Yamaha YZF R3 next month!!

[sparky80]

According to the Yamaha website, the R3 should be in showrooms next month. I've seen the thread with over 500 posts....

I'm a Yamaha guy thru and thru... coming from 3 R6's, a YFZ450 quad, and current FZ1, it'd be preposterous to think I'd ride anything but big blue. Only got the Kawi to hopefully flip for a buck or two and fund accessories for the R3.

All of my Yamaha's have been blue and will always be blue.

[dcj13]

It's going to be interesting to see how the R3 and Ninja 300 compare with each other.

[Brother Michigan]

I like the look of the bike, for sure. The extra 30-ish cc over the 300 should help it in the comparisons, especially since they should come about the same weight. If you can actually get it out the door for around MSRP, it looks to be a good buy. Probably better fit and finish than the 300 and better suspension components (at least up front) and tires. Not sure I would personally trade in my 300 for one, though.

[snot]

I read up on them when they released it, I want to see one.

[Somchai]

It will be interesting to see the both bikes compared, but I think it's already clear which one will be the better choice and here just a few values for more information.
Valves: Yami - Inlet: 26 mm / Exhaust: 22.5 mm
Valves: 300 - Inlet: 23.5 mm / Exhaust: 20 mm

Difference in weight: Yami = 169 kg / 300 = 174 kg and that with 3 hp and 25 cc more for the R3.

Not to forget the torque from 29.6 N @ 9000 rpm for the R3, while the 300 got 27 N @ 10000 rpm.

So at least I think it's already clear and to say it in a simple word: each product which comes later will always have an advantage.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by dcj13

It's going to be interesting to see how the R3 and Ninja 300 compare with each other.

As they are right now the R3 is going to school the N300, so it'll be real fun when kawasaki responds.

[Hero Danny]

Man I want one... I'd at least like to test ride one. I'm glad to see all this competition. With all the competition we'll see better and better bikes. Hence why the 300 came out in the first place, once honda released their 250r.

[sparky80]

Originally Posted by Sirref

so it'll be real fun when kawasaki responds.

hopefully better than their MotoGP effort.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by sparky80

hopefully better than their MotoGP effort.

It feels like kawasaki is focusing more on the dirt, stunt, and drag racing scenes at the moment and their market is definitely there for that. I'd love to see team green pop up in motogp and do well though, I half expect suzuki to do well this year

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by Sirref

it'll be real fun when kawasaki responds.

Exactly!

It seems the R3 wins the overall performance for the 300cc bikes and the CBR300 wins the price war. So now we have the ninja 300, which is the most expensive, heaviest and not the fastest... Kawi gotta step up their game soon.


R3
MSRP $4,990
Parallel twin
321cc
42hp
wet weight 368lbs

N300
MSRP $5,199
Parallel twin
296cc
35hp
wet weight 384lbs

CBR300r
MSRP $4,399
single cyl.
286cc
30hp
wet weight 364lbs

The only advantages of the ninja 300 that I can think of are really minor... like flush mount turn signals. I also believe the ninja is the only one with a slipper clutch (I think...). Still though, it's definitely going to be a tough battle. lol

[Flying]

Doesn't the R3 have a frame and suspension that doesn't flex like cheese? I think that outshines the raw power estimates.

[FreelancerMG]

Originally Posted by Flying

Doesn't the R3 have a frame and suspension that doesn't flex like cheese? I think that outshines the raw power estimates.

Haven't ridden a production R3 yet so who knows. The problem though is at $5k, corners are going to get cut somewhere and one of the main places that happens at is the frame and suspension. The bike wont see triple digit speeds as it's operational standard like a super sport so a super strong frame really isn't a necessity and neither is a highly tuned and adjustable suspension. I foresee those two corners to be seriously cut. The only question is will they be cut better than the Ninja 300.

The only thing that puts me off on the R3 is the small gas tank. 3.7 gallons is a bit on the small side for my liking.

[Finesse]

Awesome!!! It's my favorite 300cc bike. Yamaha did it right this time!! Keep us posted!

[cadd]

Did they ever announce whether ABS is available? A friend of mine is looking at a 250cc - 300cc bike as his first bike. He definitely wants ABS.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by cadd

Did they ever announce whether ABS is available? A friend of mine is looking at a 250cc - 300cc bike as his first bike. He definitely wants ABS.

I believe ABS is still not an option. The ninja 250 brakes are very hard to lock up. There really isn't any reason why a brand new rider should be buying a brand new bike. There is an incredibly high chance he is going to drop the bike and it would definitely be in his best interest to drop a used $2,500 ninja 250 opposed to a brand new $5,000 R3

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by FreelancerMG

The only thing that puts me off on the R3 is the small gas tank. 3.7 gallons is a bit on the small side for my liking.

