Twins & Siblings

The Yamaha R3 is set to come back to India in December this year. Ahead of its launch, we rode the motorcycle in Thailand. Here's what it is like to ride

- Dipayan Dutta

In a world full of motorcycles armed to the teeth with technology, there is something to be said about an analogue motorcycle whose only defence is a strong foundation of engineering. It's brave and in a world where electronics maketh the rider, it is a beacon of the past and a refuge for those purists who want the only thing connecting their brain and the motorcycle is their right wrist. That is exactly what the Yamaha YZF R3 is. It's unchanged from what I remember of riding the first one that came to India. There's no quick shifter, there's no slip and assist clutch, no traction control, no fancy TFT, just good old engineering and your common sense.

The R3 hasn't changed all that much visually from the first time it made it to India, and that's a good thing. The R3 was always a good-looking motorcycle and just how much it lines up with the rest of Yamaha's supersport is evident if you ever happen to catch one in your rearview mirror. You'd be hard-pressed to tell which of the three siblings it is. The only real change to the R3 for MY23 is the introduction of all LED lighting. The instruments are still a standard black and white LED, and there's no smartphone connectivity. Yes. This does mean that you have to do old-school things like pulling over to check your phone to see who's calling but that was never what the R3 was about. It's about how it is to ride.