Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Sounds exciting ! Do share your experiences here.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

My long-term review of R3 at 58K kms


Going through this thread after a real long time and lots of things going on...


Well, as of now, I guess I can comment on the bike from long-term usage perspective and here's my take on the bike:


Overall Feeling


The bike is a jack of all trades, provided you know how to handle the bike correctly. Some have said that it's not but trust me it's not the case. So if you're planning for a R3 go ahead and ride it for yourself rather than relying on some baseless inputs from anyone. (Copied from my last review and still can't change a single word about it )


Handling


After 2 yrs of usage, I can say, it's a sweet handler. The bike handles really well in traffic and I'm happy with it's handling. The chassis, if familiar with the bike, can give you surprises, in a good way. You may think the bike may not handle well in crunch situations and then the chassis surprises you ad put a smile on your face. Don't expect it to be cutting corners like designated corner craving bikes, but it does its bit and it excels some of the aforementioned bikes in certain scenarios.


Heating


City Use


It's a twin 321cc engine and yes it'll heat up for obvious reasons as there are two pistons so obviously heat generated will be more. I would say the way R3 handles the heat is really good. The fan is really silent and you've to notice carefully to understand if it's running. Also, as the bike has got a bigger engine, it needs air for the radiator to cool down the heated engine, which it does extremely well anyhow.


I follow a rule to turn off the bike when in a traffic lights or I know there will be no movement for sometime. Switch off the engine kill switch first and then turn it on. Though the headlight will still be on. You may turn off the ignition and switch it on again but the bike will start without any issues whatsoever.


Highway Use


Heating?? What heating?? Never faced any heating issues and it should not appear also.

Engine, Gearbox & Clutch


The engine is a gem. Truly. The gear shifts are so good and once you get to higher RPMs you're gonna gave a big grin inside your helmet all the time. As all know, the bike pulls from almost as low as 2.5K RPM but after 7K RPM there's a subtle punch which you'll feel and at 9K RPM that feeling just amplifies. Nothing to complain at all about the engine and even gearbox. Both are perfect and no complaints whatsoever. Clutch is light when thinking about the engine and can be adjusted as per your needs, as we all know that. Overall I'm too much happy with this section.


Looks


Personal opinion - It can be a head turner if someone knows about the bike and it can be a R15 if someone doesn't. For me it's beautiful with an awesome set of eyes, sorry headlights.


Headlights


One of the most striking components of R3. Very good throw of light with good area covered and give you enough visibility to decide on your braking, thanks to the awesome reflectors and powerful stock Osram bulbs. On good highways, the headlights, on high beam, extend approx up to 100-120 ft, good for going at 100-110 kmph. Even the low beam has a good spread and the beam lightens up the central part and not like R15 where only one side gets illuminated. I'm too happy with the stock lights and am now more confident about night riding.



Brakes


Brakes are definitely very good and have a real good bite. R3 brakes have given me confidence and as a mostly touring user I'm really happy with the brakes. To make the brakes more crisp, I've added in Spiegler brake lines and I could say that braking feedback has increased by around 30%. Not any extra words except the brakes are good and really confidence inspiring and quite enough for a bike weighing 170 kgs.


Tires


Used till now 4 sets, MRF Stock, MRF Test, Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2 and Michelin Pilot Street Radial.

Till now I found the Pirellis to be the best for R3 among the tires I used/using. Heats up pretty quick and braking also improves due to the grip it provides.

Michelins are good for people like us, who ride at moderate highway speeds but mostly long, as they last really long and VFM. Rain grip till now I found is best of Michelin. Using it for the last 13-14K kms and still looks like it will go another 13-14K kms easily.

Seating Posture\Seats


Another awesome feature of R3 is the seating posture. I did some long tours on my R15V2 and R3 is like a boon for me. I did Kolkata-B'lore in 2 days, first day rode for around 1100 kms till Rajahmundhry and next day the remaining 870 kms to B'lore and I'm still quite OK to go to office the very next day. With my R15V2 it would have been impossible both to attend office and to do Kolkata-B'lore in two days only. So be assured you'll not be tired.


Seats could have been more comfy but then I'm not complaining. If you're riding your bike for 27-28 hours you can't/shouldn't complain about the comfort. Pillion seat is definitely much more comfortable than R15V2. I did Goa also early Oct, 2015 with a pillion and she never complained about the seats. Actually, before this ride she never went out for long rides, and she didn't complain after the long 1450 kms round trip and that too 400 kms in torrential rains, where sitting actually hurts a lot.


Mileage


Now coming to one of the most 'kitna deti hain' wala question. In city, I hardly got above 24-25 kmpl no matter how well I ride. In the highways, in between 95-115 kmph, sixth gear, I got around 34 kmpl with a tank range, before hitting reserve, close to 360 kms. With a speed range till 105 kmph the bike was returning 33-34 kmpl. Though I didn't check the tank range in particular as I was filling as soon it hit the single bar mark but still it's not before 320 kms. Once I tried to find out how much mileage the bike will give if I do 85-95 kmph, sixth gear, and the bike didn't hit reserve even after 382 kms and I'm sure if I continued it would've easily given till 400 kms.