Not a big deal, the R3 seems like it's definitely a more track focused bike. And with the smaller tank you definitely see the weight savings. These little bikes get such good gas mileage that even though it's a 3.7g tank you'll still see probably 250 miles to the tank which is more than enough.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

The ninja 250 brakes are very hard to lock up.

[ForceofWill]

Can't wait to start seeing R3 aftermarket.

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

There really isn't any reason why a brand new rider should be buying a brand new bike. There is an incredibly high chance he is going to drop the bike and it would definitely be in his best interest to drop a used $2,500 ninja 250 opposed to a brand new $5,000 R3

Why's that again?

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm just saying it's not like a SuperSport where it's a seriously strong brake that will easily lock up on you. Basic MSF course and a little bit of practice and I seriously doubt he will lock up his brakes.

Regardless, ABS is no substitute for good braking habits and skills.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by ForceofWill

Why's that again?

Rookie mistake...

EDIT: Rich rookies can get away with it though!

[cadd]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

I believe ABS is still not an option. The ninja 250 brakes are very hard to lock up. There really isn't any reason why a brand new rider should be buying a brand new bike. There is an incredibly high chance he is going to drop the bike and it would definitely be in his best interest to drop a used $2,500 ninja 250 opposed to a brand new $5,000 R3

He wants a brand new bike. $5k to him is a drop in the bucket. He's front office in the financial services industry. His annual bonus is more than what most of us make a year. Yup, his bonus is over 6 figures. He works 70hrs a week. No time to deal with maintenance and definitely no time to wrench on his used bike if there are issues. He wants reliability. He wants to be able to get on the bike and ride it when he's free. Not work on it in the garage.

And like most accountant/financial advisor type, he has a conservative personality, which is why he wants ABS on a bike with a small motor.

He already got his BRC class completed in 2014 along with private lessons through MSF. just never found time to look for a bike.

As for locking up the brakes, he's conservative. He rather have it and not need it vs needing it and not having it. He most likely will not ride in the rain, but he did say that as a newbie his innate reaction will probably be grab a fistful of brake if someone or something darts out right in front of him...and that would be horrible in the rain.

Heck, I think my own reaction would be the same as his. No time to think.

He's in his late 40s. Mid life crisis. But at least he's smart about it and eliminated supersports as his first bike. He doesn't care about status since he has a house with a garage full of luxury and sporty cars (and a circular driveway!) a boat and employees who work in his house to keep everything clean and in order.

Eventually, he wants a Harley cruiser, but for now, he just wants to get his feet wet in the 2 wheel world.

I personally think he's making an excellent choice.

This is my old boss by the way.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by cadd

Yup, his bonus is over 6 figures.

Holy crap, F it then. hahaha, I guess he counts as the 1% of people who can buy a bike brand new as a noobie.

Originally Posted by ForceofWill

Why's that again?

It is because brand new riders make way more stupid errors. Like Forgetting to put down the kick stand. Getting off the bike on the wrong side. Stalling the bike, panic and let it drop. Trying to move it incorrectly. List goes on and on. I think 90% of the people on this forum have dropped their bike, It happens and it is completely understandable if someone is a brand new rider.

[Sirref]

not just brand new riders, everyone makes mistakes. New riders just make mistakes more often because they don't know what they're supposed to do. Hell my last crash (at track) was entirely because I had no idea what I was doing and thought I did. This was after riding for something like 1.5-2 years and putting 15-20k miles down on the street with half of that on twisty roads.

Hats off to the guy with crazy $$$ that doesn't want to start off on a supersport He's actually the type of guy I'd say can start on a supersport since he has the cash to head to the track and learn how to use the bike before riding on the street. Something he should do anyway since he'll learn how to get the most out of the bike should he ever need to. He'd probably have some fun too, NJMP is a good track.

[ForceofWill]

My point was not everyone starting out to ride is a broke kid and certainly not in this case. If someone is obviously starting out smart to learn they don't need a financial Lesson from you.

[sparky80]

and my whole point was that the R3 comes out next month and should be a great bike.
If Colin Edwards likes it, then it must be a good bike. Just don't go off his MotoGP wins as any sort of reference.

[cadd]

If the R3 was available (used market) when I purchased my 300, I would've most likely picked it over the 300. On paper, it looks superior in every way performance wise.

More power, less weight is always a good thing! I can live without the slipper clutch and the ABS personally.

But now that I have ABS, I do want my future bikes to have ABS. It's just like the 80s. Had no power steering, no power brakes, no AC, no power windows in my car. Once, I drove a car with them, I got spoiled and felt entitled. I guess same goes for ABS. Although it's more peace of mind than anything else since we don't get to experience it on a daily basis (or at least I hope we don't).

But I'm excited to see how the Kawasaki will respond. Will they lower the price a little to be more competitive? Or will they market the slipper clutch, available ABS and larger tank as justification for the current price.

[EsrTek]

Originally Posted by cadd

But I'm excited to see how the Kawasaki will respond.

