Yamaha R3, MT-03 1000Km Review: Old School Rock n' Roll

The R3 is a motorcycle that's written in the folklore of Yamaha's Indian fans. While it never sold in huge numbers, the desire to attain one was always flaming hot. But back in the day, Yamaha only sold the R3 in India and that too at a premium which left it unattainable for most. You can then understand that when the Japanese marquee decided to bring back the R3 nameplate to India, and the MT-03 with it as well, there was a collective cheer that went out across the country. What made things even sweeter was that Yamaha called us to Thailand to ride these new motorcycles and make up our minds about them. When this assignment fell in my lap, my excitement knew no bounds. Let's just say, I have never packed my luggage that well in advance for a trip to the airport. And with that, off to Thailand, we go.

Yamaha R3 and MT-03 Review: First Gaze

The first time I looked at the R3 and the MT-03, I was left staring at the latter. I mean, there's nothing I want to take away from how the R3 looks, but the MT-03 just has that extra dose of 'sinister' in its design that makes you want to mount it and ride like there is no tomorrow. The R3 is a good-looking motorcycle, but because of seeing so many R15s on Indian roads, it doesn't feel special anymore.

In terms of the quality of materials used, the Yamahas feels a cut above the rest. It's not outrightly premium, but the switch gear feels well put together and is responsive to use. When you look at the spec sheet of the R3 and MT-03, you might end up feeling a bit underwhelmed because, in terms of the goody package, they don't have much to offer. There is ABS at both ends, LED lighting all around, and that's where the story ends. The instrument cluster is an old-school LCD unit, but what you can't take away from it is the fact that all the information is laid out and easy to read irrespective of if the sun is out or not. So, if the motorcycles had to impress me, they would have to do it on the road.

Yamaha R3 and MT-03 Review: Show On The Road

My immediate fondness for the MT-03 meant that's what I mounted first. Now just to put things into perspective, we were going to be riding both these motorcycles across the landscapes of Northern Thailand with a good mix of all riding conditions such as urban, highway and my personal favourite, the twisties.

The first stretch of road to our lunch destination was pretty much straightforward. A wide highway cut in the mountains with long sweeping turns. Let's just say, brakes had very little part to play on this section of road, and it is more where we got grips with the 321cc, Parallel-Twin engine that both the MT-03 and R3 use. As you soon as you fire up the motor, a raspy exhaust note begins to reverb in the air. It's not thunderous by any chance, but it leaves you with a sense of occasion. In other words, it is sweet-sounding but not anywhere close to being obnoxiously loud. Just the way I like it. Now, that's at idle.

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Twist your wrist and you are immediately greeted with a sense of enthusiasm that this engine loves to rev. I can't for the life of me remember not hitting the red line in first gear every single time I mounted any of these two motorcycles. The power delivery comes in linearly. There is very little to work with under 4,000rpm, but that's when you are trying to get a move on. But post that, the engine breaks loose with a fervour reminiscent of your dog greeting you every time you get back home. It just loves to sing and sing, and after what seems like ages but is simply a very exciting second or two, you reach the promised land of 12,000 rpm, before going on to hit the limiter. The one thing I particularly enjoyed about this engine is how the rev-limiter is configured. Most motorcycles will bring the engine to a hard stop by fully cutting the fuel supply, and that's a jerky affair. The MT-03 and R3 have what is called a soft limiter. The engine simply continues to rotate at its maximum permissible limit, but doesn't go beyond it. It lets you know it's time to change gears without jerking you around. Another good way to know when to upshift is the tapering off of torque very high up in the rev band. You can feel the torque taper off just about as you are getting ready to hit that red line, and in lower gears, up till third or fourth, that's where I found the sweet spot to shift. Higher gears than that and you are better off shaking hands with the redline, before nudging the shifter into the next gear. The engine, then, feels at home, be it in the R3 and MT-03.

As for partnership, it has a very able partner-in-crime in the six-speed transmission that both the MT-03 and R3 use. There is no slipper clutch or quick-shifter. And I for one couldn't give two hoots about it. As for the gearbox, it's a slick-shifting unit, which honestly, anyone who knows how to conduct a clutch-less upshift or downshift will thoroughly enjoy. The clutch pull is in the sweet spot, where the effort required to pull in is not too soft or too hard. On top of that, the ratios that Yamaha has chosen for both motorcycles are simply superb. Not too short, not too tall. And more times than not, you are always in the meat of the band. Even when downshifting or upshifting through corners, you never find the rpm needle bouncing too high or dipping too low.

Yamaha R3 and MT-03 Review: The Promised Land

You see, the promise of riding both these motorcycles in Thailand was that we would get to do so in the mountains, where the corners come thick and fast. And so on Day 2 of our ride, I hopped on to the R3 first. We were making our way towards a place called Highway 3. It's like the Sunset Point we have on most hill stations, but the tourists are way less and the road is way more beautiful. But more than that, it was the ride up to this location that took the cake. Tight corners, sweeping corners, blind crests - you name it and this road had it. And it was here that I got on to the R3 with everything I had to give.

You sit a little further back on the R3, tucked in more aggressively, with more of your weight on the front tyre of the motorcycle. And once you do that, the R3 simply does the rest. Or at least it felt like that. The feedback that you get from the bars in the middle of a corner is as clear as feeling hot or cold water on your skin. This is nothing left up to chance here. And even if you go too hot into a corner, it's easy to get on the front brake because that too is dripping with feel, and more so, it has good bite and is progressive in the way it engages. The only thing left to do was to shift my bum from side to side in the corners and get in my workout for the day. And safe to say, that I have never enjoyed a workout more than this.

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As for the MT-03, the upright position you sit on gives a better view ahead, and in most cases, it doesn't hinder its ability to attack corners like the R3. You can sit pretty upright, and just hang your backside off the motorcycle for most bends in the road. But, if you want to keep up with the R3, especially in the long corners, you will have to crouch back, lean forward, and hang off as far as your brain allows you. Ultimately, there are two ways to ride the MT-03. You can either be smooth and tucked in like the R3 or you can sit upright and muscle it into corners. No matter which approach you choose, they are both extremely fun.

Yamaha R3 and MT-03 Review: Would I Buy One?

This is the key question I have been trying to answer ever since I came back from riding these two motorcycles. On the smooth, winding roads of Thailand, I saw a side of these motorcycles that will be a rare sight on Indian roads. Another thing to keep in mind is the tyres. Both the R3 and MT-03 were riding on Dunlop rubber, but the motorcycles sold in India will in all probability get different tyres. And, these motorcycles will be imported into the country, which means their price is going to be high from the get-go. There is no way Yamaha will be able to position both of these motorcycles close to their KTM rivals. So, in all honestly, there is no real value proposition here.

But, despite knowing all of that, I still want to break the bank and bring one of them home. My pick would be the MT-03, but if I only had the R3 to pick from, I would feel similarly about that. This is even though these motorcycles have no modern tech. Maybe, that's the reason I want them so badly in the first place. The experience is so analogue that in a world where every motorcycle tries to emulate the pop-rock culture with a bit of everything, the Yamaha R3 and MT-03 are old school Rock n' Roll machines.