Photo: Yamaha
The competition in the small-displacement sport bike segment is getting fiercer and fiercer, with the big manufacturers trying to attract more customers into choosing their bikes as the first motorcycle and start building an early adherence to the brand. After having recently launched the YZF-R25 quarter-liter machine with a specific target in Indonesia and adjacent Asian markets, Yamaha is rumored to stage a surprise appearance for the European and North American version of the bike.
We are still in the rumor territory, as some sources claim that the R3 name the house of Iwata trademarked will be used for the next generation of superbikes, which are rumored to be equipped with the new 3-cylinder crossplane crankshaft engine.
However, we are reserved when it comes to this rumor, as this means that Yamaha will take a step back in displacement with the introduction of the lump which currently powers the MT-09. This power unit doesn’t look like anything conceived to give Honda CRB100RR, Kawasaki ZX-10R to Suzuki’s GX-R1000 a ride for their money, so we’re more willing to believe what the Indonesian blog TMCBlog is speculating.
The guys there, who are anyway better connected to the massive Yamaha operations in Indonesia say that the R3 is expected to surface as a 320cc bike, this having an edge on both the upcoming Honda CBR300R and the existing Kawasaki Ninja 300.
The current R25 is only a tad less powerful than the Ninja 300, but in case TMCblog’s words turn out to be true, the new Yamaha could become a really attractive bike in the class. Anyway, the house of Akashi is also rumored to be working on a new quarter-liter sportsbike, based on the old 250cc Ninja, a 4 in-line beast with a killer-high redline and thus capable to produce power reaching to the limits of the beginner license in Europe.
Intermot? EICMA? Place your bets, it looks like cool things are coming from Yamaha soon.
However, we are reserved when it comes to this rumor, as this means that Yamaha will take a step back in displacement with the introduction of the lump which currently powers the MT-09. This power unit doesn’t look like anything conceived to give Honda CRB100RR, Kawasaki ZX-10R to Suzuki’s GX-R1000 a ride for their money, so we’re more willing to believe what the Indonesian blog TMCBlog is speculating.
The guys there, who are anyway better connected to the massive Yamaha operations in Indonesia say that the R3 is expected to surface as a 320cc bike, this having an edge on both the upcoming Honda CBR300R and the existing Kawasaki Ninja 300.
The current R25 is only a tad less powerful than the Ninja 300, but in case TMCblog’s words turn out to be true, the new Yamaha could become a really attractive bike in the class. Anyway, the house of Akashi is also rumored to be working on a new quarter-liter sportsbike, based on the old 250cc Ninja, a 4 in-line beast with a killer-high redline and thus capable to produce power reaching to the limits of the beginner license in Europe.
Intermot? EICMA? Place your bets, it looks like cool things are coming from Yamaha soon.
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