Up the CC is how I predict Kawi responds

[Baron]

Design wise, the only Yamaha I really really like is the R6. Neither the R1 or the R3 strike my fancy.
Performance wise, on paper, the R3 takes it but, I don't expect another redesign from Kawi for another couple of years. They'll probably drop the price to compete with R3.

[Bigballsofpaint]

Not everyone drops their first bike, i had the luxury of dropping my second bike....

Team green!

[broken neck]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

Up the CC is how I predict Kawi responds

They might bring back the old Ninja 400 based on the Ninja 650 we had couple of years ago up north...

[liberpolly]

This looks really tempting... but yes, if I am going to buy a new bike, it better have ABS and traction control. Because why the hell not? It's widely available, cheap technology, that may save my life one day.

[sparky80]

Originally Posted by liberpolly

This looks really tempting... but yes, if I am going to buy a new bike, it better have ABS and traction control. Because why the hell not? It's widely available, cheap technology, that may save my life one day.

I guess everybody is different. I had a '95 Miata and the ABS and traction control was managed by my right foot... and I loved it. Test drove a 2004 Miata with ABS and traction control and I hated it. The joy of being able to steer the car from the rear was gone and overall satisfaction of controlling the car became dull.

Do little 300's need traction control? Can't imagine it'd be very hard to control 30'ish ponies and 2 piston calipers up front prolly don't scream to a halt like your typical dual 4 pot superbike. My dad's FJR has linked ABS and it works awesome, but makes me a lazy rider.

I like the little R3 just the way it is... but maybe it could use some more blue in the lower fairings.

[FreelancerMG]

I don't really think these little bikes can push out enough torque to warrant traction control. You'd have to be at the ridiculous end of whiskey throttling it while leaned over to really have any appreciable need for traction control. If this were a liter bike I'd understand but it'd be wasted technology on such a small bike.

[Sirref]

^ seconded, I can be real hamfisted on my 300 at times and have never (even in the rain) felt the need for traction control

[spooph]

Originally Posted by sparky80

I'm a Yamaha guy thru and thru... coming from 3 R6's, a YFZ450 quad, and current FZ1, it'd be preposterous to think I'd ride anything but big blue. Only got the Kawi to hopefully flip for a buck or two and fund accessories for the R3.

If you're as big of a Yamaha fan as you're trying to portray, you'd be riding yellow Yamaha's, not blue ones... But that's me just jerking your chain....

I also really want to test ride one as it looks to be a very promising option...
What I'm most excited about... the competition... It won't be long now until the 300's become 400's....

[sparky80]

Originally Posted by spooph

If you're as big of a Yamaha fan as you're trying to portray, you'd be riding yellow Yamaha's, not blue ones... But that's me just jerking your chain....

Yeah, 'cept I wasn't around for those days.... or really for the red and white days.

but it seems that's Kawasaki's answer to getting beat... going bigger. why'd they make the 636? exactly. why'd they make the 300? to answer Honda.
why'd they blow a literbike? same thing.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by spooph

If you're as big of a Yamaha fan as you're trying to portray, you'd be riding yellow Yamaha's, not blue ones... But that's me just jerking your chain....

Depends on how old you are spooph.

Back in the day yellow was the team color, but nowadays it's blue. White with red was also a factory racing color on OWs and TZs back then, and they did revive it in MotoGP for a few events. That looked the best to me.

[ForceofWill]

I wanna see what the bigger dealerships let these go for. One in Indiana is letting fz09 go for like 6800.

[liberpolly]

Originally Posted by sparky80

I guess everybody is different. I had a '95 Miata and the ABS and traction control was managed by my right foot... and I loved it. Test drove a 2004 Miata with ABS and traction control and I hated it. The joy of being able to steer the car from the rear was gone and overall satisfaction of controlling the car became dull.

Do little 300's need traction control? Can't imagine it'd be very hard to control 30'ish ponies and 2 piston calipers up front prolly don't scream to a halt like your typical dual 4 pot superbike. My dad's FJR has linked ABS and it works awesome, but makes me a lazy rider.

I like the little R3 just the way it is... but maybe it could use some more blue in the lower fairings.

Miata - agree, I loved sending my 2000 into a controlled drift. But I am probably a year or two away from being able to drift a rear wheel on a motorcycle, so I'd get any help that will help me to push envelope, knowing that my ass is covered - more or less. If I never use TC or ABS, all the better. I hope to never use the armor in my jacket too.

[choneofakind]

Unless you really snap the throttle in the powerband in 2nd while leaned over on wet pavement (go play with it in a parking lot or neighborhood, it's fun) the rear end will not spin up. Maybe the 300 is just that much more gutsy than the 250, idk, but ijs.

And Danny, I know you have good intentions, but have you ever ridden a supersport? it's not like they just suddenly kill you, you're in control the whole time.