[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

Why not consider the ER-6n or the Legendary Ninja 300 over the R3 which are far better products with absolutely zero niggles and in the market for years now.

Honestly Amey, my brother was actually gunning for the Z800.

Kawasaki's recent split with Bajaj has made the situation a bit dicey here in Bangalore with only one showroom at the moment and one service station that is being setup as we speak.

He ONLY had Ninja 300 and R3 as the second choice if Z800 did not happen. Considering the current situation of the Kawasaki, he seems be inclined towards the safer bet, which is the R3.

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Honestly Amey, my brother was actually gunning for the Z800.

Kawasaki's recent split with Bajaj has made the situation a bit dicey here in Bangalore with only one showroom at the moment and one service station that is being setup as we speak.

He ONLY had Ninja 300 and R3 as the second choice if Z800 did not happen. Considering the current situation of the Kawasaki, he seems be inclined towards the safer bet, which is the R3.

Good to hear that your brother was seeking for a Z800 Venom.

I understand that there are split issues running between Kawasaki and Bajaj and you are skeptical about it till it is settled; however, don't you think this is a minor issue wrt the Core issues of R3 that customers are facing?

Cheers,
Amey

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

however, don't you think this is a minor issue wrt the Core issues of R3 that customers are facing?

I am more of a Car enthusiast than a Biker, and I tend to follow a lot more updates on that front. So not really sure what are you referring to here buddy.

Can you please elaborate or direct me to the articles for more info on the "Core issues of R3 that customers are facing?" ??

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Can you please elaborate or direct me to the articles for more info on the "Core issues of R3 that customers are facing?" ??

You can start referring to page no 8 onwards from this thread itself.

You would get an idea of what I am referring to. abhisheksircar has provided us excellent inputs on the R3 for some of which is scary. But, the development on R3 with the recall and post recall seems to be positive as well.

But, given a choice I would safely put my bet on the N300 as it does not even have minor niggles to deal with. Just my 2 cents.

Also, for your information, Ninja 300 is an expensive affair but reliable and durable for years to come.

1st Service at 1,000Kms - Paid, INR 3.5K (Oil change)
2nd Service at 6,000 Kms - Paid, INR 1.5K (No oil change)
3rd Service at 12,000 Kms - Yet to be serviced but should range again at INR 3.5K - 4K.

Cheers,
Amey

[dextor]

Can anyone confirm if the new R3's being delivered are BS3 or BS4 compliant. Checked with a dealer today & he told that BS4 models have been launched since January.

[abhisheksircar]

I have been enjoying this bike although harping quite a bit on the core issues faced in the bike.

1. Tyre : This still gives away considering the power of the bike. This is still an open issue although can be easily resolved by upgrading the tyre. I have moved to Pirelli Diablo Rosso II and enjoying every bit of it.

2. Ignition Issue : This has supposedly been taken care off with the recent recall by replacing the ignition socket. I got this replaced in the recall and now we have to keep a watch to see if there is any repetition of the issue. Glad if this resolves it for good.



3. Tank Leak and Vibration : Excessive vibration although not a core issue was still not a very pleasant experience. In my case, this excessive vibration resulted in tank leak which as per me was another core issue. A redesigned clamp to mount the tank on to the Chassis claims to resolve both these issues. This was also attended as a part of the latest recall.





As a good will gesture this recall was clubbed with lube worth 1080/- INR and Service Cost deduction of 400/- INR.



I feel it was good of Yamaha to attend to all the issues we were harping about and if this recall resolves these issues than we got a near perfect 300 CC. What would make it perfect would be better tyres and ABS.

For now, with the current recall, if the issues are resolved as claimed, I am a happy rider.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

Ignition Issue : This has supposedly been taken care off with the recent recall by replacing the ignition socket. I got this replaced in the recall and now we have to keep a watch to see if there is any repetition of the issue. Glad if this resolves it for good.

Did you face this issue again after the recall replacements? Or did any of the other R3 owners, for that matter?

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

Tank Leak and Vibration : Excessive vibration although not a core issue was still not a very pleasant experience. In my case, this excessive vibration resulted in tank leak which as per me was another core issue. A redesigned clamp to mount the tank on to the Chassis claims to resolve both these issues. This was also attended as a part of the latest recall.

Am I correct in reading that the core issue was high vibrations (not sure about the source) and the tank leak was just an aftermath? Or were the vibrations due to the faulty tank bracket?

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Did you face this issue again after the recall replacements? Or did any of the other R3 owners, for that matter?

The replacement is a very recent recall. That said, we have not heard of any issues on ignition cutoff offlate.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Am I correct in reading that the core issue was high vibrations (not sure about the source) and the tank leak was just an aftermath? Or were the vibrations due to the faulty tank bracket?

