looking forward to the review!

HoneyBadgerRy · February 27th, 2016, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith12

Looking forward to the review!

Idk when I'm going to buy one, but the second I sat down, I knew that I was going to buy one.

it looked to sexy with its red bodywork, the bars felt awesome, the rearsets were nicely spaced. I just need to save some paychecks, because I hate payment plans.

csmith12 · February 27th, 2016, 04:15 PM

I will own one too, just waiting for someone to crash one so I can turn it into a race bike. lol

adouglas · February 27th, 2016, 04:24 PM

Rode it. Liked it.

csmith12 · February 27th, 2016, 04:33 PM

I am praying that when fully set up, they are just baby r6's.

HoneyBadgerRy · February 27th, 2016, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith12

I am praying that when fully set up, they are just baby r6's.

From what I'm told and sitting on one, I think they are baby R6s with a cheap rear shock. (Which is easy enough to replace).

chugs · February 27th, 2016, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by csmith12

I will own one too, just waiting for someone to crash one so I can turn it into a race bike. lol

Yup, me too.

RacinNinja · February 27th, 2016, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adouglas

Rode it. Liked it.

That's an R6 though?

adouglas · February 27th, 2016, 05:26 PM

Heh. Yeah.. sorry, wrong photo! The R3 that day was the same color, though. Have to see if I can find the pic.

RacinNinja · February 27th, 2016, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adouglas

Heh. Yeah.. sorry, wrong photo! The R3 that day was the same color, though. Have to see if I can find the pic.

HAHA! Ok, I was wondering if you were up to something with that pic or not.

Compared to a Ninja, how was it?

HoneyBadgerRy · February 27th, 2016, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adouglas

Heh. Yeah.. sorry, wrong photo! The R3 that day was the same color, though. Have to see if I can find the pic.

Do the blue ones have the anadoozed blue rims like on the r6? Because... They looked fire.

jkv45 · February 27th, 2016, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

Do the blue ones have the anadoozed blue rims like on the r6? Because... They looked fire.

This is a friend's R3 race bike -

It has race bodywork, and was originally the red model with black wheels. The blue model has blue wheels.

Just finished these wheels for it -

Sirref · February 27th, 2016, 10:10 PM

I like the bike, looking forward to the review

does the seat height feel way too low to anyone else?

RacinNinja · February 27th, 2016, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirref

I like the bike, looking forward to the review

does the seat height feel way too low to anyone else?

Wut? Seat height is higher on a stock R3 than a Ninja 250 (not by much, but it is!). It's 0.2 inches shorter than a 300.

R3 seat height: 30.7 inches
250 seat height: 30.5 inches

adouglas · February 28th, 2016, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirref

I like the bike, looking forward to the review

does the seat height feel way too low to anyone else?

Considering the target market, not at all. It's right where it should be for new and diminutive riders. Also consider that it's rather soft, which again is right for the intended market. A lot of females (significant part of the target group) are so petite they wind up lowering even the Ninjette by quite a lot.

When I rode it the seat did seem low, but not in a bad way. That impression, though, has to be viewed in context. I've got a 30" inseam and am used to bikes with 32-ish inch seat heights. My GSX-R is at the stock height of 31.9 and is narrow as well. Feels just right to me. Ben, I'm sure you've got a fair bit of seat time on supersports, so it's likely you're as accustomed to the typical SS seat has I am.

Much higher, though, and it starts to enter PITA territory for me, and "are you effin' kidding me?" for a newb.

I still think the r6 is way too high for practical use on the street, but that's only because I'm so danged stumpy. I bought an R6 track bike last year and it had no kickstand. I actually had to stand on a 2x4 to mount the blasted thing. No kidding. Forced to balance the bike while mounting, I couldn't rear back and throw my leg way up to get it over the top. I tried again and again, and I'd kick the side of the tail every time. Getting off was just as bad; really iffy if I didn't have someone holding the bike for me. Needless to say, it's got a kickstand now.

HoneyBadgerRy · February 28th, 2016, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirref

I like the bike, looking forward to the review

does the seat height feel way too low to anyone else?

