[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Yamaha seems to have initiated the launch process for the R3 and MT03 through it's Blue Square network -

[Amrit@wheels]

Very much excited for the 03 twins! My FZ25 has served me well for 40k km, and I'll be looking to add another Yamaha to my garage by the end of the next year. R3 seems like a perfect choice. Hopefully, they price it sensibly.

[saurabh041086]

I have never seen a product taking more than 6 months from unveil to price reveal except Jimny. I wonder why such a delay.

I own one of the last batch R3, and absolutely love it. Almost everyone I know waiting for it had lost all the hopes. Indian 300cc has heated up quite a lot in those 6 months. It would be even more difficult for Yamaha to price it right while offering almost everything else less than the segment.

I hope a twin takes them through in this race.

[rahulcmoulee]

Looks like the launch of the R3 and MT-03 is close. Media rides happening in Thailand right now. Reviews out on 29th November.

Source - ACI https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czx9Y...RlODBiNWFlZA==

[dkar228]

There are already many reviews of the bikes on YouTube. I think we are all waiting to know the price.

If this is CBU then will we have display and test ride bikes in India? I hope we get some answers soon.

[Balaji31582]

Originally Posted by Amrit@wheels

Very much excited for the 03 twins! My FZ25 has served me well for 40k km, and I'll be looking to add another Yamaha to my garage by the end of the next year. R3 seems like a perfect choice. Hopefully, they price it sensibly.

You shared my mind. Standing in queue next to you Amrit@wheels

[rahulcmoulee]

Launch date of R3 and MT-03 confirmed to be December 15th. To be available through Yamaha Blue Square Dealerships. To be brought in as a CBU initially.

Source - ACI - https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-ne...-dec-15-429881

[dkar228]

I feel r3 will be priced higher than Ninja 300(3.43) since it will be a cbu compared to n300 which is locally manufactured. Yamaha bikes are priced higer than Kawasaki.
It will also be below Ninja 400 which is also a cbu and ninja 400 is priced at 5.25l ex showroom.

In international markets, R3 is cheaper than N400 by around 45k INR.
Could this mean we would see a price closer to N400? I hope that is not the case and the price is closer to 4-4.25. Anything higher will not sell well.

[hikozaru]

Wow, people are so generous to Yamaha. No way this bike costs 4L+. The RC390 is a better sports bike than the R3 and perhaps a better everyday bike too, if it weren't for the vibrations. KTM might just add adjustable suspension as accessories for the India spec RC any day now, seeing how both the duke and the adv now have them. Can we call the better tech, slipper clutch, ergos, chassis (and suspension if released) package on the RC390 vs the twin cylinder on the R3 a tie and say they both should cost the same money (CBU or not).

We don't even know if Yamaha's R3 rollout will end up like the CB300R. Overpriced at launch (CBU this year), people waiting it out for a cheap CKD launch, Yamaha cheaping out on some important part and relaunch as CKD, only to have complaints like broken rims and then exit the market saying "We tried. Indians don't want to buy our bikes". This exact thing happened on the India spec Aerox and even that unpleasant experience is reserved only for a few blessed ones. IIRC even the India spec R15 was nerfed (USD forks) until v4. If Yamaha is really committed to bringing bikes here then they should temporarily take lower margins on their CBU bikes because surely CKD is coming soon right and mention clearly, both prices in their december launch event and give us a timeline of CKD release (if the price is lower).

I don't have high hopes though seeing as how Yamaha is playing a sick joke on us putting ads of the R15 when watching motogp as if its the R1.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by dkar228

Could this mean we would see a price closer to N400? I hope that is not the case and the price is closer to 4-4.25. Anything higher will not sell well.

And if we go by History, Yamaha does not care also.

[dkar228]

Originally Posted by hikozaru

Wow, people are so generous to Yamaha. No way this bike costs 4L+. The RC390 is a better sports bike than the R3 and perhaps a better everyday bike too, if it weren't for the vibrations. KTM might just add adjustable suspension as accessories for the India spec RC any day now, seeing how both the duke and the adv now have them. Can we call the better tech, slipper clutch, ergos, chassis (and suspension if released) package on the RC390 vs the twin cylinder on the R3 a tie and say they both should cost the same money (CBU or not).

I agree with most of your comment except that some might prefer refinement over vibrations based on their requirements. I find it tough to compare a single with a twin. Specifications are good but the actual feel of the bike means a lot more to me. CBU r3 priced over locally manufactured n300(which should be the comparison according to me) will not be a surprise. RC390 is amazing from a vfm perspective and R3 could be more of a luxury(refinement and reliability).