Vibrations were due to a faulty tank bracket. The vibrations led to a lot of stress on one of the hinges which ended up in giving up and hence the tank leak. That's my understanding of the issue and hope the vibrations and the tank leak is resolved due to this changed design of the clamps.

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

But, given a choice I would safely put my bet on the N300 as it does not even have minor niggles to deal with. Just my 2 cents.

If I'm not mistaken, there were umpteen reports across many forums of engine seizure due to oil disappearing from the engine, God knows how, from the baby Ninja. Now coming from such a tried and tested and also now old-in-the-tooth product from Kawa, this I think is certainly not acceptable. Hope I'm not missing something here. I think, as a niggle, this is as major as it can get, can't get bigger than this bro. Further, it happened randomly with no perceivable reasoning.

That said, I think it's high time Kawasaki stopped resting on its laurels and either seriously upgrade the bike or create a new 300/350/400 cc model now as it's in demand world over these days. Wonder why Honda and Kawa are so irritatingly lethargic at times. Move it guys! You're Japanese, remember?

As for the R3, it's a comparatively newer product than N300, but the niggles can still not be justified. Or acceptable. From a reputed company like Yamaha which creates such brilliant products.

[cool_dube]

Not sure if it is already posted on the forum but here is an excellent review of the R3 by Overdrive. The only 2 weak links, as already pointed out by Abhishek, are (a) absence of ABS and (b) the tyres. The latter is fixed much more easily but the former could be a deal breaker for many!

[aabhimanyu04]

Excellent review. I just picked up mine on the 11th of March from Bangalore Wheels Rajajinagar, Bangalore.
Thankfully mine is not the recall lot ( checked online).
What I liked a lot is of course the exhaust note and build. What I hated is the BBQ grill ( or the saree guard) and the horn.
Mine is just over a 100kms today as I type, I am not sure if the excessive chain noise is a spot of bother. As mentioned in the review here, this bike is not a 'one touch start' which I felt on my day one.
I shall add more points as I get used to this bike. Coming from the Duke 390 this is a world of a difference to me.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by aabhimanyu04

I shall add more points as I get used to this bike. Coming from the Duke 390 this is a world of a difference to me.

Would appreciate it very much if you can mention an apple to orange comparison on how it feels when compared to the 390.

[aabhimanyu04]

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

Why not consider the ER-6n or the Legendary Ninja 300 over the R3 which are far better products with absolutely zero niggles and in the market for years now.

Kawasaki is also offering heavy discounts now which should help you in the pricing front as well.

Cheers,
Amey

ER-6n not available in Bangalore so is the case with N300 and Z250, all Kawasaki showrooms are out of stock. I tried booking the Z250, no luck. Huge discounts have suddenly spiked demand for these illusive and expensive bikes.
With Kawasaki and Bajaj parting ways, new Kawasaki showrooms and service stations will be setup across India, which means for people who want to buy one now, will have to patiently wait for a good 2-3months.
My experience with the R3 so far ( about 200kms) has been very satisfactory and I don't think there will be any reliability issues with this bike looking at the detail with which it is built. I will write a comprehensive review once I have some significant number on the ODO.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by aabhimanyu04

I will write a comprehensive review once I have some significant number on the ODO.

Waiting for the report. In the meanwhile, please share some pics if you can.

On a side note, checked current on-road price from Vinayak Yamaha (Bangalore) today - with the recent (insane) hike in road tax for bikes costing over a lac, the R3 will make your wallet lighter by almost 4.1 lac

As much as I want to own one of these bikes (be it the R3 or the N300, which would be even costlier) - should be a breeze with loans being offered at the drop of a hat these days - I somehow cannot justify spending so much on a bike without ABS, notwithstanding the riding pleasure on offer

[aabhimanyu04]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Waiting for the report. In the meanwhile, please share some pics if you can.

On a side note, checked current on-road price from Vinayak Yamaha (Bangalore) today - with the recent (insane) hike in road tax for bikes costing over a lac, the R3 will make your wallet lighter by almost 4.1 lac

As much as I want to own one of these bikes (be it the R3 or the N300, which would be even costlier) - should be a breeze with loans being offered at the drop of a hat these days - I somehow cannot justify spending so much on a bike without ABS, notwithstanding the riding pleasure on offer

The R3 is now 4.09Lakhs on road as per the latest pricelist from Bangalore Wheels Rajajinagar Bangalore.
ABS will definitely be missed on R3 but I had no better twin at this price point. First upgrade for me will be the tyres for sure. These MRFs are just average.
I have tried uploading some pictures taken from my Moto E3 Power mobile camera, I hope the quality is 'OK' to look at. Will share high resolution pictures soon