Not way to low. It was a little more difficult than normal swinging my leg over, but once sitting on the bike it was just a hair low. I can't remember how much the suspension sagged, maybe it needed resprung.

Sirref · February 28th, 2016, 10:31 PM

@adouglas I think you nailed it since I have been riding a few different bikes with a more normal/higher seat height recently and had just hopped off of an R6 (which felt perfect) to get on the R3. The soft suspension probably didn't help

jkv45 · April 8th, 2016, 06:40 PM

My R3 racer buddy sent me a photo of the bike with the wheels on (from post #13) -

He has an appointment for dyno tuning next week.

Daeldren · April 9th, 2016, 02:27 PM

I sat on one recently as I'm looking at getting back into a small bore sport bike. I want to like the r3 but the ninja 300 just felt right to me. Suspension felt slightly stiffer on the ninja and I liked the foot controls placement better too. I'm not sure what it is about the r3 but it feels a little less solid to me, if that makes sense. I want to check out a KTM as well because the RC 390 looks the job.

HoneyBadgerRy · April 9th, 2016, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daeldren

I sat on one recently as I'm looking at getting back into a small bore sport bike. I want to like the r3 but the ninja 300 just felt right to me. Suspension felt slightly stiffer on the ninja and I liked the foot controls placement better too. I'm not sure what it is about the r3 but it feels a little less solid to me, if that makes sense. I want to check out a KTM as well because the RC 390 looks the job.

I really liked the r3, the only thing I thought it needed was the tail could be raised a bit. (Easy enough).

As far as my ninja, I think the foot pegs needed moved, but I haven't gotten rearsets yet.

snot · April 9th, 2016, 03:28 PM

I like some of the features of the R3, but I am still very much in love with the 300.

Racer x · April 9th, 2016, 04:30 PM

We have these at work. The black one is gorgeous.

choneofakind · April 10th, 2016, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

the only thing I thought it needed was the tail could be raised a bit. (Easy enough).

Have you ridden one yet or is that purely aesthetic?

HoneyBadgerRy · April 10th, 2016, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Have you ridden one yet or is that purely aesthetic?

From sitting on it and comparing to other sport bikes the tail seemed very low. So no, and no. It's just an assumption that it would need it, not a fact that it actually does.

Daeldren · April 10th, 2016, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

I really liked the r3, the only thing I thought it needed was the tail could be raised a bit. (Easy enough).

As far as my ninja, I think the foot pegs needed moved, but I haven't gotten rearsets yet.

Maybe I jumped the gun a little bit, something keeps gnawing at me to get the r3. Everyone who has ridden it loves the bike and on paper it has the most potential to be turned into a proper little super sport. Maybe I'll just say screw it and pick one up, none of my Japanese dealers offer test rides unfortunately.

choneofakind · April 10th, 2016, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

From sitting on it and comparing to other sport bikes the tail seemed very low. So no, and no. It's just an assumption that it would need it, not a fact that it actually does.

I like to call assumptions like that "orifice items". As in, they were pulled straight from a certain orifice.

walty87 · April 10th, 2016, 12:42 PM

Think we need some more pics in this thread

Daeldren · April 10th, 2016, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walty87

Think we need some more pics in this thread

Maybe a Raven R3 with gold rims like my old r6s that got stolen

snot · April 10th, 2016, 03:25 PM

If the RC has a bigger tank it would be my next bike. The R3 is a beautiful bike, but when comparing it to the 300 there is not a big enough difference for me to call it an upgrade.

The RC is an upgrade, KTM had a demo ride at Mid Ohio last summer. I am hoping they do it again so I can ride one.

I also want to see what happens the next couple of years with this class.

HoneyBadgerRy · April 11th, 2016, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choneofakind

I like to call assumptions like that "orifice items". As in, they were pulled straight from a certain orifice.

