YAMAHA YZF-R3
There’s no replacement for displacement right? Nah, Wrong. If you measure a bike on fun alone, the sub-500cc category can offer some of the biggest and best laughs in the business, not to mention the fact it’s getting more people on two wheels… which is always good news. Yeah, it may not be as cool as the two-stroke terrors from yesteryear but we all had to start somewhere, and it’s much more of a laugh to blast around on one of these than some sort of chavved-up race car anyways – especially when said machine looks as fit as the R3.
For ’19 Yamaha has given its little Supersport weapon a proper facelift, which not only improves the aerodynamics drastically (Yamaha quote a 9% reduction in drag), but it looks the absolute ‘dogs bullocks’ as well; I’d say the closest a small capacity machine has ever been to looking like a full-blooded thou’ by a long shot.
And if that wasn’t enough to tempt you, it’s not just the exterior that’s been given a seeing to either, as the R3 has a new set of stiffer-sprung KYB front forks combined with some big ergonomic changes for a more actively sporty riding position – although if you’re a fan of the old R3, don’t fret as the geometry of the thing is still near enough the same. But what about the engine and chassis I hear you say? Well, those of you with an eagle eye will notice Yamaha has been a bit stingy and kept the same motor and chassis combo, which was surprising considering the rough time it had in the racing scene last year. But have they done enough to bring it back in line with the competition?
De-light-ful
Gleaming under the Spanish sun, on looks alone Yamaha absolutely smoked the competition; it could easily be mistaken for a miniature R1.
Surprisingly, the same look of love continued when I jumped on board as well: the cockpit just oozed style, with a tidy arrangement and snazzy new
LCD dash not dissimilar to an MT-10’s. Hell, even igniting the 321ccs gave an acceptable engine note considering the fart-esque sound usually associated with sub-500cc machines. Now, Yamaha told us that they wanted to maintain the usability while increasing its ‘racing spirit’, and for the first part they did not disappoint.
The first leg was some city riding crossed with some windy roads, and from the get-go the positioning felt poised for action yet incredibly comfy, with a real confidence-inspiring nature; the clutch, gearbox, throttle response and suspension were all smoother than Boothy chatting up a couple of MILFs in the local. Yes, Yamaha need to win races but the R3 is still a proper road bike; the mirrors actually worked, the seat doesn’t destroy your ass and the bottom end wasn’t lumpy. For a new rider, it honestly doesn’t get much better…
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said when we upped the pace, and it was all due to one resounding part; the brakes. I even had a blast on a few different machines to make sure I wasn’t going mental – and I wasn’t. As soon as we started to up the ante the front felt like it needed bleeding; the initial grab of the brake was more like a Chihuahua nibble than the great white shark bite we’d come to expect from a sportsbike, which was made worse by the fact the lever came all the way back to the bar after just an hour or two on board. Even the ABS was still intrusive! It was actually a real shame, as Yamaha have constructed a thing of beauty for going forwards, but stopping power?
That definitely needs some work. Brakes aside, the newly-altered riding position and stiffer suspension were mightily impressive whether I found myself on windy chicanes, fast flowing sweeps or even niggly hairpins; the R3 made riding quickly feel like a piece of piss, and the OE Dunlop rubber offered substantial feeling that a lot of budget-end bikes usually aren’t blessed with. All in all, it actually made the R3 feel like a real sportsbike, but at every point we pushed on, the anchors really did hold us back. Gutted.
And yeah, brakes are important, but going fast is important-er, which is why Yamaha let us loose on track for the afternoon… and stopping power aside, the R3 was bloody awesome. The previous model was always a bit lethargic, especially when compared to its main rivals. It had a much more reserved stance, a comfier riding position, suspension softer than melted ice cream and a track presence that was near enough non-existent. This one though? A whole new world. It would’ve been nice for Yamaha to have altered the chassis and engine but even so the combination isn’t bad in the slightest; okay, a little more torque would be nice but the engine just wants to be revved and ragged senseless, and when I did push on and give it some berries the chassis just threw the feedback through every inch of my body without ever faltering under the pressure. It was only when riding back after a serious day of ragging that it hit me; yeah, there’s a fair bit of room for improvement. And yeah, you can pick up a second-hand 600cc for the same price. But for something this comfortable and capable on the city streets, B-road blasts and even capable of nailing a trackday at somewhere like Brands Indy, a mini superbike is the way forward… and there’s some cracking deals out there to be had.
If you want the smartest-looking A2 bike for a decent price, or even if you’re just on the hunt for a little sporty go-to without some insane power figures, you wouldn’t go far wrong with the R3. Yeah, it could do with having a little more torque, and yeah, the brakes were a bit pants, but for just over five grand, it’s bound to have some shortfalls.
As an introduction to sportsbikes, hell yeah. For a properly experienced and pretty rapid rider who’s power hungry? You might fancy looking elsewhere…