[abhisheksircar]

Something is ahead and we don't know what yet. Almost all R3 owners are being reached out to by dealers to confirm their address telling that Yamaha wants to reach out to the R3 owners. We are still not sure if it is anything to do with the recall or something else. Will update once we are aware. My guess would be something to do with the much talked about Clutch issue.

[abhisheksircar]

So yes, it is the Clutch Assembly and the Oil Pump for which the R3s all over the world belonging to a specific series are being called back.

Clutch Assembly Issue (Curent Issue)



Oil Pump Issue (Curent Issue)



Rumors state that the highlighted parts are going to be changed. If only I could read Japanese

What are the defects?

The clutch pressure plate bearing may fail when operated frequently. The oil pump drive gear may break due to excessive stress.
What are the hazards?

The clutch may fail to operate and the transmission will not shift properly and the engine may seize due to lack of engine oil supply.

Source : https://www.recalls.gov.au/content/i...itemId/1088967

① of the oil pump of the engine plunger (valve for adjusting the pressure in the oil pump), because the design is inappropriate, the prime mover may not be the pressure adjustment in the oil pump during high rotation. Therefore, the hydraulic pressure gear (made of resin) for driving an oil pump by periodically varying the applied excessive force, in the worst case, the gear is broken, the engine is likely to get baked.
② In the power transmission device, the strength of the bearing of the clutch pressure plate is insufficient, repeating the clutch operation, it is that said bearings may be damaged. Therefore, the clutch is the shift is no longer possible not cut, there is a fear that becomes impossible traveling.

Source : http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/recall...860.1465896502

Effected Bikes : R3, R25, MT-03, MT-25. Total 5 Models. MT-03 has been additionally recalled for a faulty brake hose.

So how do R3 owners in India complete the process of recall.

Step 1

Go to the dedicated link for the recall.

http://www.yamaha-motor-india.com/se...mpaign-r3.html



Step 2

Enter the Chassis or Frame Number which you can find it on your bike, or the easy way out is on your smart card/RC book or the Insurance copy. You will get an on screen confirmation if your bike is one of the effected ones or not.



Step 3

Select you city and preferred dealer from the list of dealers provided. You have to also mention your details like address, email etc.



Step 4

You will get a confirmation number confirming that your process to register is complete.



email Follow Up



eMail follows soon after.

Mail Follow Up



You are then sent a hard copy mail with confirmation in your mailing address.

Wait for the call from the dealer. Rumors confirm recall to be initiated from 7July2016 onwards. The cost of repairs is expected to be around 9k including a free oil change which will be borne by Yamaha. That's quite a hit on Yamaha. 8 Lakhs in India itself. This recall is effected R3s across regions.

Since one of the riders in our R3 group had already been affected with it before the recall, we hear that the whole process does not involve opening the engine and just involves opening up the clutch assembly. The whole process takes about 30 mins if done efficiently although Yamaha has been careful to quote about 2 hrs. The consequences of a breakdown is not very pleasant resulting in a rear wheel lock up. R3 owners in US are advised not to ride till this is fixed. That said, thankfully, riders in our group have ridden as much as 20k kms without any issues. Yamaha is being careful.

This is not really the first recall of the R3 as in certain other regions they were recalled for the upper triple clamp to be replaced which was way more grave than this issue. These are the demerits of buying a new product which is still maturing but glad that Yamaha exhibited maturity in accepting the flaws and recalling the bikes for getting it fixed although they are aware that this might hit their sales number. R3 shares a lot of components with the R25 and the MT-03, hence the chances of recall of these bikes for the same issue is quite evident. Suddenly the bad tyre from MRF looks like a very trivial issue.

Triple Clamp Issue (Old Issue)

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

Although not lots but people in the group have definitely reported of issues which are individually being attended to. That said, we are also aware of couple of riders from Pune who have been outright told to live with the issues as although it's deviation from the expected behavior, it's "minor". Sad but true and it quite amazed us the way it was handled knowing the otherwise very customer friendly Yamaha. The riders were also told to put a case if required as they have cases pending from 70s and nothing much has happened. Bangalore thankfully has been a different story with issues being dealt with. For one of the guys, the clutch was replaced and things are sorted.

I recently also came along a circular from GoI saying issues in vehicles ignored without calling in for a recall if the issue is pertaining in most of the vehicles is to be deemed as against the law. We are waiting although as you are right, I am not facing any of these issues yet.

I'm just curious in your ownership so far, would you still say this is a better buy than N 300 all things told? Has the bike been problem / hassle free enough to still make sense? Somewhere along the middle of the thread I saw some very disappointing dealer attitude to issues owners were facing. Particularly in Pune.

I'm not sure if anyone has specific inputs on the Mumbai dealers.

EDIT: Re tyres, what would it cost to upgrade tyres on day zero itself to something much better suited, given all the cribs with the stock MRFs? Thanks

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I'm just curious in your ownership so far, would you still say this is a better buy than N 300 all things told? Has the bike been problem / hassle free enough to still make sense? Somewhere along the middle of the thread I saw some very disappointing dealer attitude to issues owners were facing. Particularly in Pune.