I would agree, however, its pretty standard that relaxed geometry is more stable, and less relaxed has a sharper turn in. Its pretty well known on here that the ninja 250 benefits from a taller shock (raised rear end).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Internet

Kawasaki Ninja 300 27°/94mm
KTM RC 390 25°/99mm
Yamaha YZF-R3 25°/94mm
Ex250-F 27° / 84 mm
Ex250-J 26°/83 mm

The r3 should have about just barley more relaxed geometry than my bike currently has, so I guess its probbably pretty good,but from sitting on it, it seemed like the back end squatted. I guess your right. It is a BS assumption.

choneofakind · April 11th, 2016, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

I would agree, however, its pretty standard that relaxed geometry is more stable, and less relaxed has a sharper turn in. Its pretty well known on here that the ninja 250 benefits from a taller shock (raised rear end).

Sure. I know how this works.

But a) there's way more to the "geometry" than just the head tube angle and the trail and B) the way the tail looks and the geometry of the frame are independent of each other. Uninformed assumptions are nothing more than just that.

HoneyBadgerRy · April 11th, 2016, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Sure. I know how this works.

But a) there's way more to the "geometry" than just the head tube angle and the trail and B) the way the tail looks and the geometry of the frame are independent of each other. Uninformed assumptions are nothing more than just that.

I absolutely agree, but without riding it, feeling the ass end sag a lot is the best idea I can get. I might be right, it might just need resprung, or nothing could be wrong, either way, this is all just an assumption until I actually buy one. (If I end up getting a r3 and not a 600).

RacinNinja · April 11th, 2016, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoneyBadgerRy

I absolutely agree, but without riding it, feeling the ass end sag a lot is the best idea I can get. I might be right, it might just need resprung, or nothing could be wrong, either way, this is all just an assumption until I actually buy one. (If I end up getting a r3 and not a 600).

Yeah, it definitely needs a shock job in the rear. It has the highest seat height, yet everyone complains about rear end sag.

Don't forget to do the front if you do the rear.

InvisiBill · April 16th, 2016, 09:04 PM

So today I finally sat on a 300 and an R3. Surprisingly, the 300 fits me better than my 500, but my legs are still a bit too big to fit completely under the lip on the tank. Even more surprisingly, my legs seem to fit the R3 perfectly.

The dealer is doing Yamaha demo days at the end of July. I might have to go check it out. I'll need to figure out if the FI and other modern features outweigh the loss in power (in addition to the actual cost of upgrading).

I'm not a big fan of the 2015 or 2016 colors that I'm seeing. The blue looks too light under direct light, and too dark not under direct light - hopefully it's just how the pics are. I just want "Yamaha blue"...

Quote:

Originally Posted by adouglas

Rode it. Liked it.

If that guy had a fist mounted to his head, he'd look a lot like you.

February 27th, 2016, 03:08 PM	#1
HoneyBadgerRy ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ryan Location: Beaufort SC Join Date: Aug 2015 Motorcycle(s): 05 Ninja 250, 04 KTM 625 SMC, 01 Xc250 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 3	2016 R3 Today I sat on a 2016 Yamaha R3, and I'm going to have to buy one... Its gonna look nice alongside the rest of my bikes. __________________________________________________ Because Unregistered sucks at riding.
	2 out of 2 members found this post helpful.

February 27th, 2016, 03:16 PM	#2
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Looking forward to the review! __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

February 27th, 2016, 04:15 PM	#4
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	I will own one too, just waiting for someone to crash one so I can turn it into a race bike. lol __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School
	2 out of 2 members found this post helpful.

February 27th, 2016, 04:24 PM	#5
adouglas Cat herder Name: Gort Location: A secret lair which, being secret, has an undisclosed location Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): Aprilia RS660 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 6 MOTM - Jul '18, Nov '16, Aug '14, May '13	Rode it. Liked it. __________________________________________________ I am NOT an adrenaline junkie, I'm a skill junkie. - csmith12 Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. Heri historia. Cras mysterium. Hodie donum est. Carpe diem. Last futzed with by adouglas; February 28th, 2016 at 07:08 AM. Reason: feckin' idjit posted the wrong photo
	3 out of 3 members found this post helpful.

