VOL. 52 ISSUE 22 JUNE 2, 2015 P61
the RC a beautifully slim rear end.
The RC390 is going to win rid-
ers, of that there is no doubt, but
I can't help but feel it's let down
by the brakes and rear shock
(which is odd considering the
same shock is in the 390 Duke
and I had no issue with it). Give
this thing more bite from the
brakes and suspension to match
the engine and it will be hands
down the best learner sportbike
for a very, very long time.
>>FROM THE SEAT
Yamaha YZF-R3
It can't be a coincidence that the
Yamaha YZF-R3 feels suspi-
ciously like the Kawasaki Ninja
300. It's got a similar feel the
second you climb aboard—the
clip-on bars are high, the seat
low, the suspension plush—er-
gonomically if you sat on the
two blindfolded it'd be hard to
tell the difference. The R3 feels
more like a sport-touring bike
compared to the racer the RC
is—it's certainly more comfort-
able, with less weight on your
wrists and a more natural seating
position with a softer, wider seat.
Whether that makes teenagers
go ga-ga with dreams of lust and
speed, only time will tell.
The parallel-twin engine
makes power in a very linear way
but lacks the initial punch and
excitement the RC has. Fueling
on the Yamaha is better than
the KTM but you're certainly not
pulling second gear wheelies on
this thing. That's not to say the
R3 won't get up and boogie. It
will still make power in the upper
rev ranges and when hard on
the gas you can faintly hear this
thing's dad is the YZF-R1—there's
a hint of anger in its playfulness,
like a Rottweiler puppy barking.
You have to keep the Ya-
maha's engine spinning in the
middle of the rev range for the
two forged pistons to give you
solid acceleration (much like a
Ninja 300), but overall the R3's
engine is very flexible, although
not as fun as the KTM's, and I
suspect this will be a big thing
for newbies thinking of a low-
capacity sportbike. On the other
side the gearbox on the Yamaha
is better with a shorter throw and
a more consistent shift.
The Yamaha's chassis is
almost perfectly proportioned
for a learner rider. The low seat
makes planting your feet easy
and the high bars means an R3
rider will not be as sore at the
end of a long ride over an RC
rider. Comfort is a big thing on
the R3—I feel like I could ride
this bike for days—it's way more
comfortable than an R6 or R1 for
that matter.
The R3 doesn't steer with the
same speed as the RC but it
feels more planted in the middle
of the corners. While the RC
hunts for apexes, the R3 feels
more relaxed, which on the road
is a bonus. The suspension is
softer on the R3 and gives a
more controlled ride under ac-
celeration—the rear shock soaks
up the bumps better and even
though the front is un-adjustable
I prefer the feel of the conven-
tional front end the Yamaha has
over the inverted legs of the
KTM.
Another standout quality of the
R3 is the front brake. Despite
being an old-school convention-
ally mounted caliper versus the
radial of the KTM, the R3 has
It's very, very
close, but the
Yamaha gets
the nod over the
race-rep KTM.
