Yamaha patents MT-03; naked variant of YZF-R3 coming soon

The launch of Yamaha’s YZF-R3 last month gave the fans of the Tuning Forks logo much to cheer about. It had been a long wait for them, to have a proper-performance oriented machine, in reply to the likes of the CBR250’s, the Duke twins & the Ninja300’s of the world. The YZF-R3 had impressed us no end with her tractable, free-revving motor, smooth-shifting habits and her slinky bodywork, during our brief riding impression. But not everyone likes a superbike aping, committed stance on their daily ride and it was only a matter of time, before Yamaha started to explore the option of a naked variant of the YZF-R3.

Information is now trickling in that Yamaha have indeed patented the MT-03 name, here in India, possibly for this very same naked variant that’s due to be introduced soon. Featuring the same underpinnings of the YZF-R3, the MT-03 is expected to sport an aggressive, street-fighter stance. It is likely that Yamaha will do away with just the fairing, keeping the oh-so-desirable tank-scoops and underbelly fairing from the R3 intact. Also expect to see a single-piece handle bar to be featured on the MT-03 in place of the clip-on’s, with a single headlight doing duty, rather than the twin-slits from its fully-faired sibling.

The 42bhp, 29.2Nm torque figures from the 320cc short-stroke motor should remain unchanged, though Yamaha could tweak the gearing ratios to suit its intended application. Of-course, the weight reduction from the shedding of excess body panels should help push the MT-03 that bit quicker to the horizon. There are no indicators towards the final pricing, though expect the naked version to be priced at-least INR 20-30000 lower than the YZF-R3.