R3... Want? No, NEED!

[Watcher]

I've always wanted a little hooligan bike, like a 250cc supermoto or a Grom, they are dirt cheap and look like so much fun to throw around!  I love my CB500F, and while a lot of people would opt to get something bigger as an alternate motorcycle I'd actually like something smaller.  Mostly was looking at something kind of crappy and older that I don't care much about so I can take it to work and back in poor conditions, leave it in the alley and not worry about it growing legs and walking away, and pushing it to the limit and not giving a crap if I break something on it.
But after getting to ride an R3 at a local Yamaha demo, I think I may have put a spin on my whole concept here.

That bike was seriously fun!  Was it slow?  Yes.  Well, sort of.  The thing is tiny and doesn't produce much torque, so putting around town on it the thing was slow and quiet and felt like a dog.  But here's the staggering thing, the little 321cc twin makes 42 BHP at 10,750RPM, while my CB500F makes 47BHP at 8,500RPM.   
Only 5 less horsepower?  What!?
Now apparently my CB500 is down tuned to meet the European licensing or something, and I know it produces way more torque than the R3, but it's still quite a feat that Yamaha was able to squeeze that power out of such a tiny bike!  The Kawi 300 is a 296cc making 34HP at 11,100RPM, the Yamaha KILLS it for not being much bigger at all!

When you let that thing spin up and find the power, it really did reward you.  The demo we did was briskly paced, and I was easily keeping up with people testing out an R6, FZ09 variants, and FZ07s.  Now granted we weren't racing, and we were all unfamiliar with these machines, but I wasn't pushing to the limit, I could hear the other bikes revving up good, and noone was pulling away from me!
The body position isn't full race, it's sort of a half tuck with a lower seat and higher bars, but they are still clip ons and you could really duck down tight.  Foot position was good, I would compare the stock positions to the rear-sets I have on my Honda.  So all in all it was comfortable, and being a tiny little twin the whole bike was small and light and felt like I could thread a needle with it.

I discovered a whole new realm of fun, and that is riding a bike hard but not automatically getting yourself in trouble while doing it.  I felt like I was racing around just to keep up with everyone, and while most people would probably see that as annoying or a severe downside, for me it was one of the most fun experiences I've had motorcycling!
I could see myself MotoGPing to the grocery store, and chasing my friend on his CBR650 with him not being able to shake me in the twisties.  The challenge, the heightened thrill, yet all at legal speed limits!
On the way back on my CB I accidentally found myself doing like 85 in a 55, holding that thing WOT was too much fun to stop!

I seriously need one of these R3s!

[yamahonkawazuki]

what blows is we cannot have these fun bikes here stateside.
Aaron

[Watcher]

what blows is we cannot have these fun bikes here stateside.
Aaron

Yeah, I live in Chicago.  These bikes are already here.

[lucas]

I have seen a couple in California recently, one on the freeway and I walked up to one parked by the sidewalk.  It looks real nice.  No ABS though....

[Watcher]

I have seen a couple in California recently, one on the freeway and I walked up to one parked by the sidewalk.  It looks real nice.  No ABS though....

Is that really necessary?  Or expected from a $4000 motorcycle?

I have ABS on my CB500 and I've used it once.  Because I mashed on the controls trying to force it to engage.  I wanted to feel it.  After that, no issues, and the other day I did some hooligan stuff on a local sort-of twisty that was like a mile or two long.  Hard braking while rev matching, speeds easily triple what was posted, etc.

ABS isn't a deal breaker for me.
What's more of an issue, if you ask me, are the bias ply tires they used to cut cost.  But the power-plant is so wonderful, it's easily worth the extra couple hundred to put radials on it.

[lucas]

I locked up my front tire today when someone changed lanes in front of me without looking.  It was brief as I pumped the brakes.  Actually I locked up the front brake twice in quick succession before I gathered my wits and swerved.

Coincidentally it was less than an hour after my last comment.  Just thought I'd share it.  Was the first time I did that.

I think I'd like my next bike to have abs and preferably some more cool electronics.

[Watcher]

One thing to consider is that even ABS can fail and when it does you might not be so prepared to handle a locked up front wheel.
At least without ABS the feeling of too much brake pressure can be learned, the recovery can be experienced and, ultimately, a new skill learned.

I had ABS in only one of my cars, and I drive in snow frequently.  I felt better off without it, without the pulsing in the pedal I could more accurately feel where the threshold was and minimize my stopping distance while maximizing my control over direction.

Now granted the consequence for locking up the wheels in a car isn't as severe or potentially painfull as on a bike, so I'll agree that ABS DOES make a rider safer.  But I still think a skilled rider has the potential for more control without it.

[ShowBizWolf]

+1 about cars, snow and abs... I'd rather go without it as well.

[jdoorn14]

ABS on motorcycles is another one of those debates that people usually feel very passionate about one way or the other.

I'm probably going to be in the minority on this, but I happen to think it's a great addition to motorcycles, especially when you consider that many new riders don't even have the experience of dealing with non-ABS brakes in their car since it has been standard on most cars since the late 90s. It also helps keep newer riders from making a bad situation worse by locking up front, rear, or both wheels on their motorcycle as they panic stop to avoid something a more experienced rider may have avoided altogether.

[Watcher]

@jdoorn14

Yeah, I agree with you.  For new riders who might mash the brakes it's definitely a good thing, and I do think overall it makes a rider safer.
For someone like me who has several years of riding experience and pretty much owns cars for just the winter, it really makes no difference in the end.
I wouldn't say I'd rather have a bike without ABS, but it's not a necessity to me, and in some cases may not be worth additional cost.


In the case of the R3 I perceive it not as a beginners bike but just a very small sports-bike.  It might be marketed to beginners, but the fact it nearly makes 500cc power is ridiculous.  The Kawi and Honda are much more benign, and I think would make better beginner motorcycles, the fact that those models WITH ABS are as expensive as the R3 outright might help that point.
At the same time, ABS on the Honda and Kawi just means it's only a matter of time before ABS on the R3...

[jdoorn14]

It seems like I read somewhere that the NTHSA was going to require ABS on all motorcycles, or was trying to pass some ruling on it. Kinda like they've decreed that all cars must have backup cameras standard by like 2019.