YZF-R3 – Another Game Changer for Yamaha India

It’s hard to comprehend the impact of the four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers in the two wheeler industry. On a personal level, I have been overwhelmed and I’m pretty sure that many enthusiasts around the world would share my sentiment at any point of time. Do they even need mentioning?

Irrespective of what the market is, where it is and what its requirements and policies are, these 4 giants of the motorcycling world from a country made up of thousands of islands have delivered consistently for decades. They have studied and successfully adapted to each market they have laid their eyes on so far and cater to all types of consumers. Of course, they have had their setbacks and failures, after all, a company is run by human beings and we tend to be flawed! But they always come back, they might take time to do so but they always do because they want to (and we want them to). They are the lifelines of the motorcycling industry. In all honesty, it’s scary to even think what it would be like if any of them isn’t there.

Talking of the comebacks, Yamaha is one of those bike makers who has literally pulled a rabbit of the hat in the Indian market. India is one of the trickiest markets in the world. Being a developing nation with one of the largest populations in the world brings its own sets of challenges for business runners. Few can sustain and flourish in such a challenging environment. Would you serve all segments of consumers or would you rather please a certain section of the crowd? Success largely matters on the approach and who is targeted.

Last 7 years have been a major turnaround for Yamaha India. They probably never achieved this much success ever before. After their glory days with the RD350 and RX100 ended, Yamaha faced their toughest time in India with lackluster launches, bad management (with Escorts) and basically offering nothing for the motorcycle enthusiasts around the country. People were starting to forget Yamaha for what it stood for – Performance. There were doubts if they would be able to pull it off or wrap up!

But while we were running our own imaginations of what’s going on with Yamaha, they were busy correcting things behind the curtains and working on to rebuild themselves as the makers of true performance motorcycles.

In 2008, Yamaha took the matters in their own hands and launched what we had not really imagined they would, the YZF-R15. A 150cc motorcycle that costed over a lakh back in 2008. At that time, it was a huge amount of money for anyone to spend on a 150cc motorcycle. But boy, how did it bring Yamaha back on track is a story in itself. The YZF-R15 was a motorcycle like no other in its category and above as well. The styling had the DNA of Yamaha’s R series of motorcycles, a sharp supersport and aerodynamic design. A revving 150cc liquid cooled engine put inside a true delta box frame for sportiest handling characteristics among all Indian motorcycles. A linked-type mono suspension at the back. The R15 was like the tastiest food for hungry people.

Capable of decimating all motorcycles in its category and few in above as well, the R15 became the most sought after motorcycle for performance enthusiasts on budget. While some of us were wondering that it’s a huge risk for Yamaha to come out with a motorcycle that caters only to a small section of the crowd, the R15 started to sell in good numbers and literally changed Yamaha’s fortunes in India over the night. Since then, success has followed Yamaha India more or less with motorcycles like the FZ 16 series and the SZ.

In recent years, the performance segment has found a new gear and has moved ahead at a good pace. Kawasaki introduced the Ninja 250 some years back in the Indian market and brought this segment to life. However, it was Honda’s CBR250R that actually set things in motion since it was a much more affordable motorcycle with very competitive performance against Ninja within the city limits. Today, the 250cc segment is expanding into the 300cc segment with motorcycles like the Ninja 300 already selling worldwide, including India. KTM’s Duke and RC390 have also helped expand this segment beyond the 250cc limit by offering aggressive performance at a very reasonable price point.

Finally, Yamaha is soon making their entry into this segment with, what seems to be, an extremely competitive motorcycle against the competition. While they aren’t the first to make a move in this segment unlike with their R15, the YZF-R3 is fantastically equipped to take on its competition and might even defeat it. This time, Yamaha comes prepared.

The R3 is already selling in certain international markets and it has received very positive reviews so far. Yamaha has cleverly created a 321cc engine that produces nearly 42PS of power at crank making it a more powerful motorcycle than its closest competitor, the Ninja 300. The Kawasaki, in comparison, is 299cc and makes 39PS of power. Also, Yamaha has equipped the R3 with ABS as standard and it’s also 3kgs lighter than the Ninja at 169kgs. These are some real advantages for Yamaha that will definitely translate on the road. If Yamaha can keep the price interesting enough, they might even hurt RC390’s sales.

It seems Yamaha is not content to be just another entrant in the 300cc segment. Like the Ninja, it finely mixes the comfort required for city riding and possibly offers better performance on highways. Also, it shall be a great motorcycle for amateur riders to initiate riding on the track, riders who aren’t experienced enough to ride more powerful machines. While it will be a better day to day motorcycle, the R3 carries forward Yamaha’s racing legacy that they started with their flagship R series motorcycle, the mighty R1.

What it means for Yamaha India? In terms of performance, Yamaha would like to see themselves slightly above Kawasaki and closer to the KTM. Also, with their renowned reliability that the Japanese are typically known for, Yamaha shall eat into KTM’s market share as well. The Ninja 300 is the only option for riders looking for a 300cc motorcycle with a parallel twin engine. There’s the CBR250R as well but it’s a different motorcycle in significant ways. The R3 will be the real competitor to the Kawasaki and with competitive pricing, it shall be a better choice. And choice is important!