Yamaha Motor India today launched the YZF-R3 sports bike at the Budhha International Circuit near Delhi.
The YZF – R3 will cost the Indian buyers Rs 3.23 lakh and will be available at select authorised Yamaha dealerships in two colour schemes – Racing Blue and Black Lightning.
The all new Yamaha YZF – R3 mounts a newly developed 321cc, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, in-line 2-cylinder, fuel-injected engine. The R3 will be assembled at India Yamaha Motor’s plant from the CKD sets.
Yamaha was the first to launch superbikes in India, back in 2008. It launched the likes of YZF-R1, FZ 1 and VMAX and was also the first Company to introduce India’s first sports bike in the 150cc category – The YZF R15.
“With all-new engine and chassis designs, the YZF-R3 sports a solid combination of class-leading power and a lightweight body that achieves high levels of riding performance and styling worthy of the “superbike” moniker. At the same time, it offers the nimbleness and easy-to-use character for daily use as well as riding excitement in a variety of usage scenes,” Yamaha India said.
The YZF-R3 Sports Model boasts increased displacement and a lighter yet higher-performance chassis, a winning combination that immediately establishes the model as one of the most competitive entries in its class.
The new product offers agile handling from the lightweight body, mass centralization measures, etc. It aims to achieve an excellent balance of both high performance and fuel efficiency and a riding position that is good for sporty riding and results in less rider fatigue.
“The thing we want people to notice most about this model is the high-level balance it achieves with its class-leading engine and drive-train performance, the pleasurable ride it offers in a variety of uses and the faithful R-Series styling,” said Masaki Asano, Managing Director, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd.
“The development team put all of their engineering skills and passion into developing this model and achieved especially notable results in areas like high-speed performance, passing acceleration and thoroughly enjoyable performance on winding roads. We also placed particular importance on setting a comfortable riding position and other features to achieve an excellent level of ride ability in everyday use.”
“The YZF-R3 is a model that takes the R-Series technology and know-how Yamaha has accumulated since the original YZF-R1 and brings the world of the “YZF” lineup to the 320cc displacement class,” said Roy Kurian, Vice President- Sales & Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales.
“It inherits the high level of riding performance and styling DNA worthy of an R-Series model while also being easy to handle in daily use. The YZF-R3 is expected to attract younger racing enthusiasts looking for their first racing bike. Currently the Supersports segment (250cc to 600cc) is doing around 1000 bikes a month and our plan is to attain a 20% market share in the segment.”
The YZF-R series features a wide lineup, beginning with the YZF-R1 (998cc) super-sports flagship model, followed by the YZF-R6 (599cc), YZF-R25 (249cc), YZF-R15 (150cc), and YZF-R125 (125cc).
Yamaha Motor made its initial foray into India in 1985 as a joint-venture. In August 2001, It became a 100% subsidiary of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd, Japan (YMC). In 2008, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. entered into an agreement with YMC to become a joint-investor in India Yamaha Motor Private Limited (IYM).