Yamaha, the Japanese bike manufacturer has imported two units of the YZF-R3 sports bike into India for R&D (Research & Development) purpose. The company is planning to enter the growing 300cc segment, where KTM RC390 is doing good business. Interestingly, Yamaha is also aiming to launch a couple of new sports bike including the YZF-R1 and the R25 in the country in the first half of 2015.
The Yamaha YZF-R3 is propelled by an in-line twin cylinder, 321cc liquid cooled motor. This engine is capable of producing a top power output of 42PS and a peak torque of 29.6Nm. Power is transferred on roads via a six-speed gearbox. However, its closest competition KTM RC390 features a single cylinder 373cc unit that produces 43bhp of power. This engine is clubbed to a six-speed clawshift transmission.
The KTM RC390 is priced very aggressively at Rs. 2.01 lakh in the market, thanks to its 100 per cent localization at Bajaj Auto’s facility. To compete well against the RC390, Yamaha needs to highly localize the R3 Sports bike to keep its price competitive in the market. The vehicle will compete against the likes of KTM RC390 and Ninja 300. Rumours also suggest that Yamaha will launch the YZF-R3 sports bike instead of the R25, which was earlier scheduled to make its Indian debut in the second quarter of 2015; however, the company hasn’t revealed any concrete details about the same.
