It didn’t matter how
hard I pushed it did
everything I asked.
It cornered well and
braked well, it didn’t
do anything silly
RIDING THE NEW BIKE
Two days of road and track riding was
what Yamaha Australia had planned for its
introduction of the new bike. Having followed
the Australian Superbike Championships and
watched the World Supersport 300 series from
time to time I knew how adaptable the R3 was,
but until now I hadn’t ridden one on track.
We met at Luddenham raceway just near
Penrith in Australia where there were several
bikes ready to test. The standard bike with
Dunlop Q14 tyres fitted was available in all
three colours, but I also spied a race version in
the background. There was a ‘19 model R3 race
prepped and then I was also lucky enough to
ride a couple of ‘18 model race machines back-
to-back for a real comparison between the old
and new bikes.
I first headed out on to the flowing
Luddenham circuit on the stock road bike and
took it easy for a few laps. I wanted to feel the
bike at normal speed and I’ve got to say I was
impressed. The seating position is natural and
the bike handled impeccably. The upgrades
to the suspension were noticeable compared
to what I remember of the original machine. It
was confidence-inspiring and I could turn and
dive to the part of the track I wanted to. As I
picked up my pace that composure stayed with
the bike, remembering the standard machine
only has 30kW. It didn’t matter how hard I
pushed, it did everything I asked. It cornered
well and braked well, it didn’t do anything silly.
The aero package worked a treat as I tucked in
down the straight; I could get my whole body in
behind the fairing and still read the LCD dash as I
clicked through the gearbox. It was obvious that
the claims of more speed are probably true.