Yamaha YZF-R3 Revealed – 321cc Twin Coming to the USA

The rumors were true, Yamaha is bringing a special small-displacement model to market, the Yamaha YZF-R3. As the name indicates, the new R3 gets a fuel-injected displacement bump over the R25, to the tune of 321cc. Debuted at the AIMExpo today, the Yamaha YZF-R3 is coming to the USA, with a price tag of $4,990.

Said by Yamaha to have “class-leading power”, the new R3 finally adds a small-displacement sport bike to Yamaha’s North American lineup, and makes an attractive offering when compared to the other 250cc/300cc machines from the other Japanese manufacturers. Expect to see it in Yamaha dealers, starting January 2014.

Yamaha North America expects the YZF-R3 to be the volume leader for the company in the USA and Canada, and rightfully so. Small-displacement machines like the Kawasaki Ninja 250R have always had strong sales in the Western markets, and now that the segment is finally heating up, the offerings have only gotten better.

Unlike say…Suzuki, Yamaha has brought a robust package to the table with the R3, and should be able to go toe-to-toe both on the race track, and on the sales floor, with the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and Honda CBR300R. We can’t wait to ride one.

2015 Yamaha YZF-R3 Technical Specifications:

Source: Yamaha