Exclusive: Yamaha R3 launch in August, MT-320 coming March '16
Yamaha's 321cc sportsbike is only a month away, and its naked cousin will arrive a
little after the conclusion of the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo
A lot has been said about Yamaha India's plan to bring in a small sportsbike since the R25 and the R3 were
revealed. Will it be the R25 or the R3, will it be powered by a twin like it is abroad or a single, and to add to the
confusion, spy shots of both bikes being tested on our roads have surfaced on the interwebs.
Now, we can put the debate to rest. We can re-confirm that it is the R3 that is on its way here. Launch is
scheduled for August, though the date hasn't been finalised yet. It will be shipped to India in completely-knocked
down (CKD) kit form from Indonesia, which also clears any doubt about Yamaha manufacturing the bike at one of
its Indian plants. It will be available in three colours - red, blue and black - and ABS will be available as an option.
After Yamaha took the fairing off the R25 to create the MT-25, we'd told you something similar would also be
done with the R3. It is coming to India, but it'll be called the MT-320, and not the MT-03, as we'd understood
earlier. This, too, will take the R3's CKD route from Indonesia, with three colour options to choose from, and like
with the R3, an ABS version will also be on offer. It will, in all likelihood, be showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo in
February next year, and Yamaha will launch it right after that, sometime in March.
Now, with that out of the way, the only mystery is the price. Which shall remain so, but at least now that we know
the bike's only a month away, we can take some solace in the fact that the wait isn't too long.