Originally Posted by AtheK

And if we go by History, Yamaha does not care also.

I think Yamaha is woking on premium Blue Square network and has more showrooms than Triumph. Spending on the infrastructure can be an indication that they are here to stay. Why else would they bring their big bikes after publicly stating our market is not ready for their pricing? I share the exact same thoughts as you.

[hikozaru]

R15 costs 1.8L, Based on some 5AM quick maffs, R15+R15 = R3. So surely it should not cost more than 3.6L right! Right!

Japanese companies need to understand the Indian market is not constrained by licencing limitations like 400cc in east asia or A2 like Europe. This is why people buy stupidly powerful bikes like the Z900 and why some people on the Aprilia thread are considering skipping this class altogether and going straight for a pre owned street triple. Hell, I did not even consider these A2 bikes until Kawasaki told me there is a 6 month waiting period for the ZX4R and told me to plonk megabux without a test ride or Indian reviews.

[dkar228]

Originally Posted by hikozaru

R15 costs 1.8L, Based on some 5AM quick maffs, R15+R15 = R3. So surely it should not cost more than 3.6L right! Right!.

Going by the same math, locally manufactured at 3.6 and cbu at some additional price seem reasonable? Given the cbu bikes will have better quality and much higher taxes paid for them.
If ckd is going to be the long term approach, then aggressively priced cbu will make it interesting.

[hikozaru]

I was not entirely joking when I said R15+R15=R3. Surely there is a reason why Yamaha did not build a 400cc R4 like the CBR400R or Ninja 400. Its likely because they smashed 2*125 (EU spec) R125 to make a R25 for certain asian markets and 2*155 from R15 to make the R3. Going by Fortnine logic

https://youtu.be/FlbkAhCNvik?t=292

such an engine should cost only twice as much as a single engine, not a whole bike. Also most of the cost of the R15 comes from the fact that it needs materials to build (i.e: a bike is always going to cost the cost of the materials without taking engineering into account). Sure, the parts on the R3 need to withstand 40hp of forces (compared to 18hp on the R15) but its not an upscale enough use case to think that will also cost twice the money. And even if by some miracle it does, well it should not be more expensive than 3.6L.

Lets also not forget that the R15 is now more advanced than the R3 in some ways. R15 gets VVA, slipper clutch, 'traction control', and I suspect the R15 also has a better chassis (although it could simply be that I could not handle the stock ergos on the R3). R3 has now been the same for 8 years now. If they are going to use Suzuki (international) tactics, they should also charge Suzuki (much lower) prices imo.

To really see how whack bike pricing is, look no further than the R7 and its competitors. The kawasaki ZX4RR in the UK starts from 8700GBP which is cheaper than the R7 starting from 8910GBP. All this despite i4s being supposedly more expensive to make. Even if it is introductory pricing, I doubt Kawasaki is selling any ZX4R(R, SE) at a loss this year and they even have to pay engineering unlike Yamaha which reused the CP2 from the MT07. This is not like a PS5 where you sell consoles at a loss and make up for it in playstation store revenue. Among Yamaha's own lineup, the R125 starts at 5300GBP which makes no sense at all which clearly implies Yamaha execs subscribe to the maxim of price it as high as the market will bear.

Originally Posted by dkar228

Going by the same math, locally manufactured at 3.6 and cbu at some additional price seem reasonable? Given the cbu bikes will have better quality and much higher taxes paid for them.
If ckd is going to be the long term approach, then aggressively priced cbu will make it interesting.

CBU, better quality, taxes, the recent drop in JPY, I don't particularly care as a potential customer what Yamaha's problems are. If KTM can be build high performing liquid cooled singles, Royal Enfield can build twins, and liquid cooled engines in India, I don't think our labour force or manufacturing is lacking. I don't see why Yamaha cannot build the R3 here. If Triumph and Bajaj can somehow spec two different suspensions for the Speed 400 market and also nail it for Indian conditions, I see no reason why India spec Aerox and a potential CKD R3 has to suffer a loss in quality.

As a customer without infinite money, I demand some kind of value for money, not a 'Yamaha tax' and as such I cannot agree with a person giving Yamaha the benefit of the doubt and justifying for a megacorp why their bike should magically cost more.

[SoumenD]

Autocar review on the upcoming R3 & MT03. Wasn't the previous R3 a CKD? Being a CBU now it will mostly be pricier than the Ninja 300.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pteX8uTi3E