KTM RC390 VS YAMAHA YZF-R3
SHOOTOUT
P56
shed? How do you get there?
Well sir, either of these two ju-
nior sportbikes would be a great
place to start.
So the question begs, why just
these two on test? We're glad
you asked: the Yamaha YZF-R3
and KTM RC390 are the two
machines creating the biggest stir
in the category right now. We've
ridden all the major players in
the junior category, including the
Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Honda
CBR300R, and can safely say
these two newbies are the talk of
the town, so we gave them our
undivided attention. Now it's time
to see who is king of the kids.
The Yamaha YZF-R3 is
the Tuning Fork's first proper
entry-level sports machine for a
generation. FZR250s have long
departed, and so for that matter
have 250cc four-cylinder en-
gines. The new YZF-R3 comes
with a 321cc, DOHC parallel
twin, pumping out 43hp with
Small, light,
nimble and
plenty of juice—
the KTM is a
racer boy's
dream.
