[Norton-Motorsports.com]

Here it is, Ari Henning finally did a complete review on the street and the track of the R3, KTM RC390, Ninja 300, and Honda 300.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/2015-small-sportbike-shootout-beginner-bikes-entry-level-review-two-wheels-video

So, after watching that, I'm super excited. With the R3 lacking in the suspension and brakes department, both of those will get upgraded anyway, and we'll have a kickass little motorcycle for racing

 

[Mike-the-Bike]

Thanks for posting! A bit disappointed that our R3 has crappy suspension; I hope it handles alright with a passenger--my wife and I together are only 275 pounds. If mine ever arrives in Atlanta, we will see...

 

[Tony Fan]

They are just comparing the stock settings of the bikes. R3's rear suspension has 7 preload adjustment settings which can help. The tires are a reasonably cheap upgrade that will enhance riding experience a lot. I am sure there already are and will be a ton of upgrade parts for R3 for a wide range of enhancements.

Don't let these comparative reviews get to you too much, cheers

 

[Aufitt]

I have a hunch that different dogbones for 10-15mm ride height will help load the front and relax the shock spring's workload.
R3 has a 52/48 rearward bias.


Ninjas are transformed with this change.


What say you Jesse?

 

[sean931]

I have a hunch that different dogbones for 10-15mm ride height will help load the front and relax the shock spring's workload.
R3 has a 52/48 rearward bias.


Ninjas are transformed with this change.


What say you Jesse?

The R3 has a linkless rear suspension, so ride-height links won't be an option. Adjustable length shocks will be the way to go. JRI will have one soon, and I imagine Penske and others will, too.

 

[Aufitt]

The R3 has a linkless rear suspension, so ride-height links won't be an option. Adjustable length shocks will be the way to go. JRI will have one soon, and I imagine Penske and others will, too.

So its PDS like the KTM? which has major issues falling thru its stroke.


If this is true, for me this is bad, and might end the dream right now.

Production Supp regs clearly state No shock changes.ie suspension must be visible stock.


Can someone take a pic of the upper and lower shock mounting please?

 

[kneedrag]

Don't despair

While the out of the box setting is uber soft, basic preload and track tires (Pirelli Rosso) make it immediately better. I got a chance to ride the R3 and RC390 cup bike back to back. Surprisingly I was .2 a sec slower on the cup bike. It was way more composed, and the motor felt stronger but the stopwatch told a different story. I felt like I was constantly rowing throught the gears on the KTM.

Now the RC390 cup bike is detuned to 38hp (restricted intake and exhaust) and it was the first time I threw a leg over it. But it certainly leads me to believe that the R3 is going to quite capable with just a few minor mods. Considering the cup bike is $10k that's a huge price gap to play with.

 

[Aufitt]

Surely Ari set the sag on all bikes?

*Ive asked him and will see what he says.

 

[John]

I feel like we got only half the story with this review. Very clear and somewhat predictable opinions of all the bikes in general but no real matchups.
They had the bikes at the track all day. Maybe some track times? That would have been very interesting and told the other half of the story.

 

[Norton-Motorsports.com]

I feel like we got only half the story with this review. Very clear and somewhat predictable opinions of all the bikes in general but no real matchups.
They had the bikes at the track all day. Maybe some track times? That would have been very interesting and told the other half of the story.

John, when I asked Ari about the review, he said he really wanted to be more detailed, but since they are all beginner bikes, they thought it was important to keep it somewhat simple and short so people wouldn't get lost or bored with the technical stuff.

 

[3th3r]

So its PDS like the KTM? which has major issues falling thru its stroke.


If this is true, for me this is bad, and might end the dream right now.

Production Supp regs clearly state No shock changes.ie suspension must be visible stock. But dogbones could be hidden.


Can someone take a pic of the upper and lower shock mounting please?

Shock mounting pics here:
http://www.r3-forums.com/forum/289-...sion/4257-first-r3-tear-down-2.html#post40337

 

[R3 Rider]

John, when I asked Ari about the review, he said he really wanted to be more detailed, but since they are all beginner bikes, they thought it was important to keep it somewhat simple and short so people wouldn't get lost or bored with the technical stuff.

That makes sense. But I'm really curious as well how much the track times would have differed on the bikes.

I'm sure a future shootout will get into more of the nitty gritty.

 

[TrueFaith]

Ari Henning has been my favorite reviewer at Motorcyclist for some time now. His track upgrade of the CBR250R and suspension upgrade of the FZ-09 were both terrific must-reads.
Very encouraging to hear what he has to say about the R3, especially in comparison to the others in this review.
I might finally forgive him for giving up on the dreadlocks.
(The guy had better hair than Jon Snow on Game of Thrones.)

 

[AJ Nin]

The suspension seems fine to me but I'm a little guy. Brakes feel so-so. Although the R3 is easy to ride, it isn't quite as responsive, light or easy to ride as my CB300F though. The tires on the R3 are not very good. I've been sliding around on them today. Maybe they will get a little more planted after a few more miles, but they mentioned the bad tires in the video too. My CB300F tires also slip and slide...even accelerating around corners. Tires is the upgrade I would do first if you plan to ride aggressively.

 

[RS125]

Adding some preload to the seven-position adjustable rear shock would also help right? This, and Diablo Rosso II tires will be good enough I guess.