YAMAHA YZF R3

In this day of capable quarter-litre sports bikes, does this Japanese steed still make sense?

- AKSHAY JADHAV

YAMAHA YZF R3

►Engine: 321cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin ►Power: 42PS @ 10,750rpm ►Torque: 30Nm @ 9,000rpm ►Weight: 169kg Gearbox: 6-speed manual ►Price: 24.64 lakh ex-showroom

No matter the displacement, when you see the words 'Yamaha' and 'R' bundled together, you know it's going to be something special. Like most millennial enthusiasts, my first experience of a thoroughbred sports bike was on the R15 and man, it made me giggle inside the helmet for how forgiving it was! You could push the R15 to its absolute limits and most of the time, come out unscathed. It was the motorcycle most of the auto-journos first got their knee-down on and one which helped improve our riding skills. The Yamaha R3 took off where the R15 left off, a step up to better motorcycling - delivering the same virtues on an exponential scale.