2019 YAMAHA YZF-R3
FIRST IMPRESSION
P80
with the old bike in terms of stability on the
street, but the new suspension settings
front and rear give the chassis a bit more of
a sporting edge and should translate to a
better ride on the track.
What is a known quantity of the R3 is
the base tubular steel chassis and the
321cc engine, both of which needed
absolutely no fettling for this year. The
engine is strong, as can be proven by the
neck-wringing the thing gets every time it
takes to a MotoAmerica Junior Cup grid.
The twin-cylinder engine provides a solid
spread of usable power although it does
like to keep the revs relatively high to make
it really sing. The good news is these
high revs don't necessarily translate into
unwanted vibrations at the bars and pegs
and means you can ride the R3 comfort-
ably for longer periods than you might
expect.
I was hoping Yamaha was going to join
Kawasaki head-on this year by producing
a 399cc version of their twin to call the
bike a YZF-R4, but the powers that be at
Yamaha decided against this butting of
heads with their compatriots simply be-
cause they believe the current R3 offers
the best combination of user friendliness,
comfort, and power in the class.
Nevertheless, the R3 does indeed pro-
vide and excellent basis for riders to begin
The accessory R3.
Yamaha's got a new
taller screen, Yoshimura
pipe and license plate
holder to tidy things
up at the back.
