2015 YAMAHA YZF-R3

Have a lot of fun without having to spend a lot of money

The Yamaha YZF R3 makes it possible to have a lot of fun without having to spend a lot of money. The R3’s instrument panel has an analogue tachometer and digital speedometer and it’s packed with easy to read info such as a fuel gauge, gear position indicator, clock, water temp, trip meters, fuel economy and more, and it even has a shift light similar to the YZF-R1 in design. Weighing only 169kg and with a front/rear weight balance of almost 50/50 it handles slow speed manoeuvres with ease and predictability. It gives you that WOW feeling! Not because of blistering speed or technological wizardry like its bigger sibling, but because that’s the sense you get riding this sublime pint-sized package. At 10,500 revs it still wants to pull, when you tip into a tight corner you realise how eager it is to turn and because it leaves you with a grin from ear-to-ear, it would leave even the most seasoned riders amongst us with a wiry old smile of some sort.

It’s all new 321cc inline twin has 25cc more than the Ninja 300 (296cc) and an extra five ponies (42hp compared to 37hp). The new engine has also borrowed some of the technology from its bigger R6 and R1 siblings such as lightweight forged aluminium pistons which are 10% lighter, and also stronger than cast pistons, resulting in better reliability at higher rpms. It’s also the first twin-cylinder Yamaha to use a lightweight DiaSil cylinder (see breakout), which helps with heat dissipation to reduce the loss of horsepower. This low kilometer R3 is stock standard aside from a tail tidy.

We are an independently owned Queensland Ducati and Husqvarna dealership. We are located just over the NSW/QLD border (GC), not far from Australia's well-attended theme parks and nearby world class surf breaks.