Overview

Performance has always been a key factor in the Yamaha portfolio from a long period of time. The bikes developed at Yamaha always have something special in them. Decades back, Yamaha was known for its heavily accelerated bikes, which were much ahead of their time. One of them was the Yamaha RD350.

Style & Design

The iconic classic appeal of the RD 350 is an endless era of style, which won't change even after a long period of time. The time it was launched, it was a style icon. A naked racer of its time, it uses a lot of chrome. Chrome rims, chrome mudguards and chrome silencer's were the main features of attention and they are still on their duty.

Instrument Console

The RD 350 was quiet ahead of its time and featured an analogue tachometer, making it feel more like a race bike of the time. Use of chrome was absent on the console, but it has the necessary indications of neutral, high beam and the indicator lights nicely place on it.

Engine & Performance

The RD350 gets a 347cc, 2 stroke, parallel twin cylinder, air-cooled engine. It also features torque induction with twin carburettor. The engine produces 30.5 BHP @ 6750 rpm and 32.3 NM @ 6500 rpm. Being the first twin cylinder sports bike of India, it was a rock star of its time. In the slow era of 80's, it could easily cross the 100 kmph mark in 8 seconds, making it easily up to 130-150 kmph.

Braking & Suspension

The braking was handled by 180 mm drum braking unit, both for the front as well as rear tyre. Achieving such high speeds with drum brakes was the most risky part of the RD 350 as at that time disc brake was considered deadly by misconceptions and old school thoughts in India. The suspension was telescopic forks for the front and swing arm, coil spring with air damping at the rear.

 

Ride & Comfort

The RD350 provides considerably lower seat height, making it easy to control and not just that, the handle bar positioning has also been kept standard, resulting into a comfortable position for every ride. The large 18 inch tyre size is dominating on every road type, making it an all-rounder by nature.

Shades & Price

The Yamaha RD 350 was available in Silver, Red and Black colors and those chrome fitting were standard on all the options. Back in the 80's, it was priced around INR 30,000 in 1983.

8 Reasons Why Yamaha YZF-R3 is Better than Kawasaki Ninja 300
The recently launched Yamaha YZF-R3 is the strictest competition the Kawasaki Ninja 300 could have in India. Being so close to each other in terms of values, let’s see where the differences are between these lightweight sport machines.
1) Both being twin cylinder bikes, the R3 gets a bigger 321 cc motor compared to the 296 cc of the Ninja 300, beneficial when the speed exceeds 170 kmph. Higher power-to-weight ratio of 244.9 BHP/ton makes the R3 a better sprinter than the Ninja 300 with only 223.8 BHP/ton. 175.1 NM/ton of torque-to-weight ratio of the R3 clearly outruns the 156.9 NM/ton of the Ninja 300, significantly affecting its capabilities.
2) Getting 2.9 BHP more than the Ninja 300, R3 clearly gets that extra kmph advantage.
3) With 2.6 NM more torque in the R3, the pulling power is highly affected and chasing the Ninja 300 becomes easy for the R3.
4) R3 gets a 20 mm ground clearance advantage, making it more India friendly than the rival.
5) 3 less kilograms on the R3 makes it more quick and responsive when revving at high speeds, giving it a better top speed.
6) 188 kmph is achieved by the Yamaha R3 whereas Ninja 300 limits its top speed to 182 kmph.
7) R3 gets a bigger disc brake measuring 298 mm when compared to the Ninja's 290 mm, facilitating more aggressive riding experience.
8) Even with all these benefits, the Yamaha R3 comes for INR 40,000 less than its closest competitor.
Both the bikes miss on ABS, which is not even provided as optional on a higher variant. Even after a clear winning approach of the R3, the rider's brand following decides whether they would go for the Ninja 300 or the R3.
Fast Facts about 2015 Yamaha YZF-R3

• 321cc, 2-Cylinder, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valves
• Maximum power of 41.4 Bhp @ 10750 rpm
• Maximum torque of 29.6 Nm @ 9000 rpm
• Constant Mesh, 6-speed transmission
• Front hydraulic single disc, Ø 298 mm
• Rear hydraulic single disc, Ø 220 mm
• Front telescopic forks | Rear swingarm
• Wet, Multiple Disc Clutch | Fuel Injection
• 110/70-17M/C 54H (Tubeless) | 140/70-17M/C 66H (Tubeless)
• Ex-showroom price tag of INR 3.25 lakhs

Fast Facts about Kawasaki Ninja 300

• 296cc, 2-Cylinder, 4-stroke, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled
• Maximum power of 38.5 Bhp @ 11000 rpm
• Maximum torque of 27 Nm @ 10000 rpm
• 6-speed transmission
• 290mm front disc brake
• 220mm rear disc brake
• 37mm hydraulic telescopic front forks
• Uni-Trak® with 5-way adjustable preload rear suspension
• Ex-showroom price of Kawasaki Ninja 300 is Rs. 3.65 lakh

Overview

When the taste of naked street sport bikes comes to a rider's tongue, machine like the Yamaha MT-03/MT-320 would be the first name striking to his mind. No doubt the new arrival has many bits to be tested and trusted, the heart under the fuel tank comes from a very prestigious family. The R3's engine has been used for the bike, with its body components and styling nearly matching the MT-25, making it a true naked brother of the R3 as MT-25 was for R25

Design and Style

The design of the bike has been seen in the patented images, pointing directly to a non-faired R3, whose rear is 100 percent the same as the race machine. The front gets a street fighter design, making the bike a muscular and intelligent choice when not willing for the R3. The bike comes with an FZ like headlight and front view, making them true cousins from the Yamaha street bike family.