RVMs


Not a good visibility but very well built. Blind spot mirror is a recommended add on.


Vibes


A big deal of discussion going through existing R3 owners nowadays. Some are having vibes in their R3s which can lead to hand numbness if ridden for long times. My bike, and some other friends here in B'lore, doesn't have this issue. I had it once when fuelled up from an unknown petrol bunk and my left hand got numb but once that fuel got over, the vibes disappeared. Also the stock engine oil is not good for a bike like this and I would suggest people changing to better oils after or at 5K ODO. I'm now using Motul 7100 10W40, and, whatever very minimum and acceptable vibes I had in my bike, it also reduced considerably further. But for those who're having the vibes, still now there has been no exact root cause of issue that has been found and analysis is still going on.


Swaying


There's another issue in some people's bikes where the bike sways to left when the handle bars are left alone. My bike, again with some owners, don't have this issue so can't say much about it. I can say this much that Yamaha is actually working on this to get thing sorted out.


Maintenance


R3 is actually cheaper to maintain than my R15 till now as it has a longer service interval, double of R15, and the spare parts are also very well priced and lasts long if ridden correctly. I changed the brake pads and chain sprocket kit at 40K ODO. The new sprocket looks like only 30-40% gone now, after another 18K, so yes, parts are of good quality.


Recommendations:


I would recommend every one to stick to the recommended grading only as mentioned in the manual
Manual says to change air and oil filter at every 10K kms. My suggestion change oil filter with every oil change and change air filter every 5K kms keeping in mind the awesome dust of India.

Other Recommendations:


Fork oil to be changed at every 10K kms, as per manual.
Swingarm bush, both wheel bearing and cone-set greasing to be done every 10K kms, manual says at 10k, 15K and 20K kms respectively but I will recommend to grease all three at one go at every 10K kms.


So, this has been my brief overview on the R3, tested on my R3 only, till now. Ride it to understand it. I'm sure it'll bring a wide grin to you.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Thanks for the detailed, unbiased long term review. Hoping for the bike to come with optional ABS (at least) next month.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Nice review,you seem to be racking the most miles among the R3 riders .A few photos of your rides would brighten up the thread i think.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Nice to see all R3 Owners enjoying this beauty. I currently ride a Daytona 675cc and as everyone knows this bike is in a different league. It being a supersport is completely track focused. I bought it because I wanted to own a daytona. I enjoyed it and never gave a problem. However, since most of my riding is in city, I can't fully utilize the true potential of the bike unless I take it to highways. Hence thought of looking for a R3 for city riding.

I have never ridden an R3 before and since the bike has been stopped currently and no test rides available in the showroom and due to uncertainty, you never know when the bike is going to launch. All I see is speculation. Hence, I am requesting if any R3 owners in Bangalore can give me a test ride. It will be really nice of you if you can give me a test ride so that I can see the practicality of the bike while riding in city.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

I'm also waiting for this bike to be relaunched, but if you want to know how it behaves, another option is to rent it.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Yes renting would be a nice option, however you can never truely judge it because the bike might have been abused too much from many users. However will consider this option. Thanks !!

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

True that.

I rented it once. That bike was not maintained well by the rentals. Might have been abused too.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Thanks Arnab for that detailed review! Came at a perfect time as I am planning to buy a 300cc bike & mostly it will be R3
Some pics of your R3 would be nice.

I am also looking for a test ride of R3.
R3 owners in Bangalore - please help us with a short test ride maybe sometime over a weekend.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

[MENTION=61712]ArnabC[/MENTION]: Amazing mileage done in a very short while! 👏
What about coneset/clutch condition?

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Some of the pics













Not yet any issue [MENTION=13846]Sarvajit[/MENTION]. Will check in details during the 60K service.
Amazing mileage is actually getting done by [MENTION=57593]saquib3005[/MENTION]

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Nice photos ,it would be better if you could mention the places visited below the photos if you have time .Looks like a collection of the different moods of the R3. Loved the photos ,thanks for brightening the thread .

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

No response from B'lore R3 riders! I guess they are too possessive of their bike & don't want anyone else to ride it!

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences

Nothing wrong or surprising about that.

I own an Apache RTR. It costs 1/5th the price of R3. I think twice before I let anyone else ride it, even if i know the person. Forget a stranger.

Only if I know the person and his riding style/capabilities well, I go ahead with letting him ride my bike.

Re: Yamaha YZF R3 Owners Reviews and Experiences


Thats a strange request. I have a R3, and I don't let anyone get too close to her, let alone ride her. Why would anyone oblige a stranger? People buy bikes like these (RC390, Ninja 300, R3) because they love to ride, and for most these are their prized possessions. I have made enemies on my various rides just because I dont oblige to such test ride requests. I know R3 owners from Bangalore, as we have a whatsapp group, and no one will oblige you with a ride.