By showcasing its slew of high-end upcoming models to dealers, Yamaha has made its intentions on conquering the Indian market very clear. R3 is one of its most loved high-end bikes of Yamaha in India in the past and now the company is all set to reintroduce this premium two-wheeler to the Indian buyers. In this comparison review, we pit the revised version of R3 against its established rivals so as to find out how these premium bikes stack up against each other:
1) Engine and Transmission: R3 and Ninja 400 are powered by parallel-twin engines with 42hp and 45hp at their disposals. Further, KTM and Kawasaki offer the highest torque output of 37 Nm and offer almost the same amount of max power with the latter being slightly ahead with 45hp compared to the 43.5 hp of the former. TVS is having the lowest displacement in this comparison and consequently, it has the lowest performance of 34hp and 27.3Nm on offer. Yamaha R3 tops the rpm table as it delivers the max performance at a higher range of revolutions than any other bike here.
2) Dimensions and Weight: Despite being the most powerful bike in this comparison, Kawasaki is the lightest bike followed by Yamaha, KTM and TVS. TVS is having the smallest 11 liters of fuel tank although it comes with the highest ground clearance of 180 mm. Yamaha has the longest wheelbase of 1380 mm and its lowest seat height of 780 mm makes it quite friendly for short riders.
3) Mechanical Underpinnings: In terms of the underpinning and suspension hardware, all four bikes in this comparison are quite similar. The only exception is the Ninja 400 which comes equipped with a Telescopic Front fork in comparison to the USD arrangement used by the other three manufacturers. Trellis construction for the frame is standard on all except for Yamaha which has chosen to go ahead with a diamond-type frame for underpinning its R3 bike.
4) Value for Money: Undoubtedly Kawasaki Ninja 400 is the most capable bike in this comparison but it is also the priciest in this lot. In comparison to the KTM, Kawasaki commands a premium of more than Rs 2 lakh which is quite difficult to be justified. Yamaha R3 is expected to come at a price tag of Rs 3.5 lakh and given the smooth experience of the twin-cylinder engine, R3 can turn out to be a good alternative to the KTM RC 390.
