[Bee]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

Attachment 1873404

The decals look dope!
On a side note, did you consider the tvs 310r at any time? If yes, then what made you drop it?

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by razrman

Brilliant in-depth review of the beautiful machine. I got my R3 last year and couldn't agree more to all the things mentioned. The best thing I love is the linear power delivery in any gear. I think it looks stunning in black, although I had to settle for the blue since black was not available.

Thank you. You are right, the linear and controlled power delivery is one of the major USP's of this bike.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

What a lovely thread! Hope you keep updating it and sharing your experiences with us. I think you are the only person I know of in India who has owned the Kawasaki Ninja 300, the Honda CBR250R and the Yamaha R3. A few years ago, I was pursuing the option of buying a Ninja 300 or a R3 but it wasnt to be. The decal-ed black R3 was just the way I would have had mine if I had actually decided to buy the Yamaha.

Thank you sir. That's some appreciation. I was forced to make all the three switches of my bike, or else I might have continued with the Ninja 300 for a long time. But a pleasant experience to own all the three.

Originally Posted by Bee

The decals look dope!
On a side note, did you consider the tvs 310r at any time? If yes, then what made you drop it?

Thank you. The RR310 was not available in the market when I bought the Yamaha R3. If it was now, I believe its worth considering.

[Xaos636]

Had a small weekend trip to Waynad, Kerala from Bangalore. Wife had accompanied me as a pillion and the total kilometers covered were around 680 kilometers. Overall mileage was 29 KM/L and the bike performed exceptionally well. Adding some pics of the trip.

Some clicks on the way









View from the resort













The sunrise on Sunday





Resort got all fogged up on Sunday morning





And a completely drained return journey with the sun doing what it does best



Overall Fuel Economy

[Ani0404]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

Had a small weekend trip to Waynad, Kerala from Bangalore. Wife had accompanied me as a pillion and the total kilometers covered were around 680 kilometers. Overall mileage was 29 KM/L and the bike performed exceptionally well. Adding some pics of the trip.

Some clicks on the way

Congratulations on the buy Xaos636. Wish you a happy and a safe riding. Nice pics too. R3 looks ravishing!

Firstly, what are the views of the pillion rider after the trip of 680kms.? How comfortable was it? Always read/ heard that the pillion seat on R3 is not for long rides and not so comfortable. In fact even on the new Apache 310RR.

Secondly, on a one way trip of about 340 kms one way, how often did you take breaks and how much time did it took for you to cover one way?

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by Ani0404

Congratulations on the buy Xaos636. Wish you a happy and a safe riding. Nice pics too. R3 looks ravishing!

Firstly, what are the views of the pillion rider after the trip of 680kms.? How comfortable was it? Always read/ heard that the pillion seat on R3 is not for long rides and not so comfortable. In fact even on the new Apache 310RR.

Secondly, on a one way trip of about 340 kms one way, how often did you take breaks and how much time did it took for you to cover one way?

Thank you. Pillion seat is pretty hard to be honest. I would safely assume that around 250 km per day is absolutely fine to be on the rear of the R3 and anything more could be a pain in the back. The trip to Waynad started at 5 in the morning and it took us 6 hours to get there due to frequent breaks.
the return was at 9 in the morning and we reached at 5. That took us 8 hours. But I have to blame the sun, the congestion on Mysore road and bad seat requiring frequent brakes. It was around 35 degrees and we stopped every hour to have water.
This same journey in car takes 5 to 5.5 hours. But there is nothing a gel pad/more cushioned seat cant solve

[Xaos636]

Service Update: 25,000 kms . Total Bill :3842/-

It was around 5000 km since last service and did the normal service at 25,000 km yesterday. Went back to Motul 7100 Fully Synthetic 10W40, replaced air filter, oil filer, cleaned/lubed the chain and changed the clutch switch.
The clutch switch had conked off one fine morning last week and the bike refused to start in gear. The same night I removed it and cleaned it well with WD40 and then it cranked five out of ten times in gear which still wasn't 100%. Hence ordered the same and replaced it. Now all works well and the part cost is 200/-. The service was done from Highlander Ventures, HSR Layout as usual. Attaching the pics and the bill. Note that the clutch switch tax has been added twice which they said they will refund and was a mistake from their end.

