Check Out Yamaha’s New YZF-R3

After naming their new bike the YZF-R3, most Yamaha fans were expecting something similar to their previous sports bike gems– the R6 or R1. However, this is NOT the case. Yamaha instead went in an all-new direction with the YZF-R3, building it specifically for the casual, beginner rider.

Beginner rider???

Yes, you heard right. Yamaha has actually been eyeing that segment for the past five years and finally decided to jump in after noticing a recent spike in sales. But that’s all business crap… the real question is: how does this thing stack up?

Well, pretty impressively it turns out. This beginner bike features a newly designed liquid-cooled twin 321 cc engine with a 6 gear transmission, in-line 2-cylinder DOHC and a closed loop fuel-injection. This setup provides an ideal blend of power and easy riding that can appeal to all types of riders.

Ride Apart’s Laura Llovet adds, “It also has a progressive throttle pulley. This helps to manage power at small throttle openings, which translates to easy riding for riders of all experience levels. What’s also neat about the R3 motor is the forged aluminum pistons, which is the same technology used for the R1 and R6.”

All in all, it’s definitely a worthwhile ride, especially considering the fact that it sells for a reasonable $4,990.