I'm not sure if anyone has specific inputs on the Mumbai dealers.

EDIT: Re tyres, what would it cost to upgrade tyres on day zero itself to something much better suited, given all the cribs with the stock MRFs? Thanks

I agree! I own a N 300! It's a legend! I had thought of the R3 but it's still needs quality upbringing.

Cheers,
Amey

[Axe77]

Actually I rode the YZF R3 today and came away really quite impressed. I'm sure the N 300 is as good too (latter looks nicer to me) but nothing I could complain about in the R3.

Let's see if I feel up to taking the plunge. Will look out for some second hand R3s if possible. I really can't seem to make sense of the brand new prices some of these 300 cc bikes are asking for. They all seem VERY overpriced.

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Actually I rode the YZF R3 today and came away really quite impressed. I'm sure the N 300 is as good too (latter looks nicer to me) but nothing I could complain about in the R3.

Let's see if I feel up to taking the plunge. Will look out for some second hand R3s if possible. I really can't seem to make sense of the brand new prices some of these 300 cc bikes are asking for. They all seem VERY overpriced.

Buddy, I would suggest you to buy a new one if your not thinking of selling it off soon.

I have seen people selling off Kawasaki's after 7-8 years only because they get bored.

Cheers,
Amey

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I'm just curious in your ownership so far, would you still say this is a better buy than N 300 all things told? Has the bike been problem / hassle free enough to still make sense? Somewhere along the middle of the thread I saw some very disappointing dealer attitude to issues owners were facing. Particularly in Pune.

I'm not sure if anyone has specific inputs on the Mumbai dealers.

EDIT: Re tyres, what would it cost to upgrade tyres on day zero itself to something much better suited, given all the cribs with the stock MRFs? Thanks

Sorry, saw this on the phone and missed replying to this.

Would I still find R3 a good buy? Yes. What Yamaha has done is surprising. A bike as per me is known by how well it handles, how involving the engine is and how reliable it is. They did the difficult part really good by making a rock steady, good looking bike with a really fun engine. What they did not fare well is on trivial issues which is giving the bike a gossip to be spoken about. Tyres : Come on, who put's these tyres on such a wonderful bike. MRF blames Yamaha giving them a low budget but don't MRF realize that it's their name printed on the tyres. R3 owners are pretty vocal on feedback too and hence every small issue has been highlighted and that's good for Yamaha to take it as a feedback and evolve. I hope they do. I will list down the issues in some other post which are all trivial but would be better if already taken care by Yamaha.

Is it a better buy than the N300 ? I would say yes if you are ready to take care of the smaller issues like changing the tyres to better ones. But if you are looking for a trouble free vehicle which has been running for ages and has evolved, it's worth considering the N300. That's a great bike too. Me; given a chance, It will be the R3 again

The new tyre would sell for around 4K and the better tyres will cost you around 12k. Making you spend another 8k on tyres and that will change the whole character of the bike. Trust me on that.

Originally Posted by Amey Kulkarni

I agree! I own a N 300! It's a legend! I had thought of the R3 but it's still needs quality upbringing.

Cheers,
Amey

I agree. N300 is indeed a legend and has been running through ages, rock solid, although suddenly it has a LOT of competition around and it's time Kawasaki considers an upgrade. R3 I agree is still in it's settling period with trivial issues which I really hoped Yamaha took care of at the onset itself.

[Amey Kulkarni]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

Sorry, saw this on the phone and missed replying to this.

Would I still find R3 a good buy? Yes. What Yamaha has done is surprising. A bike as per me is known by how well it handles, how involving the engine is and how reliable it is. They did the difficult part really good by making a rock steady, good looking bike with a really fun engine. What they did not fare well is on trivial issues which is giving the bike a gossip to be spoken about. Tyres : Come on, who put's these tyres on such a wonderful bike. MRF blames Yamaha giving them a low budget but don't MRF realize that it's their name printed on the tyres. R3 owners are pretty vocal on feedback too and hence every small issue has been highlighted and that's good for Yamaha to take it as a feedback and evolve. I hope they do. I will list down the issues in some other post which are all trivial but would be better if already taken care by Yamaha.

Is it a better buy than the N300 ? I would say yes if you are ready to take care of the smaller issues like changing the tyres to better ones. But if you are looking for a trouble free vehicle which has been running for ages and has evolved, it's worth considering the N300. That's a great bike too. Me; given a chance, It will be the R3 again

The new tyre would sell for around 4K and the better tyres will cost you around 12k. Making you spend another 8k on tyres and that will change the whole character of the bike. Trust me on that.



I agree. N300 is indeed a legend and has been running through ages, rock solid, although suddenly it has a LOT of competition around and it's time Kawasaki considers an upgrade. R3 I agree is still in it's settling period with trivial issues which I really hoped Yamaha took care of at the onset itself.

Its high time Kawasaki launches a super-sport 600cc like the ZX-6R in India.

N650 really cannot be applied as an upgrade to the N300.

