Photography: Arvind Salhan
Our experience with the Yamaha YZF R3 left us wanting for more. So, we figured why not get a taste of its sibling, the MT-03 and we have been living with it for a few days now to see how it deals with the rigours of daily riding.
The MT-03 offers a sweet motorcycling experience
The 321 cc parallel-twin motor is smooth and high-revving. It offers dollops of torque across the rev range
Best performances comes after you cross 5,000 rpm
The engine has a tendency to heat up in peak traffic. And there's no way to adjust the brake and clutch levers as well
The engine is free-revving and loves to be ridden hard
The motorcycle feels nimble and agile around a corner. It is similar to the R3 in terms of riding dynamics
The 37 mm USD fork along with the lightweight chassis and the Dunlop Sportmax tyres do a good job of making the bike handle well
We like the front-end design on the MT-03, which is similar to the MT-15
The display is the same as the one on the R3, a black and white LCD unit, with no connectivity features. The bike also misses out on electronics like ride-by-wire, traction control, quick-shifter and riding modes. It only gets dual-channel ABS as standard.
At Rs. 4.6 lakh (ex-showroom), it is quite a pricey proposition and there are much more affordable models which offer more features and have similar levels of performance, if not better
Specifications Table
| Specifications | Yamaha MT-03 |
| Displacement | 321 cc |
| Engine | Liquid-cooled parallel-twin |
| Max Power | 41 bhp at 10,750 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 29.5 Nm at 9,000 rpm |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Chassis Type | Diamond frame |
| Seat Height | 780 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 160 mm |
| Front Suspension | 37 mm USD fork |
| Rear Suspension | Monoshock |
| Fuel Capacity | 14 litres |
| Kerb Weight | 167 kg |
| Front Brake | 298 mm disc (ABS) |
| Rear Brake | 220 mm disc (ABS) |
| Front Tyre | 110/70-R17 |
| Rear Tyre | 140/70-R17 |
