[barett]

Going to be one of the best shootouts in a LONG time when these become available for testing

Engine

R25: 249cc Liquid Cooled Parallel Twin
RC390: 373cc Liguid Cooled Single

Power/Torque

R25: 36 ps/22.6 Nm
RC390: 43.6 ps/35 Nm

Weight

R25: 166 kg
RC390: 147 kg

LxBxH (mm)

R25: 2090×720×1135
RC390: ??????

Ground Clearance:

R25: 160mm
RC390: 178.5mm

Fuel Tank:

R25: 14.3L
RC390: 10L

 

[u3c307]

Duke RC390 beats R25 like it's nothing especially weight. Hope R3 will be able to have better spec compare to RC390

 

[Vaughan]

yes but price is going to be the ultimate factor. Which willprovide the best bang for your buck. We could even look at RC200 but R25 has that one fairly cleanly. KTM operates in the areas no one else does and as a consequence are often given a leg up in comparisons. I think they're brilliant!

 

[Yamahahaha]

Seems pretty clear to me that the Duke 390 is going to beat the R25 in any race they might have. The R25 might have the advantage of being better value for the dollar, but that won't help it win a race.

 

[YR3]

Seems pretty clear to me that the Duke 390 is going to beat the R25 in any race they might have. The R25 might have the advantage of being better value for the dollar, but that won't help it win a race.

They are some downsides to the KTM, like lack of dealers, Yami has a wider reach and there seems to be more knowledgeable people about them, still like KTM's, might get one someday

 

[barett]

Seems pretty clear to me that the Duke 390 is going to beat the R25 in any race they might have. The R25 might have the advantage of being better value for the dollar, but that won't help it win a race.

don't be a squid. Both these bikes are commuters, sure they'll be fun for backroads and night time rip runs (my fav personally) but please don't think people are going to be dragging down the local interstate. Like I said squids

Plus the KTMs get hot, fade their brakes and rattle your hands buzzy over prolonged periods. Curse of the single

 

[YR3]

LOL, people dragging these on the interstate will get smoked easily

 

[barett]

KTM RC390

Power 43bhp
Torque 25.8lbft
Weight 147kg

Yamaha R3

Power 41.42bhp
Torque 21.8lbft
Weight 169kg fully wet

extra weight is a downer, but not hugely. Expect the KTM to sport better suspension, also exprec to shell out a good chunk more...

 

[Riduhh]

KTM RC390

Power 43bhp
Torque 25.8lbft
Weight 147kg

Yamaha R3

Power 41.42bhp
Torque 21.8lbft
Weight 169kg fully wet

extra weight is a downer, but not hugely. Expect the KTM to sport better suspension, also exprec to shell out a good chunk more...

@barett

I watched the launch ceremony for the RC390 on youtube. RC390 isn't as light as many believe it is. During the ceremony they actually showed the specs of the KTM390. The actual weight is 159.5kg (dry) and 166kg (wet). The R3 is actually just 3kg's heavier! The 147kg is the dry weight of the RC200.

Here's an image taken straight from the slides they were showing during the ceremony:

 

[slipstream]

My money would definitely go for the parallel twin R3 than an on the boil single. Love the exhaust note of the R3!

 

[YR3]

My money would definitely go for the parallel twin R3 than an on the boil single. Love the exhaust note of the R3!

Exhaust note on Yamaha's in general are just amazing, Yamaha is so good that even a big automotive maker like Lexus hired them to develop an exhaust system for their first supercar.

 

[Evotion]

Exhaust note on Yamaha's in general are just amazing, Yamaha is so good that even a big automotive maker like Lexus hired them to develop an exhaust system for their first supercar.

Absolutely.

For those people who are not stuck on the one brand whatever the bikes is like, which is most people, then they will go on looks and sound.
If they try all the bikes then they can then make their decision.
I suspect the Ninja will be the main competition as its a great all rounder, The RC being a track choice.

What will change this is a seed change in opinions. This can happen if the R3 proves to be the best on the road and on the track against the CBR, Ninja, RC and whatever Zuki et all do.

I suspect when it comes to full review time the reviewers are going to absolutely love it and it will become an instant legend in the already legendary R line up.

 

[YR3]

Absolutely.

For those people who are not stuck on the one brand whatever the bikes is like, which is most people, then they will go on looks and sound.
If they try all the bikes then they can then make their decision.
I suspect the Ninja will be the main competition as its a great all rounder, The RC being a track choice.