Cheers,
Amey

[mkovuri]

I always thought while I enjoy my two Royal Enfield's (a '62 and '15 CGT) a lot, I hated their reliability issues. And R3 has been in mind for some time. But I am disappointed to see whichever bike I investigate on, they all seem to have issues (if someone calls it trivial or major, I can see it is subjective), irrespective of cost of bike. I recently did a test ride of Indian Scout for example, and it had terrible issues making it not suitable at all for me even at 17 lakhs.

Not only there isn't one perfect bike I realize, there isn't one even for a specific purpose! Disappointing after so many decades of R&D and thousands of miles of testing.

I have no intentions of affecting feelings for any, just a thought that came to mind, not referring to any one bike or brand!

[farhadtarapore]

Originally Posted by mkovuri

I always thought while I enjoy my two Royal Enfield's (a '62 and '15 CGT) a lot, I hated their reliability issues. And R3 has been in mind for some time. But I am disappointed to see whichever bike I investigate on, they all seem to have issues (if someone calls it trivial or major, I can see it is subjective), irrespective of cost of bike. I recently did a test ride of Indian Scout for example, and it had terrible issues making it not suitable at all for me even at 17 lakhs.

Not only there isn't one perfect bike I realize, there isn't one even for a specific purpose! Disappointing after so many decades of R&D and thousands of miles of testing.

I have no intentions of affecting feelings for any, just a thought that came to mind, not referring to any one bike or brand!

Exactly my thoughts too. Why oh why couldn't they plonk in an ABS in the R3, I would have gone for it. Right now, the only option I have is a CBR 250 (C-ABS). But the Honda dealers don't seem enthusiastic at all to sell it. Also, the honda website has outdated numbers and addresses, Justdial shows some different location and google maps shows yet some other location for same Honda dealers

I figured I'll wait for MT03 which will come with ABS standard.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by mkovuri

I always thought while I enjoy my two Royal Enfield's (a '62 and '15 CGT) a lot, I hated their reliability issues. And R3 has been in mind for some time. But I am disappointed to see whichever bike I investigate on, they all seem to have issues (if someone calls it trivial or major, I can see it is subjective).

I realized that I have made a big deal out of issues I found in the bike when I see an RE owner worried about the issues in the Yamaha. Trust me, coming from RE, you will find this bike faultless. This is quoted by an RE owner so don't kill me for this !! Unfortunately it's true that there are issues in almost every bike and there is nothing called a "perfect" bike with no issues at all yet. Be it any brand as I have witnessed with bikers friends around. I will update on a first year report soon. And if something can help you build some confidence on this, Yamaha listens to so called trivial issues as well and attends to it as well in the best way possible. I have been called by Yamaha rep to check on the bike tomorrow to resolve the self proclaimed trivial issues. As I said, given a chance, it will again be a R3 and at this moment the only true competition as per me is the N300 which is ageing, although gracefully !

PS : Coming from RE and it's sitting posture, you might consider the MT-03 if it launches in India and there are strong rumors it will !

Originally Posted by farhadtarapore

Exactly my thoughts too. Why oh why couldn't they plonk in an ABS in the R3, I would have gone for it.

The braking in R3 is one of the USPs although for those One of a kind moment it would have been good to have the ABS on it. But that would have made the onroad price to about 4.5 Lakhs+ onroad which might have given Yamaha you as a buyer but I am sure they would have lost a lot of current buyers in the name of price. People who expected the bike at 2.9 Ex Showroom did not find it reasonable at 3.25. India is a very price sensitive market. R3 sells with ABS only in countries where ABS is Mandatory as per law. Even US gets R3 without ABS. May be optional for few careful riders who do not mind spending close to about 70k for ABS would be really helpful. Hope it is introduced at least as an option.

[Axe77]

Are you sure MT 03 will have ABS?

I think it's also worthwhile to consider BMW 310 which is also rumored to be launching with ABS.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Are you sure MT 03 will have ABS?

I think it's also worthwhile to consider BMW 310 which is also rumored to be launching with ABS.

I missed that point and yes, I really doubt MT-03 will have ABS either.

Lot of options for this segment coming soon to the market. TVS Akula being one of them.

[abhisheksircar]

A very long post with quite a few updates on the bike is coming soon. This will include a feedback session with Yamaha Reps which is going to be hilariously horrible Yes, you read me right. Coming soon.

For now, to get the real picture of what "owners" of R3 feel about the bike, I would like some honest opinion on the bike in the form link provided below.

https://docs.google.com/a/yrcindia.i...form#responses

I can ensure you that your feedback will be shared by the right people ! You very happy or not so happy, whatever, please share your feedback.

[swiftnfurious]

Thanks for a wonderful review of the bike. I have been thinking of a tourer bike & had posted below.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post3978733

Have to say that R3 was never in consideration (probably because of the price), but your review has made a massive impact.

If you have driven the CBR 250, could you post your inputs against the R3 please? I understand both are in different segments, but from a tourer perspective.

In between, found the below comparo between Yamaha YZF R3 vs KTM RC390 vs Kawasaki Ninja 300. I found it quite good in terms of coverage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJr0xNsMIyM