[AtheK]

Yamaha has finally relaunched the R3 in BS4 Avatar and ABS comes as standard.

Launch price is 3.48 lacs Ex showroom.

Powered by a 321cc liquid-cooled and fuel-injected parallel twin motor, the YZF-R3 puts out 42PS of power at 10750rpm and 29.6Nm of peak torque at 9000rpm. Power is transferred to the rear wheel via a 6-speed gearbox. Braking is done via 298mm front and 220mm rear disc brake setup. However, Yamaha is offering a dual channel ABS as standard this time around. The suspension setup consists of 41mm KYB forks at the front and a linked rear shock absorber. The other major update is the switch from MRF tyres to stickier Metzeler Sportec M5 tyres. The 2018 R3 weighs 3kg more than the non-ABS model it replaces.

Link: https://www.bikedekho.com/news/yamah...auto-expo-2018

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Good news that ABS is finally standard. Bye bye Ninja 300.

But, does it remain relevant at around 4L onroad? Remains to be seen. As per Powerdrift, the Apache RR310 comes really close to the R3 - at just half the price. Yes the R3 is a twin, but the price difference to pay for it seems a bit exorbitant.

With the made in India RR and RC, other sub 600s also better follow suit and start production here to stay relevant.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Good news that ABS is finally standard. Bye bye Ninja 300.

But, does it remain relevant at around 4L onroad? Remains to be seen. As per Powerdrift, the Apache RR310 comes really close to the R3 - at just half the price. Yes the R3 is a twin, but the price difference to pay for it seems a bit exorbitant.

With the made in India RR and RC, other sub 600s also better follow suit and start production here to stay relevant.

In bangalore it will land up around 4.3-4.4 lacs OTR, will be a tough sell. Then again if some one wants to invest in a bike for 6-7 years this will make a good buy compared to Apache. The biggest advantage it has right now is that there is no direct competitior, until you want to call benelli 302r a compettion. This will give it a good boost.

You are right, Bye Bye Ninja 300, not sure why did Kawasaki not bring in the N400, majority of those buyers would move to Yamaha. For comparison Kawasaki still demands around the same price for Ninja 300 as the refreshed R3.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AtheK

In bangalore it will land up around 4.3-4.4 lacs OTR, will be a tough sell. Then again if some one wants to invest in a bike for 6-7 years this will make a good buy compared to Apache.

If you see the 300 as a learning curve - I'd rather spend less and get the RR / RC, and upgrade to a 650 couple of years down the line. Or if it's meant to be a keeper for 6-7 years - save up a couple more months and just get the 650.

Strong believer that a 650 hits the right balance for our market - in terms of desire for more power and not getting bored over the long term. R3 (and the upcoming Ninja 400) all are inching closer to 650 territory.

Just my opinion.

[finneyp]

Great news that new R3 is finally launched! It was a long wait...
Bit disappointed Red shade is not introduced, pricing could have been competitive too.
Anyway, I have booked the new R3 today, delivery expected in a month's time - around March second week.

[AtheK]

Congrats @finneyp brilliant bike. What is the OTR.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

If you see the 300 as a learning curve - I'd rather spend less and get the RR / RC, and upgrade to a 650 couple of years down the line. Or if it's meant to be a keeper for 6-7 years - save up a couple more months and just get the 650.

Strong believer that a 650 hits the right balance for our market - in terms of desire for more power and not getting bored over the long term. R3 (and the upcoming Ninja 400) all are inching closer to 650 territory.

Just my opinion.

Yes 650 does hit the right balance, but it also boils down to the finances. At around 6.67 lacs on road, it is around 2.2 lacs more expensive then R3, which is almost 1/3rd more cost. For someone who would have reached till R3, it means couple of months won't cut it, until the person goes for a loan. ALso a 650, would probably become cumbersome to be a daily driver, if you are looking at one bike does it all.

Hence my thought would rather be on a Ninja 400/R3, which can hit a top speed of 190+ and at the same time can be pottered around in the city. After riding the RR310 for around 2 weeks now, i am seriously considering if i would even need to upgrade any further. Riding above 100 can be stressful on our highways, and RR actually is pretty good to drive in city too. R3 would give me an added refinement and Jap reliability on top of that. The extra 1.7 lacs spent over the RR310 would be worth it or not, is a personal decision.

I have another question, why do Kawa and Yam not provide USD in there entry level offerings, not that they are selling them for cheap.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Yes 650 does hit the right balance, but it also boils down to the finances. At around 6.67 lacs on road, it is around 2.2 lacs more expensive then R3, which is almost 1/3rd more cost. For someone who would have reached till R3, it means couple of months won't cut it, until the person goes for a loan.

R3 would give me an added refinement and Jap reliability on top of that. The extra 1.7 lacs spent over the RR310 would be worth it or not, is a personal decision.