Wheel Balancing

When it comes to wheel balancing, everyone in Bangalore rushes to Madhus and it was no different for me. I called up and fixed an appointment for last Sunday and balanced both wheels of my R3. The rear felt better planted and I felt that immediately after the balancing. There isn't much of a noticeable difference otherwise. This was the first wheel balancing I did for my bike.

Wheel balancing at Madhus









The dirty clutch switch area and the clutch switch





After cleaning. This brought life back to it, but not upto a 100%.



Price of new clutch switch



The oil change



Oil filter price increased. Earlier it was 360/-



The total bill. Price includes a clutch cable too, which I intend to keep as a backup

[Xaos636]

Completed 27,500 kilometers and an awesome ride to Munnar from Bangalore. It was just a 2 day trip and was brilliant. Was joined by a fellow Bhpian on his CBR250R and rest of the crew joined up at Munnar. Till Chinnar Wild life Sanctuary was easy, while after that the poor stretch of roads took its toll on the back. The poorly laid roads and the innumerable potholes busted the right side fork oil seal. The ride was to Vattavada, some 44 kilometers from Munnar town, where you do not have any kind of connectivity and reaching there took so many detours since google maps weren't working, neither we loaded offline maps. But it was fun altogether and the bike performed absolutely brilliant. Into the fourth year and she has been great to me so far.

We departed Bangalore on Friday midnight and as soon as we reached Marayur, it started raining. The climate was moderately hot till then and then went on to bone chilling cold at 'The Only Place Log Cabin', which was our home stay at Vattavada. Awesome clean place with great homely food meant we quickly got our batteries charged after a 13 hour, 610 kilometer journey.

The return ride was on a Sunday morning and it was hot and sunny as soon as we started descending the beautiful hills, the winds were coming from all directions through the massive Tamil Nadu Highways and we had to keep the speeds in check as well as look for villagers who were appearing out of nowhere. We have seen cars at high speed nearly knocking down villagers and the TVS XL's that can appear anywhere magically. We had a moment near Krishnagiri where a motorist on a TVS XL jumped the Garden divider(not sure if its called that way) without looking onto any of his sides of that huge 3-lane highway and we had a panic break situation, but luckily everything was under control and I was immediately looking at the mirror to see if the guy behind me too had it under control. ABS could have given much confidence here with less fishtails. We took rest near the same place, parked the bikes safely after the white line and one motorist asked us to move far away from the white line as the small gap of road after white line is used by biker's to come to the opposite side per him. And it looked like everyone around there goes and comes through one lane. Pathetic state of affairs almost everywhere. All in all, we completed around 600 kilometers in 11 hours and called it a day.

[justwheels]

Awesome review mate and great to see someone putting an honest comparison with Ninja 300. Guess Yamaha and Kawasaki have such hard fans that we often find more faults on the other one when differences are more preferences with these two bikes.

I am in a very similar dilemma to buy a N300 or R3. Have been a green lover since childhood but few things about the R3 really pull me to it. The continuity of Yamaha R3, BS6 possibility, better ground clearance and not so arrogant dealership network. N300 is a great bike but the horror stories of their service centers in Bangalore, coupled with uncertainty on BS6 as India is the only N300 market globally for them puts me in doubt.

Any comments that can help me decide. I do believe after reading your experience, don't think you can go wrong with either.

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by justwheels

Awesome review mate and great to see someone putting an honest comparison with Ninja 300. Guess Yamaha and Kawasaki have such hard fans that we often find more faults on the other one when differences are more preferences with these two bikes.

I am in a very similar dilemma to buy a N300 or R3. Have been a green lover since childhood but few things about the R3 really pull me to it. The continuity of Yamaha R3, BS6 possibility, better ground clearance and not so arrogant dealership network. N300 is a great bike but the horror stories of their service centers in Bangalore, coupled with uncertainty on BS6 as India is the only N300 market globally for them puts me in doubt.

