There’s a new Yamaha R3 around—the 2025 Yamaha R3 —and I rode it. And I loved it. It has been redesigned. It gets a new dash with some new features and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s a USB port… Type-A. The engine remains the same, but it now gets a slip-and-assist clutch. It’s nothing groundbreaking, yet I am thoroughly enjoying it. That’s it. 

I am kidding. There’s obviously a little more to the story; the rest is just that this is a very good motorcycle. For context, let us start from the beginning. When Yamaha first launched the R3 in India, it was a motorcycle to reckon with. It was R15 good with even more power and a parallel twin. We all believed that it was going to be a rousing success. That was until the price was announced. India is a price-sensitive market and because of that, it did not have many takers. 

The new one came with a redesign, but it did not come to India. Then it came to India with the MT-03 tagging along. I rode it on the track for a little while. It was still the bare essentials, and the engine remained more or less the same except for the norm compliance. I still enjoyed it. It is still priced really high and might not make sense to many people. Moreover, the competition is fierce. Yet, I rode it and loved it. 

In India at least, Yamaha seems to be trying everything to make us not like the R3 and yet… somehow, we do. We might not buy it but we love it. Why do you think that is? It is because, in India, it is priced the way it is because it is a CBU import. In other countries, where the price is on par with other motorcycles in the class, it does well. It is still lacklustre in the features and stuff but still, it holds its own. Why do you think that is? 

It is because the Yamaha R3 is a fantastic motorcycle. The engine, the handling, and the ergonomics make it one of the friendliest motorcycles you can ride. The friendliness does not mean that it’s not quick. It has a fair bit of power. It is just that it delivers that power the way you like. I still believe that it is one of the easiest motorcycles to go fast on and it will be properly fast. And the new R3 or the 2025 R3 is more of the same. 

We will start with the biggest of the few changes that have been made- the design. One of the complaints I had with the R3 currently being sold in India was that its design was not in line with the new R-series. It is now and the closest resemblance is the newly launched R9. 

It has the central projector flanked with twin DRLs… on each side. The fairing has been redesigned and from the front, it almost looks like it has integrated winglets. Anyway, it is touted to be more aerodynamic. The same goes for the rear which is similar to other Rs as in the tail has a shroud now or as I first called them on the R15 V3… buttresses of sorts. Also, pay attention to the placement of the blinkers, they are up top now. Clever. 

Overall, I like the design of the 2025 Yamaha R3. It is sportier and it will probably have a better road presence than the current one. There’s LED lighting all around. There’s a new dash which has a blue background and Bluetooth. So it can be paired with your smartphone with the Y-Connect app. The fit and finish are up to spec. And that is all when it comes to the changes. I rushed through this section because I wanted to talk about why I love it. 

The engine. It remains unchanged and it has been around for some years now. It still makes the same 42 hp and 29.5 Nm. It is still peaky. It is still smooth but full of character. It still sounds really nice at full chat. I have been a fan of this engine and no matter how much I try to tell myself that it is old and there are new motorcycles around, I still can’t seem to get enough of it. Moreover, since it is a twin, it offers a smoother and more relaxed ride overall. Not to mention, it does help in the reliability aspect as well.

I might have remarked that if you pay the asking price of the Yamaha R3, you pay it for the engine and its bulletproof reputation. It is still that way. Whether I was just puttering around town or going up a winding road, it was just there. It is silky smooth throughout the rev range with a slight characterful buzz around the redline. It is okay below 6-7k rpm but post that, it comes alive. 

Combine that with the sublime handling of the thing and you fall in love with it. The engine, the chassis, the suspension setup, the tyres, the brakes… everything is just so coherent and so… Yamaha. It is an extension of the rider. I want to hate the R3, trust me, I really do. But it is just such a nice motorcycle… such a darn nice motorcycle. That is what makes it so hard to talk about it. 

In terms of features, it is spartan and that is being considerate. There’s finally a slipper clutch on the 2025 Yamaha R3 and it works well. The previous iteration (the current one in India) does not even have that. There is nothing else… not even a quickshifter. It would have made the engine even more enjoyable and it is a glaring miss in my eyes. No electronics either. For comparison, the Yamaha R15M has all of that… so you decide how to look at this strange situation.

Moreover, the villainy here is the price in India. I believe it might go further up when the 2025 Yamaha R3 makes it to our shores. Even if it doesn’t, it is still hard to recommend in India. Yet, you just ride it once and you forget about the hefty EMIs that you’re having to pay for it. Should you buy it then? Let me think of a clever way to put this… 

You are going to fight a monster tomorrow and you can take one of your friends along. Some of them are brawny, some of them are wicked smart, some have weapons, and so on. The catch is, there’s a slight chance they may not answer your call on time. Then there’s one who is none of the above but whenever you call, they will be right beside you… that friend is the 2025 Yamaha R3.