Yamaha MT-03 and R3 showcased at BIC before Indian MotoGP
These two 300cc bikes are expected to launch in the next couple of months
2023 has been an incredible year for Indian motorcycling. Not only did we see the launch of some much awaited 300-400cc motorcycles like the Harley-Davidson X440, the Triumph Speed 400 and 2024 KTM 390 Duke, we also had MotoGP make its way to the country for the first time ever. And it was in the midst of all the excitement of Indian MotoGP at the Buddh International Circuit at Noida that Yamaha showed off their upcoming products - the Yamaha MT-03 and Yamaha R3.
The R3 is Yamaha’s middle-weight supersport bike powered by a 321cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin cylinder engine making 42PS and 29.5Nm. This will go up against the likes of the KTM RC 390 and the soon-to-be-launched Aprilia RS 457. The Yamaha MT-03 shares its engine and underpinnnings with the R3, but on this naked, the motor makes 0.1Nm more torque. The MT-03 will take the fight to the recently launched 2024 KTM 390 Duke, Triumph Speed 400 and the TVS Apache RTR 310.
Yamaha had already showcased the new MT-03 and R3 at a dealer event in April 2023 and had announced plans to launch these bikes, along with the R7 and MT-07 in India soon. But the fact that the MT-03 and R3 were showcased once again at the Indian MotoGP race leads us to believe that Yamaha will launch them in the next couple of months. In fact, sources close to the company have hinted that these might hit showrooms in December 2023.
As for pricing, we expect that the Yamaha R3 to come in at Rs 4.0 lakh while the Yamaha MT-03 would be around Rs 3.80 lakh (both prices ex-showroom).