Any comments that can help me decide. I do believe after reading your experience, don't think you can go wrong with either.

Thanks mate. As you said, I still stick to my point. You cannot go wrong with either. I used a CKD Ninja 300, so now the parts have changed and the bike have gained weight. The only problem with Ninja 300 apart from service issue now and as far as Bangalore roads are concerned is the ground clearance. Again, that is only if you ride with a pillion. It will hit the oil pan 9 out of 10 humps in Bangalore as most are unscientifically made. And I don't think R3 justifies the extra 60k price compared to N300. But again, the new R3 is right around the corner I believe. Their Indonesian plant is not going to manufacture the old R3 just for India alone. Sooner or later they will have to ship in the new model. If that was here, I would have picked it up with closed eyes. February 2020 auto expo at-least we should see the updated R3 here in India. The advantage R3 has currently over the Ninja is that its fully imported, have better tyres(and that too the leechy Metzeler), better brakes and a marginally more powerful engine. But these are far form deal breakers so the choice is up to you. If I were you, I would wait till the new R3 hits the shore and then decide. Hope that doesn't further confuse you

[justwheels]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

Thanks mate. As you said, I still stick to my point. You cannot go wrong with either.

Sooner or later they will have to ship in the new model. If that was here, I would have picked it up with closed eyes. February 2020 auto expo at-least we should see the updated R3 here in India. The advantage R3 has currently over the Ninja is that its fully imported, have better tyres(and that too the leechy Metzeler), better brakes and a marginally more powerful engine. But these are far form deal breakers so the choice is up to you. If I were you, I would wait till the new R3 hits the shore and then decide. Hope that doesn't further confuse you

Very rightly said mate. How much ever I have the craving to get one asap, I think it is worth waiting for the news of launch of the new R3. For some reasons I like the front end of the old R3 more, the new one looks more R15'ish since we hardly see R6 on roads, but that's very subjective.

Don't think there is any other options apart from R3 and N300 to chose from, although I know KTM is working to get 490 series soon. So till Feb 2020, it will be a wait.

[_raviShankar_]

Hey great ownership thread here ! May you enjoy many more happy miles with your beautiful bike.
Quick question : where did you get the tank pads from ? Please share the link if you sourced them online. I would like to get a tank pad and tank grips for my R3.

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by justwheels

Don't think there is any other options apart from R3 and N300 to chose from, although I know KTM is working to get 490 series soon. So till Feb 2020, it will be a wait.

Looking at how things stand, there might be no R3 and Ninja 300 post March once the BS6 norm kicks in. Europe can continue with Euro V till end of 2020 and once they update to Euro 6, then only we may see a BS6 version of these bikes.

Originally Posted by _raviShankar_

Hey great ownership thread here ! May you enjoy many more happy miles with your beautiful bike.
Quick question : where did you get the tank pads from ? Please share the link if you sourced them online. I would like to get a tank pad and tank grips for my R3.

Thank you. Sorry for not replying soon. Tank pad is an OE accessory. You can order at Yamaha itself. Cost is just Rs.200.

Update
Got TST Industries Fender eliminator kit and Tail light with integrated turn signals.

Part ordered from : https://tstindustries.com/tst-led-in...5-r3-fz07.html

Total Cost : 155USD.

This is how it came . They sure knows how to please a customer.



Opted for the clear lens. Smoked one also available.





The tail tidy kit. Did a lot of research on this as there were quite a few available on the market. Went ahead with TST since it looked the cleanest and covers the whole under seat area.







The final look. Rear got a lot cleaner here and some weight has been shed. Will have to mount the stock fender back in the rainy season.

[nitninja]

Excellent thread. R3 is an excellent machine, a bike that can satisfy a tourer as well as the one who is looking for a fun motorcycle to commute. Having done close to 29k kms on my R3, it still excites me like it did on day 1.

Why didn't you try the motofusion tail tidy ? Quality is excellent and cheaper too. I had zero gravity double bubble for almost 23k kms and it made cruising at 130 a lot easier and comfortable. Ending the post with a pic of my ride.

