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“Supersport 300” Class Added to WSBK Championship

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The FIM and Dorna have agreed on a new entry class for the World Superbike championship. A Supersport 300 series has been created to house the burgeoning market of lightweight sports machines, such as the Yamaha YZF-R3 and the KTM RC390.

The concept for the class came about after consultation with manufacturers. Motorcycle manufacturers have seen sales of 600cc supersports bikes plummeting, while sales of lightweight machines have been booming.

More and more manufacturers have been entering the class, though each with slightly different machines and different engine capacities.

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Recall

Two Recalls Hit the Yamaha YZF-R3 at the Same Time

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Yamaha YZF-R3 owners should take note, as not one, but two recalls have been issued on their motorcycles. Both recalls appear to affect the entire crop of Yamaha YZF-R3 motorcycles sold in the USA, totaling 11,280 machines.

The first recall affects the YZF-R3’s oil pump, which may not be regulating oil pressure correctly, and thus could potentially seize the motorcycle’s engine from lack of oil.

The second recall affects the YZF-R3’s clutch pressure plate bearing, which may break due to an insufficient load rating. This may cause the clutch not to disengage, and prevent the transmission from shifting properly.

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Recall

Recall: Yamaha YZF-R3

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Yamaha is dominating the news today,with the release of the Yamaha YZF-R1S and the 60th Annviersary livery coming to the USA. Our last story featuring the tuning fork brand is about the Yamaha YZF-R3.

Unfortunately, the story deals with a recall, as the 16 units of the R3 have an incorrectly manufactured upper triple clamp that may crack while riding.

The affected bikes were manufactured between January 1, 2015 and August 31, 2015, which is a large date range for such a limited recall.

Never the less, as a fracture of the upper triple clamp can be a serious issue, leading to a loss of steering and possibly a crash, Yamaha filed this recall with the NHTSA.

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News

Gone Riding: Yamaha YZF-R3

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Things will be a little slow on Asphalt & Rubber today, as we are out near Willows, CA testing the new Yamaha YZF-R3. We will be spending the first part of the day on a 120-mile street ride, and then following that up in the afternoon by riding the new “West Course” at Thunderhill Raceway.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also try searching for the hashtags: #YamahaR3USA & #FirstRideR3 for the thoughts of our colleagues as well.

Yamaha’s entry into the small-displacement space, the YZF-R3 specifically fills a void in Yamaha’s lineup for a small-displacement, learner-focused, sport machine.

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Bikes

Up-Close with the Yamaha YZF-R3

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This week we not only go a chance to see the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R3 unveiled at the AIMExpo, but also we had the chance to see the R3 up-close in the flesh. The budget-minded sport bike shows the obvious signs of more cost-effecient construction and fitted components, yet retains the fit-and-finish you would expect from a Yamaha motorcycle.

This makes the R3 a prime candidate for aspirational riders, who want an affordable first motorcycle that looks the part of a proper sport bike. Track enthusiasts and veteran riders though will be disappointed with the Yamaha YZF-R3’s non-adjustable KYB suspension, box swingarm design, and bulky chassis — this is still a 368lbs (wet) motorcycle.

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Bikes

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

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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.

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Bikes

Yamaha YZF-R3 and More to Debut Next Week?

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Yamaha has setup a teaser website, complete with countdown clock, for a new motorcycle(s) that should break cover next week. With just over eight days on the clock, at the time of this writing, we won’t have to wait long as we speculate to what Yamaha is brewing for us.

The general consensus so far is that we will see the Yamaha YZF-R25 and Yamaha YZF-R3 twin-cylinder sport bikes, which should come in either 250cc or 300cc formats, depending on which country we are talking about. Yamaha teased us with the YZR-R25 concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, and recent trademark filings in the United States and Europe have tipped off the YZF-R3 model.

From Yamaha’s teaser video we get a quick line drawing and head-on render of a sport bike, which looks very close to the R25 model we saw in Tokyo, which helps fuel the small-displacement sport bike fire further. Also seen in the video is some sort of urban maxi-scooter, along with its presumably accompanying engine. More details as we get it.

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News

Yamaha Trademarks “YZF-R3” & “R3” Name for Motorcycles

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Could the next Yamaha sport bike be a triple? That’s been the rumor for some time now, but there hasn’t been too much evidence to support the matter. Just last week, Yamaha Motor Corporation filed for trademarks in the European Union and United States that include “YZF-R3” and “R3” names for motorcycles.

The first reaction to the news is that Yamaha is finally reading a three-cylinder versions of its popular YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 machines; however, with some understanding of Yamaha’s naming conventions, the more likely assumption to make from this trademark filings is that Yamaha is readying a 300cc class sport bike, likely along the same veins as the Yamaha YZF-R25 concept that was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show.

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