[quarkdude]

Hello all,
From Albuquerque, NM USA. I just stumbled across this forum and am exited to see the R3 in person. I called a couple of the local shops here and one said they would have one April 2015, one said Jan 2015. I hope Jan. is the one
I ride some old school Yamaha's from back in the day. I have a 1973 Yamaha RD350 café racer, another 1973 RD 350 in parts and a 1975 RD125 that I am almost finished bringing back to life - hopefully this spring it will be on the road. Love the 2 stroke street bikes - so powerful for such a small engine. The R3 is like the new RD in 4 stroke format in my eyes that's why I gotta have one :laugh:
quarkdude

 

[barett]

I like the way you think! I just hope you're correct

Welcome to the boards, would love to ogle that cafe if you have a few snaps to share

 

[YamahaPWR]

@quarkdude Welcome aboard.

Hopefully that Jan 2015 date holds some weight as that's just around the corner!

Are there any other bikes you have been looking into that you're also considering to get? Any the you have seen in person already?

 

[quarkdude]

I like the way you think! I just hope you're correct

Welcome to the boards, would love to ogle that cafe if you have a few snaps to share

Hello barett,
I have some pics of the café, I'll put some up tonight when I get off work. I think you guys will like it. I'll post up some pics of the RD125 as well.
quarkdude

 

[quarkdude]

@quarkdude Welcome aboard.

Hopefully that Jan 2015 date holds some weight as that's just around the corner!

Are there any other bikes you have been looking into that you're also considering to get? Any the you have seen in person already?

Hello YamahaPWR,
I'll keep you guys posted if the Jan. 2015 date is true for one of the Yamaha dealers in town.
I haven't been looking at any other bikes - just been putting together the 2 of 3 that I have. The RD125 is getting close - it looks like a bike now. ha ha.
No other bikes that I have seen in person yet, well actually I did look at the Yamaha SR400, pretty cool and retro looking. Kick start with fuel injection - interesting.

 

[quarkdude]

Here are some pics of the bikes I have

Here is the 1975 Yamaha RD125

Here is the 1973 Yamaha RD 350 Café Racer

 

[AJ Nin]

Yamaha seems to have made a comeback and has introduced a bunch of new bikes. A few months ago there was a Consumer Report review of consumer satisfaction of the Japanese bikes. Yamaha had the least complaints. Anyway, I have an FZ07 which is a fine bike. I like the small bikes. I've owned 3 Ninja 300s (none presently) but I own a CB300F, so I hope to compare the R3 to the Ninja and the Honda. One YouTube review of the R25 said the ergos were more upright like on the Ninja 300 rather than a proper race bike (crotch rocket position) so apparently the bike is being marketed for the street which makes sense, unless you race motorcycles. The r3 promises to be very similar in ergonomics, performance, and handling to the Ninja 300, hopefully with a small edge in performance. The Honda CBR300R won't compete on the track with the other 2 bikes, but it could still be the best street bike. I actually prefer my CB300F to the Ninja 300 due to the lighter weight and a bit taller 1st gear. Any one of these bikes will be very capable, I'm sure. My first bike was a 1974 Suzuki TS185 two stroke. Wish I still had it.

 

[quarkdude]

Here is the RD125 just yesterday

 

[YR3]

Here is the RD125 just yesterday

Sweeet! not bad condition, aside from the seat.

 

[quarkdude]

Sweeet! not bad condition, aside from the seat.

Hello YR3,
Yea, that seat needs some help. I am concentrating on the mechanical's first and then the appearance stuff after that. I just put a new engine in it, hooked up the exhaust. I needed some carbs which are extremely hard to find but I did find a pair in good shape and should be installing them this weekend. There are a couple of wires on the rear of the harness that need to be cut out and spliced back in with new wire. The gas tank has a few pin holes in it, so I am in the process of cleaning and sealing the tank - tanks are really hard to find as well so you pretty much have to use what you got. So getting close - can't wait to hear it run soon. They do have some new seat covers on the bay for a good price - probably going to get one of those.
Thanks for the nice complement on the vintage Yamaha.
quarkdude

 

[Banshee28]

I have a Yamaha Banshee which has a very similar if not the same motor as the RD 350. I think the main difference is mine is water cooled vs air. Yes, I agree the 2 stroke motors are awesome! I would love to find one of these old school RD/RZ 350's as well. Otherwise looking forward to the R3 next year as a first street bike.

 

[Torchsport]

I havev a 2006 Special Edition Banshee. Last year they were made. I recently sold the blue '05 pictured.

 

[quarkdude]

I havev a 2006 Special Edition Banshee. Last year they were made. I recently sold the blue '05 pictured.

The Banshee's are some of the fastest things on 4 wheels. I have never owned one but they sure look like a lot of fun. The RD series of engines are the predecessor's to the Banshee engine, basically the same - The motor mounting area's are nearly identical to the 70's RD's. Of couse, the RD is the air cooled version but did evolve into the water cooled version in the early 80's as the RZ series of street bikes. I call it, Yamaha had Alien technology is those engines and in the Banshee engine. Only 350cc and pretty much nothing can keep up with it.

 

[YR3]

that's the way to go, it's also the way i would go about it too as those cosmetic things aren't as important... heck you could even leave it like that... have the bike ride amazing and while in action it will look great

anything that goes fast is beautiful

 

[u3c307]

Welcome to the forum Quark!

 

[quarkdude]

Welcome to the forum Quark!

Thanks for the welcome u3c307, Can't wait to see an R3 in person. On a side note, The Polaris dealer here in town just got a Polaris Slingshot. I Went over there to take a ride in it. Pretty fast vehicle but the $22K price tag was a little hard to swallow. The R3 is still a way better way to go in my opinion.

 

[Banshee28]

Thanks for the welcome u3c307, Can't wait to see an R3 in person. On a side note, The Polaris dealer here in town just got a Polaris Slingshot. I Went over there to take a ride in it. Pretty fast vehicle but the $22K price tag was a little hard to swallow. The R3 is still a way better way to go in my opinion.

Interesting you mention the "3 wheelers"... I really thought they were actually more "dangerous" than a 2 wheel motorcycle but looking at a few websites, maybe they are a little safer since they do have a small amount of protection from the side areas. That Polaris does look neat, so maybe one day I would want to try one!

 

[Yamahahaha]

3 wheelers look fun but I don't really see them as the same as a motorcycle. Driving them is so much different because you don't get any lean around corners.

 

[quarkdude]

3 wheelers look fun but I don't really see them as the same as a motorcycle. Driving them is so much different because you don't get any lean around corners.

It was fun to ride in the Slingshot but you are right, you just don't get that awesome defying gravity feel like when you drop a knee into a corner on a motorcycle. I test rode a Ninja 300 yesterday to see what the 300cc 4 stroke feels like and it seemed OK for what is was. I am really anxious to ride the R3, its going to be a superior bike for its class for sure.

 

[u3c307]

Definitely, the slingshot is a toy to have if you have the money to drop on it just like a t-rex.