Yamaha R25 Concept
It appears as though Yamaha has had it with Kawasaki controlling the lightweight motorcycling market for the past five years and is likely to announce a new 300cc sportbike called the R3 to compete directly with the recently-upgraded Ninja 300R and the Honda CBR250R. Several outlets have reported the potential news and Yamaha has released a somewhat mystical teaser video showing patents for a small-displacement sportsbike.
Big Blue has also trademarked the names “R3” and “YZF-R3” to coincide with the R6 and R1 600cc and 1000cc Yamaha sportbikes. Last November, Yamaha introduced the R25 concept, a 250cc entry level sportbike that featured a livery extremely similar to that of the M1 raced in MotoGP. This led many to believe that the R25 would be Yamaha’s entry into the beginner sportbike realm, but now it is believed that an extra 50cc will be added to compete with the revamped Ninjas.
As competition in this segment begins to stack up, Yamaha needs to get their foot in the door while they still can. This bike would certainly draw interest and if it performs like the Kawasaki and Honda it might be a home run for Big Blue.
If you travel to the site mentioned at the end of the mysterious video, you’ll see that Yamaha plans to unveil plans on March 24th. Will the R3 be unveiled at that time or will we have to wait another year? Stay tuned to Street N Trail Mag for more information.