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by nitninja

Excellent thread. R3 is an excellent machine, a bike that can satisfy a tourer as well as the one who is looking for a fun motorcycle to commute. Having done close to 29k kms on my R3, it still excites me like it did on day 1.

Why didn't you try the motofusion tail tidy ? Quality is excellent and cheaper too. I had zero gravity double bubble for almost 23k kms and it made cruising at 130 a lot easier and comfortable. Ending the post with a pic of my ride.

Absolutely agree with all your words. I am in Kerala right now and R3 back in Bangalore and I am already missing it like hell.

Apart from the cost, I found the TST tail tidy's angle a bit more 'matured' than the motofusion one, it looked like it was facing the sky a bit more to my liking. The TST looked like stock and covers the entire area under the tail. But rains are set to arrive and looks like its time for the stock fender to make a return

[Xaos636]

A long due post. Covid struck and quarantine rules meant the bike was in Bangalore and me in Kerala and the bike went on in hibernation mode from March 17, 2020 till around August first week, a full 6 months. I sent one key to a friend in Bangalore on August 2nd and asked him to start the bike, ride around a bit after lubing the chain and check the air and petrol. The first thought was that the battery would be down, in that case the idea was to check if the battery has charge for the fuel pump to prime so that he can push start it. Or else the battery would have to be removed, charged and put it back. My friend just knew how to ride, but not much about other things. So it was not ideal to ask him to remove the battery which is located under the riders seat on the R3.

So the next day after my friend received the key, I asked him to go and ON the key and see what happens and to call me. He forgot all those and went ahead, put the key to ON position and cranked the bike and the bike instantly came to life on the first crank in 6 months. He called me and confirmed the same and me as well as him was surprised that it started in one crank. Now since that was done and dusted, the plan to bring the R3 to Kerala had already started. But quarantine for 14 days in Kerala if I leave the state deferred me from going and getting the machine since I did not want anyone from home put under risk for me getting the bike. Since then, my friend has started the bike once every week making the battery stay healthy and at any given opportunity, I can go ahead and get it.

This was when last week a friend of mine went from Coorg to Bangalore in car with his brother and an idea struck. I asked him if he can get the bike from my apartment when he return to Coorg and drop it off at the Kerala-Karnataka border near Virajpet so that I can avoid any kind of quarantine as technically I would not be leaving the state. He swiftly agreed and yesterday it happened.

Big thanks to Team-BHP member and my good bud @Krishnaprasadgg for accompanying me till the border on his brother's Triumph Tiger. I just understood how good a pillion seat on a motorcycle can be
Another big thanks for giving me the mighty R1 for a few days so that I can take out the sadness of not riding. Since 18 and getting a driving license, I had never gone above 1 week without riding and 6 months was way too long for me. Yesterday me and my R3 met after 7 months and boy I couldn't be more happier. The bike completed 32,000kms yesterday and she felt just like new as was in the month of March.

I have some periodic maintenance planned including a radiator change(radiator has a dent on one side, thanks to Yamaha dealership I suppose, because it was never ever dropped) and since the 5th year is nearing completion, I have decided to do a brake fluid replacement and coolant change(last change was 2 years ago) as well. Ordered a few parts, some are available, some needs to be imported. So the plan is to go ahead with the works once I receive all the parts and will keep this thread updated as the plan is to DIY.

The R1's first trip to Waynad and in good company






While going to the KL-KA border


Even Tiger's need rest


The first checkpost in the background(Last one coming from KA). This is where one needs to show the pass to enter Kerala. You can see the queue in the background without any kind of social distancing. The right side of the place is where they do the SWAB test. We informed an officer here that we were going to collect a bike and would return immediately. He was a cool head and agreed to that and told us to report once coming back. We did and he gave a thumbs up for us to pass.


Finally we meet again. A big thanks to a fellow petrol-head colleague who swiftly agreed to drop the bike at the checkpost.


The Tiger and R3 together after February this year.




Tiger touched 6000 on this trip. What a lovely instrument cluster.


Meanwhile the R3 touched 32,000.


Finally reached Calicut, tired after a full day of ride under the scorching sun.




And home finally, just before a first wash in 7 months.