by the‘ run-in’ period. Yamaha’ s manual says to keep the engine below 6000rpm, a rule that feels out of touch with real-world highway riding in New Zealand. To keep up with busy traffic needs a cruise of 100km / h, where the bike is already nudging 6400rpm. As a daily highway commuter, I had little choice but to bend the break-in rules- or face the wrath of early morning Hutt Valley commuters. Still, I made sure to be gentle with the throttle and avoided aggressive behaviour until the first service milestone. One thing was instantly clear … the R3 felt tame compared to the Hornet 600 I’ d spent many years on. The throttle required a surprising amount of wrist movement, which I assume is good for new riders, something I found tiresome. A few hours down YouTube rabbit holes led me to a quick solution; a throttle tube from Yamaha’ s R6. I picked one up for around $ 90. Swapping it in was effortless and it’ s not an exaggeration to say it transformed the bike’ s character. It feels more
powerful and more immediate.
FIXING GRIPES Service time was an opportunity to address a few other gripes. The front brake line, as delivered, felt vague and spongy. Having spent a decade with bikes using braided brake lines, this seemed the obvious fix. With ABS on board, the upgrade was fiddly and time-consuming. The bike needed stripping down, so I left that and the full bleed process to my local dealer’ s workshop. Six hours in the workshop later, the brake lever feels worlds better. It is stronger, more predictable, and provides way more confidence on twisty descents. The OEM pads are merely‘ average’, and while they don’ t annoy me enough for an immediate replacement, I have them in my sights for a future upgrade. The forks were another area calling for intervention. It’ s clear Yamaha expects the typical R3 rider to be a slight teen just starting out. At 80kg, the factory springs weren’ t tuned for my needs. Thanks to Robert Taylor of Kiwi Suspension Solutions, a set of proper
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