Valid.

Unfortunately the extra amount is for CKD assembly rather than taxes. Anyways, agreed that to each his own. Hope atleast the next generation of these twin cylinder 300s from a popular manufacturer gets built in India. Honda could, but they are busy relaunching the old 250 with new colour scheme.

Originally Posted by AtheK

ALso a 650, would probably become cumbersome to be a daily driver, if you are looking at one bike does it all.

Not really.

Like we were discussing in the Team Bhp meet yesterday, your RR310 actually matches the CBR650 in terms of size, even appearing bigger from some angles. Having seen the R3 upclose, I think it will be bigger than the new Ninja 650 too. Benelli 302R mostly will beat all of these in size and heft.

The aim for the 300 class is to appear bigger and make it aspirational, whereas the 650 class seem to be getting compact for more ease of use.

Here's a dimension comparo of the 300 and 650 from Kawasaki. From images, the 400 seems to be even bigger than the 300. So you can imagine.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Valid.

Unfortunately the extra amount is for CKD assembly rather than taxes. Anyways, agreed that to each his own. Hope atleast the next generation of these twin cylinder 300s from a popular manufacturer gets built in India. Honda could, but they are busy relaunching the old 250 with new colour scheme.



Not really.

Like we were discussing in the Team Bhp meet yesterday, your RR310 actually matches the CBR650 in terms of size, even appearing bigger from some angles. Having seen the R3 upclose, I think it will be bigger than the new Ninja 650 too. Benelli 302R mostly will beat all of these in size and heft.

The aim for the 300 class is to appear bigger and make it aspirational, whereas the 650 class seem to be getting compact for more ease of use.

Here's a dimension comparo of the 300 and 650 from Kawasaki. From images, the 400 seems to be even bigger than the 300. So you can imagine.

Attachment 1730050

Size wise you have hit the nail right on head, but what about heat dissipation with the bigger bikes, I have never ridden a 650 for an hour on bumper to bumper traffic, but I am presuming it will definitely become very hot. The rr310 with sun beating, does get a bit hot itself.

Other then those points, running cost will be higher(lesser mileage) , servicing cost will be higher. In case it gets damaged, higher down time with higher repair charges. If I have a 650, I would probably want a smaller bike too, for my daily driver. The 650 can be my my highway friend, and sometimes in city, but will I take it out everyday, probably not. But then as we are maintaining, that is just me.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Size wise you have hit the nail right on head, but what about heat dissipation with the bigger bikes, I have never ridden a 650 for an hour on bumper to bumper traffic, but I am presuming it will definitely become very hot. The rr310 with sun beating, does get a bit hot itself.

Depends on the bikes. Generally, not much of a difference. RC390 for instance gets way hotter than a Ninja 650.

Originally Posted by AtheK

Other then those points, running cost will be higher(lesser mileage) , servicing cost will be higher. In case it gets damaged, higher down time with higher repair charges.

True for almost all CKDs, because the lesser the sales, the harder to maintain IMO. . (Spares stocks, accidental repair etc).

Which brings me back to the original point. 300s are defenitely good, but with the made in India RR / RC - the prices of these CKD 300s /400s are whats really going to hurt them the most.

And before someone comes in, reads half a post and jumps to a conclusion (Doubt it's already happened) that there is a 300 v/s 650 war going on - there is certainly not. I myself would be very happy if i could just save up a huge sum and pick up an RR310 currently in the Indian context. But I'd give the R3, Ninja 300/400, Benelli 302R etc a skip.

But then, you like reiterated and as we are maintaining - that is just me. I better stop here before the conversation goes in circles.

[Omkar]

Glad to see that Yamaha has finally introduced the ABS version of the R3. Especially since they had earlier mentioned that they would be adding ABS to their line-up only when it becomes mandatory. (source)

With the made in India RR and RC, other sub 600s also better follow suit and start production here to stay relevant.

Well said.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

But, does it remain relevant at around 4L onroad? Remains to be seen. As per Powerdrift, the Apache RR310 comes really close to the R3 - at just half the price. Yes the R3 is a twin, but the price difference to pay for it seems a bit exorbitant.

Agreed that the price is exorbitant, but IMO the audience for all these bikes is different. So many factors differentiate these bikes. Looking at the 4 bikes in question - KTM RC390 vs TVS Apache RR310 vs Yamaha YZF R3 [2018] vs Kawasaki Ninja 300, it all comes down to the individual preference. The single cylinder vs 2-cylinders. The RR310 and RC390 are more inclined towards a sportier side of riding while the R3 and the Ninja are more on the side of cruising. IIRC, the powerdrift video also mentioned that the RR310 wasn't that great a cruiser.

Just comparing the prices reveals that these are two different segments altogether and IMO comparing them wouldn't be right.