February 27th, 2016, 04:33 PM	#6
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	I am praying that when fully set up, they are just baby r6's. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

February 27th, 2016, 05:26 PM	#10
adouglas Cat herder Name: Gort Location: A secret lair which, being secret, has an undisclosed location Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): Aprilia RS660 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 6 MOTM - Jul '18, Nov '16, Aug '14, May '13	Heh. Yeah.. sorry, wrong photo! The R3 that day was the same color, though. Have to see if I can find the pic. __________________________________________________ I am NOT an adrenaline junkie, I'm a skill junkie. - csmith12 Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. Heri historia. Cras mysterium. Hodie donum est. Carpe diem.

February 27th, 2016, 10:10 PM	#14
Sirref Private Joker Name: Ben Location: Towson, MD Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): '99/'01 Ninja 250 "sketchy", '13 Ninja 300 "yoshi", '03 GSXR 600 "merlin" Posts: A lot. MOTM - Mar '14	I like the bike, looking forward to the review does the seat height feel way too low to anyone else? __________________________________________________ I see you over there seeing me, do you see the me I think you see?

February 28th, 2016, 10:31 PM	#18
Sirref Private Joker Name: Ben Location: Towson, MD Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): '99/'01 Ninja 250 "sketchy", '13 Ninja 300 "yoshi", '03 GSXR 600 "merlin" Posts: A lot. MOTM - Mar '14	@adouglas I think you nailed it since I have been riding a few different bikes with a more normal/higher seat height recently and had just hopped off of an R6 (which felt perfect) to get on the R3. The soft suspension probably didn't help __________________________________________________ I see you over there seeing me, do you see the me I think you see?

April 8th, 2016, 06:40 PM	#19
jkv45 Rev Limiter Name: Jay Location: WI Join Date: Jul 2013 Motorcycle(s): '06 SV650n, '00 Derbi GPR, '64 CA77 Dream 305, '70 CL450 Scrambler, numerous dirt bikes Posts: A lot. MOTM - Jun '18, Oct '16	My R3 racer buddy sent me a photo of the bike with the wheels on (from post #13) - He has an appointment for dyno tuning next week.
	4 out of 4 members found this post helpful.

April 9th, 2016, 02:27 PM	#20
Daeldren two wheel addict Name: Kenneth Location: Simpsonville, SC Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 94 xlh 883, 1984 kawi gpz money pit Posts: 556	I sat on one recently as I'm looking at getting back into a small bore sport bike. I want to like the r3 but the ninja 300 just felt right to me. Suspension felt slightly stiffer on the ninja and I liked the foot controls placement better too. I'm not sure what it is about the r3 but it feels a little less solid to me, if that makes sense. I want to check out a KTM as well because the RC 390 looks the job. __________________________________________________ The M endorsement on my license stands for mental.

April 9th, 2016, 03:28 PM	#22
snot sammich maker Name: snot Location: West Ohio - in the kitchen Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 white 300, 09 KLX 250 SF, 09 thunder blue 250(traded) Posts: A lot. MOTM - Apr '15	I like some of the features of the R3, but I am still very much in love with the 300. __________________________________________________ https://www.brocksperformance.com/VZ...0035+C450.aspx

April 9th, 2016, 04:30 PM	#23
Racer x ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Eric Location: Iowa City Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawmeracchi 350 2010 Project X Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 54 MOTM - Sep '18, Feb '16	We have these at work. The black one is gorgeous. __________________________________________________ Top speed 123.369mph. Ohio mile Worlds fastest 250 ninja

April 10th, 2016, 12:42 PM	#28
walty87 ninjette.org guru Name: andrew Location: oakdale california Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2012 ninja 250 Posts: 296	Think we need some more pics in this thread

April 10th, 2016, 03:25 PM	#30
snot sammich maker Name: snot Location: West Ohio - in the kitchen Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 white 300, 09 KLX 250 SF, 09 thunder blue 250(traded) Posts: A lot. MOTM - Apr '15	If the RC has a bigger tank it would be my next bike. The R3 is a beautiful bike, but when comparing it to the 300 there is not a big enough difference for me to call it an upgrade. The RC is an upgrade, KTM had a demo ride at Mid Ohio last summer. I am hoping they do it again so I can ride one. I also want to see what happens the next couple of years with this class. __________________________________________________ https://www.brocksperformance.com/VZ...0035+C450.aspx

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