Is the Yamaha R3 too old for you? Consider these five rival sports bikes
- From the Aprilia RS 457 to the KTM RC 390, here are five rivals you can consider instead of the Yamaha R3.
The Yamaha YZF-R3 has recently been treated with a ₹1.05 lakh price cut, and the sports bike now sits at a more competitive price tag of ₹3.60 lakh (ex-showroom). This price point makes the R3 more accessible than the Aprilia RS 457 and is better suited for what the bike has to offer. With the YZF-R3, Yamaha strikes a balance between unadulterated performance and everyday usability. At the same time, this sports bike is a Completely Built-up (CBU) unit from the 2023 model year and does not bring the most up-to-date feature suite. If you are interested in purchasing the Yamaha YZF-R3 now but want something newer and better equipped, here are five other sports bikes that are positioned as great alternatives:
The Ninja 300 is a sports bike from the Japanese automaker Kawasaki, priced at ₹3.43 lakh (ex-showroom). It comes in one variation and three color options: lime green, candy lime green, and metallic moondust gray. The Ninja 300 is powered by a 296-cc parallel-twin engine that produces 38.5 bhp at 11,000 rpm and 26.1 Nm of maximum torque at 10,000 rpm. It has a diamond frame and is supported by telescopic front forks and a rear monoshock with preload adjustability. The Kawasaki Ninja 300 sports 17-inch alloy wheels with petal-type disc brakes measuring 290 mm in the front and 220 mm in the rear. Other features include a semi-digital cluster, twin channel ABS, and a 2-1 exhaust system with a short-style silencer. The sports bike also features a six-speed transmission and an assist/slipper clutch.
The TVS Apache RR 310 is the company's flagship offering, available in two variants and three colour schemes: Race Replica, Bomber Grey, and Racing Red. The RR 310 starts at ₹2.75 lakh (ex-showroom) for the variant without a quickshifter. Adding the latter will increase the price by ₹17,000. The sportbike is designed on a lightweight trellis frame with an aluminium subframe and is suspended by KYB USD forks in the front and a monoshock in the back. It is powered by a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder 310 cc DOHC engine that produces 37.4 bhp at 9,800 rpm and 29 Nm at 7,900 rpm. It rides on 17-inch alloys and is fitted with single discs at both ends with dual-channel ABS. The Apache RR 310 offers four riding modes and three ABS modes.
The Aprilia RS 457 is priced at ₹4.20 lakh (ex-showroom) and is one of the most popular offerings from the Italian brand. Launched in 2024, it is offered in three colour options and features a 457 cc parallel-twin engine mated to a six-speed gearbox. Customers can opt for a quickshifter as an additional accessory. The liquid-cooled motor is capable of making 46.7 bhp at 9,400 rpm and 43.5 Nm of peak torque at 6,700 rpm. Aprilia uses a twin-spar aluminium frame for the RS 457 and the bike is held up by USD front forks and a rear monoshock. Braking duties are taken up by disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS. On the feature front, the RS 457 is equipped with a five-inch coloured TFT display for its instrument console. It further offers ride-by-wire, three levels of traction control, and three riding models.
The 2024 KTM RC 390 made its debut in February 2024, and it comes in two colour options and one variant. The new colorways include orange-on-blue and orange-on-black. The RC 390, priced at ₹3.21 lakh (ex-showroom), is driven by a 373 cc liquid-cooled engine that produces 42 bhp and 37 Nm of maximum torque. This machine is equipped with a six-speed transmission and a quickshifter. It comes with lightweight adjustable aluminium handlebars and clutch and brake levers. The sport bike is built on an orange steel trellis frame and has WP APEX front forks and a rear monoshock suspension. It has single brake discs all around and two ABS modes: cornering ABS and Supermoto ABS. The RC 390 further features traction control and gets a TFT instrument console.
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The G310 RR is basically a rebadged Apache RTR 310 that comes in a single model and starts at ₹3.05 lakh (ex-showroom). There are three colour options: Sport, Cosmic Black 3, and Racing Blue Metallic. The BMW G310 RR is powered by a water-cooled, single-cylinder 312.12 cc engine producing 33.5 bhp at 9,700 rpm and 27.3 Nm of maximum torque at 7,700 rpm. It has USD front forks and a pre-load adjustable monoshock in the rear. The motorcycle is equipped with 17-inch cast aluminium wheels and single-disc brakes with dual channel ABS. The G310 RR features a quickshifter and coems with a fully digital instrument cluster with four riding modes and three ABS modes.
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