What will change this is a seed change in opinions. This can happen if the R3 proves to be the best on the road and on the track against the CBR, Ninja, RC and whatever Zuki et all do.

I suspect when it comes to full review time the reviewers are going to absolutely love it and it will become an instant legend in the already legendary R line up.

That's what i'm looking forward to, those reviews! I think for the most part they will be happy with it, I don't expect many disappointments.

 

[Evotion]

Yeah, Yamaha will not release a bike with any obvious flaws.
They know full well who the target market is.
I am sure they will make it good on the road and track, with amazing feel.

My only problem so far is the lack of colour schemes!!

 

[OneTwo]

Yeah, Yamaha will not release a bike with any obvious flaws.
They know full well who the target market is.
I am sure they will make it good on the road and track, with amazing feel.

My only problem so far is the lack of colour schemes!!

R25 will off ironed out all the serious flaws before R3's even get near our stores.

 

[kneedrag]

Is the R3 .81 sec better?

It's slow at work so I thought I'd pose the question: Now that the R3s are getting into showrooms, anyone want to take a guess whether the R3 will match, or even exceed, an RC390 laptime? All things being equal (rider and tires).

After watching this review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9e2bYbodu8 the Ninja 300 only set a best laptime .81 (min 7:30) of sec slower than the RC390 during the 3hr endurance race. That's closer than I really expected. I thought that was a fair accessment given that mutliple riders should have been given multiple opportunities to set a fast time.

According to this spec sheet: http://therideadvice.com/yamaha-r3-vs-ktm-rc390-vs-kawasaki-ninja-300-road-test-preview/ The R3 is 15lbs lighter, has bigger "better" forks and 10% more torques and hp than the Ninja 300. Is that enough to run head to head?

Will it depend on the type of track? Tight course (torque adv) vs higher speed course (rev adv).

Will the $500 you "should" save over the RC390 be needed in performance upgrades?

Thoughts?

 

[TrueFaith]

I really wanted to like the RC390, but I'm pretty disappointed in the exhaust sound and the fact that it's a single.
I'd much rather have a small twin and the sweet exhaust note that comes with it.
That and the fact that Orange may be the new Black, but not on my bikes, thank you.

 

[kneedrag]

No guesses huh

Just picked our R3s (Nor Cal) and started the "process". They'll be hitting the track Monday and get fitted with some stickier Pirelli's. We "should" have a RC390 cup bike as well to do a direct comparison. >

Upgrades planned for Monday:
Tires
Gearing
Fabricated belly pan
Coolant

Coming next week-ish:
Quick turn throttle.
Fork cartridges
Rear spring upgrade
Engine oil
Rearset adapters
GP Shift?
Steel braided lines
Caliper bolt replacement

Next month-ish:
Full bodywork
Exhaust
Chain conversion
Brake/Clutch lever
Brake pads
Frame sliders
Engine covers
Rear shock revalve?

Longer term:
Compression increase
Potential cam timing
Supersport engine rebuild
Fork brace?

 

[Kojiiro]

Didnt want to start a new thread. Has anyone tried both? I am about to pick another bike up in about 3 weeks. I really liked the R3 obviously. I have a chance to try out an RC390. Was wondering for all you guys who have rode both, what your (unbiased please) thoughts are.

I also have a chance to pick up an older 400cc I-4 since they seem pretty common there. Anyone have experience with one of those?

 

[FangShui]

Didnt want to start a new thread. Has anyone tried both? I am about to pick another bike up in about 3 weeks. I really liked the R3 obviously. I have a chance to try out an RC390. Was wondering for all you guys who have rode both, what your (unbiased please) thoughts are.

I also have a chance to pick up an older 400cc I-4 since they seem pretty common there. Anyone have experience with one of those?

I did a 30 mile test ride on one while waiting for my R3 to arrive last April.

The seating position is fairly race aggressive. It put off a lot of heat onto my legs, stalled 3-4 times while waiting at stoplights and had pretty noticeable vibration. Build quality was pretty terrible, too. Turn signals pointing off in weird directions, thin spots in the orange wheel paint, panels mis-aligned, cheap switchgear, rear fender was crooked, etc.

But that was one of the first RC390s in the U.S. so maybe they have fixed all of those issues by now.

Great looking bike, though.