Earlier this year, Yamaha relaunched the R3 in India with added equipment. However, rumour mills suggest that the Japanese manufacturer is working on a upgraded YZF-R25 / YZF-R3 for 2019. The bike which is expected to be revealed either at the Tokyo Motor Show or EICMA in Milan later this year, has been spotted on test on international soil, and could eventually make a debut in global markets.
As per the spyshots and reports online, the 2019 YZF-R3 will come with USD front forks, seen very clearly. Also, the headlamps are to be reprofiled and will make use of LEDs instead of regular halogen bulbs. The speedo console will also be replaced to a full digital unit, not known if it will be a coloured TFT screen though. The front fairing will also be redesigned. However, the spyshots didn’t show us any changes at the rear profile of the motorcycle. That could remain as is.
The Yamaha R3 in India is powered by a 4-valve, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, FI, 321cc motor producing 42 PS of power and 29.6 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed gearbox. While the recent update to the motorcycle got ABS, slipper clutch is still missing on the R3.
The Yamaha YZF-R3 isn’t selling that well, thanks to its price tag. With INR 4 lakh being asked, the Yamaha YZF-R3 and arch rival Kawasaki Ninja 300 / 400 both are very expensive as per market and segment standards.