Brakes and Suspension

The MT-320 will get the same brakes as its race sibling. The front comes with a 298 mm disc brake whereas the rear has a 220 mm unit. ABS is not there, like its faired brother YZF-R3. The suspension is telescopic for the front and monoshock for the rear.

Expected Ex-showroom Price

MT-03 will be available in 3 shades: - Red Metallic, Black Metallic & Matt Silver and the bike is expected to be available in a single non-ABS variant. The price is expected to stay close to INR 3,00,000 and MT-03 is expected to be launched in India at 2016 Auto Expo.

The year 2015 saw the launch of two new touring bikes in India, the Suzuki Gixxer SF and the Bajaj Pulsar AS150, to take on the already established Yamaha Fazer. The Fazer itself was updated less than a year ago wherein, it got styling updates and Yamaha bestowed it with fuel injection technology as well. When looking for a bike in the 80,000-90,000 price bracket, the Suzuki Gixxer SF, Yamaha Fazer FI Ver 2.0 and the Bajaj Pulsar AS150 are likely to make it to the list of choices of a prospective buyer. We will compare these three bikes on various parameters to ease your decision-making process in our Suzuki Gixxer SF vs Bajaj Pulsar AS150 vs Yamaha Fazer FI Version 2.0 comparison.

Design

All three bikes have been derived from naked bikes, the Gixxer SF from the Gixxer, the Pulsar AS150 from the Pulsar NS series and the Fazer from the FZ. Out of these, only the Gixxer SF gets a full front fairing and looks the sportiest of the lot. However, the riding position is pretty upright which means it is well suited for daily city commute. The bike looks very striking especially in the MotoGP inspired blue and white livery and also thanks to a slight hint of the Hayabusa around the headlamp area. The Bajaj Pulsar AS200 looks more of a touring bike than the Gixxer with its elaborate front fairing and large wind deflector. It gets a projector headlamp setup integrated very well into the nicely sculpted front end. The front of the Fazer Version 2.0 gets only very subtle changes as compared to earlier version making it a very familiar face on our roads. Although it is a very good looking bike, it does not feel as fresh as the other two. Looks are subjective and it is entirely up to the buyer to decided which of these three bikes is the best in terms of appearance.

Features

The Gixxer SF and the Yamaha Fazer FI V 2.0 get a fully digital read out whereas, the Pulsar AS150 gets an analogue tachometer in combination with a digital speedo. Otherwise, all three bikes are similarly equipped and there are not significant features that set these three apart.

Specs

	Suzuki Gixxer SF	Bajaj Pulsar AS150	Yamaha Fazer FI Version 2.0
Engine Displacement	155cc	149.5cc	149cc
Power	14.59 bhp @ 8000 rpm	17 bhp @ 9500 rpm	12.92 bhp @ 8000 rpm
Torque	14 Nm @ 6000 rpm	13 Nm @ 7000 rpm	12.8 Nm @ 6000 rpm
Transmission	5-speed	6-speed	5-speed
Mileage	47 kmpl	45 kmpl	53 kmpl
Top Speed	127 kmph	110 kmph	106 kmph

The Pulsar AS150 is the most powerful bike in this comparison by a clear margin. The Gixxer SF hold a slight edge over the rest in terms of torque. When it comes to fuel efficiency the Yamaha Fazer FI Version 2.0 is the clear winner. In daily city commute, it is highly unlikely that these differences will be noticeable.

Price

Ex-showroom, Delhi	Suzuki Gixxer SF	Bajaj Pulsar AS150	Yamaha Fazer FI V 2.0
Standard	INR 83,439	INR 79,000	INR 86,805

The Gixxer SF with the Special Edition MotoGP Livery costs INR 94,238. The Pulsar AS150 and the Yamaha Fazer FI are not available in any other variants.

Verdict

The Yamaha Fazer FI Ver 2.0 excels in almost all departments and does not give much of a reason to complain. However, when compared with the earlier model prices have seen a huge jump thanks to the introduction of fuel injection making it the most expensive bike of the lot. The Suzuki Gixxer SF is a very accomplished bike and looks striking, especially in the MotoGP livery. The only drawback is Suzuki’s service network which is not as extensive as its rivals. Our pick here would be the Bajaj Pulsar not only because it is the cheapest, but also because the cost of ownership is very low as the spare parts are comparatively very cheap and the dealership network is very extensive.