Yamaha R

Yamaha R3 Could Finally Make Its Way To Our Shores; Here’s Why

The Yamaha R3 might have gone from our market for a very long time now but even to this day, you would find some Indian motorcyclists yearning for its return. One of the major reasons that were holding back Yamaha from bringing the R3 to India in the BS6 era was its non-compliance with the stricter emission norms. Until recently. Yamaha recently unveiled a new limited-edition R3 that pays homage to Yamaha’s first win at the Belgian GP in 1964 with Phil Read. Christened as World GP 60th Anniversary Edition, the major highlight of this new edition is the new exterior paint livery. But the major takeaway from this recent unveiling is the fact that the R3 is now finally Euro5-compliant that also makes it comply with the BS6 emission norms.

BS6-compliant, finally!

To make the R3 meet the stricter emission norms, Yamaha has revised the R3’s lower fairing cowl to accommodate a new catalytic converter. Yep, that’s it! That makes us wonder, why couldn’t Yamaha do it earlier? The R3 remains exactly the same as before. In terms of power, the motorcycle carries on with its 321cc 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, in-line 2 cylinder motor that produces 42 bhp of power @ 10,750 rpm and 29.6 Nm of torque @ 9,000 rpm.

Yamaha R3 (1)

Changes over the R3 that we used to have here

As compared to the R3 that we used to have here, the updated R3 has undergone a few changes where it now gets a new all-digital instrument console, LED headlights, KYB USD forks and a rear monoshock, and revised bodywork which is more aerodynamic and has increased the bike’s top speed. The riding position, too, is now sportier and the clamps for the clip-ons have a resemblance to those on the litre-class R1.

Yamaha R3 (2)

Will it come to India?

Now that one of the major hurdles in its arrival at our shores has been done away with, Yamaha India could finally bring the updated R3 here! The previous-gen R3 that was on sale in India, didn’t manage to attract a lot of customers to Yamaha dealerships because of its premium pricing. If Yamaha manages to localise even more parts for the R3 in India to bring its cost down, it could work wonders for the company.

Also read: Updated Yamaha R15 Gets A Launch Date!

Yamaha R3 (3)

The 300-400cc sportsbike segment in India is soon going to be ablaze with the arrival of the heavily updated KTM RC 390. The RC 390 has been R3’s arch rival since time immemorial. And we would love to see the Austrian and Japanese forces fighting it out for supremacy in the 300cc segment. TVS too, recently updated the Apache RR 310 and this indigenous beauty could make things hard for both the motorcycles.

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