The Yamaha R3 will be brought in via the CKD route and will be followed up by the arrival of the MT-320, which is likely to be showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo prior to the official launch in March.
Yamaha India was starting to make a lot of people impatient as the launch of its quarter-litre offering was being delayed by the day, ever since its arrival in Indonesia last year. Adding fuel to the fire, there was no clarity on whether the R25 or the R3 would come to India. The spy shots of both the models being tested in the country only added further to the confusion. However, news now comes in claiming to have solved the mystery and states that Yamaha will be launching the R3 in India by August this year.
While a date has not been confirmed yet, it is indeed the bigger Yamaha R3 that is heading to the country instead of the R25, and will be brought via the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route from the automaker’s plant in Indonesia. The sports bike will be available in three colours namely red, blue and black, while ABS will be offered as optional. In terms of mechanicals, the R3 uses a 320cc twin-cylinder engine that produces 42 PS of power and 29.6 Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed gearbox. The bike shares its design traits with the R25, complete with twin headlamps, split seats and a nicely curved fuel tank. An analog-digital instrument cluster is also part of the package.
Yamaha recently launched the naked version of the R25 in Indonesia called the ‘MT-25’ and working on the same lines, the company is readying up a street-fighter counterpart of the R3 that will be called the ‘MT-320’ and not the MT-03, as speculated earlier. The naked offering is also slated to arrive in India but by March 2016. The 320cc street-fighter is most likely to make its Indian debut at the 2016 Auto Expo in February, ahead of the official launch. Talking about the moolah, prices continue to be under wraps but if the earlier speculations are anything to go by, expect Yamaha to charge you around Rs. 2.80 lakhs (ex-showroom) for the R3.
Source – TopGear.com
