side eagerly and feels planted up front, tempting you to go deeper and brake later. Power-wise, there’ s no hiding the lack of cubes. The Hornet would do over 100km / h in first, while the R3 tops out around 50 – 60km / h. That said, the parallel twin is smooth and forgiving, great for new riders and old hacks alike. It likes revs; below 6000rpm it’ s a little meek, but above 7000 it really wakes up. In traffic, it’ s quick enough to beat cars away from the lights( unless they’ re EVs giving it the beans, which are really quick). You do need to work the gearbox, though, because if you find yourself in the wrong gear, it is pedestrian to say the least.
COMFORT AND PRACTICALITY I haven’ t done any big days on the R3 yet, an hour or so max, but the riding position is fine. Not as relaxed as a naked bike, but the fairing earns its keep. On wet days without gear, I can duck down behind it and stay surprisingly dry.
I might look like an idiot in a full race tuck, but I’ m a slightly drier idiot. One of the main things I was looking for in the Hornet replacement was good fuel economy. Well, the R3 just sips the gas, around 3.1L / 100km or 32.2km / L. My 70km return commute, four days a week, means I only have to fill up once a week. Compare that to the Hornet’ s 6L / 100km and you see why my wallet is smiling. The R3 is also apparently good on rubber, which is cheaper too, but at only 3k there’ s barely any visible wear, so I will have to update you on tyre life at some stage later.
LIKES AND DISLIKES I really like the design, it is sporty without being too much. I love the way it rides, being flickable, fun, and happy to be wrung out. There’ s something addictive about chasing the little grey shift light, which out of the box is set at the top of the power curve. I do not love the gearbox, though. The
40 KIWI RIDER