Source

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Omkar

Looking at the 4 bikes in question - KTM RC390 vs TVS Apache RR310 vs Yamaha YZF R3 [2018] vs Kawasaki Ninja 300, it all comes down to the individual preference.

Man, I just gotta say the biking scene has certainly improved! Back in college, we only had second-hand and rapidly ageing RD350s and while we loved them, we knew they were already past their prime and even then were a pain in the rear to maintain. And now it's really something to have 4 affordable (well, relatively) 300cc+ beauties to choose from...just in time for an (early) mid-life crisis purchase!

The biking scene in India has certainly come a long way and hopefully with more manufacturers seeing the business sense in making these bikes here, we'll get more usable bikes like these.

[ach1lles]

Looking at these launches, I've been keen to test ride and make a choice. Here's what it boils down to, in my opinion:

TVS: Have been calling TVS dealerships listed on the website to see if any of them have one for a test ride. None of them do. The biggest dealership, or the one the other dealerships told me to call, they told me that they've stopped taking bookings because they're just not getting bikes for bookings they already have. They've also told customers that they can't guarantee delivery anytime soon and that if they so wish, they can withdraw their bookings and take a full refund. Read: forget about the test ride.

KTM: Again, only one dealership had an RC390 available for a test ride, and that was quite far from my place. I asked them if they could send someone over with the bike, and they couldn't. They also told me that they only give test rides before 4PM.
Me: reason?
He: there's traffic after 4pm and what's the point of the test ride if there's traffic.
Me: I get to see how the bike will behave in traffic. Also, I fail to see the guarantee from KTM that if I buy the bike there will be no traffic for me to ride in. Or, is KTM saying that the bike is unsuitable to be ridden in traffic?
He: Sir that's our policy.
Me: Thanks; click.

Yamaha: They have an R3 section on their website which shows specific dealerships.
Me: Hi, I want to know when will the R3 be available?
He (sounded like someone form the senior management at the dealership, or even the MD): Only r15 v3 has launched at the auto expo.
Me: Were you there at the expo? Have you read the news? Have you spoken to anyone at Yamaha. R3 has been officially launched.
He: No sir, it has not.
Me: Okay, thanks. If you hear something let me know.

*After a couple of hours*

Call; He: Sir, you'd asked about the R3. We are accepting bookings now. The bike will be available in a couple of months and you can guarantee delivery if you book one now.
Me: (not wanting to waste time on reminding him that just some time ago he as unaware of the bike having even existed), okay, when can I expect a test ride?
He: Sir, in bikes ki test ride nahi hoti, sirf order pe aati hain (these (kind of) bikes aren't available for test rides, they're only available on order).
Me: Okay. If it's available for a test ride ever, let me know. Thanks.

In contrast, I've had 3 hour-long test rides of the Ninja 300, that too with the sole dealership of Kawasaki in Delhi. And even after my third test ride the guy told me what he told me after the first time I'd ridden the 300, that I could come again anytime to take more rides if I wasn't convinced.

Make of that what you will. I'm pretty sure in my mind that if I buy a bike, it'd be the N400, when it comes. That it wasn't shown at the expo is a bad sign. Hopefully it makes it's way here soon.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Omkar

Just comparing the prices reveals that these are two different segments altogether and IMO comparing them wouldn't be right.

Customs duties for CKD components are around 30% more I remember it right. Had posted the same in another thread, where it was a CKD vs CBU discussion. Irony.

So around 1.5L of the on road price difference is just made up of taxes (Customs on ex showroom plus difference in road tax). Explains why the vehicles are priced similar abroad (except the RR310 which is of course only available here for now). So yeah - taxes mostly make the price, not twin or Japanese factor.

This discussion is going on in every forum though. In a civilised manner here on Team-Bhp. Not so much in YouTube comments and facebook posts, with one side swearing at Yamaha and the others at those who swear at Yamaha.

[tanuj_afc]

With the Ninja 400 now launched and at an eye watering price, I think the R3 just makes more sense. But should I get the RR310 or increase my budget and go for the R3? I was absolutely in love with the Ninja 400 from the first time I saw it. But, the R3 just makes more sense and the 2018 model looks beautiful too. Having too many options can be a bad thing too. Hopefully, Kawasaki decides to lower the price of the 400 sometime in the future or else I will be swinging my leg over an R3.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by tanuj_afc

But should I get the RR310 or increase my budget and go for the R3?

RR310 makes maximum sense IMHO, but not anytime soon. Let TVS first figure out the issues (vibrations and chain slack) reported by the initial owners.

Originally Posted by tanuj_afc

With the Ninja 400 now launched and at an eye watering price, I think the R3 just makes more sense.

True. R3 itself was overpriced. But the Ninja 400 makes it look like a steal in comparison.