2015 Yamaha R3

[sorkyah]

If Yamaha came out with a Grom sized FZ, I would be at the dealership right now putting down my deposit. Small bikes (to me) are way more fun than the big bikes. I ride the crap out of my little Grom. Dropped it about a dozen times now practicing stunts (in lots only).

Yamaha does have a smaller FZ(MT) than the '07 it's just not available here. 
I know Cycleworld and Motorcycle USA did a shootout between the R3, CBR300R, Ninja 300, and KTM RC390. R3 won on both occasions. I like the R3 but I still like the looks of the Ninja 300 a little better. That and I think the huge gas tank (4.5 Gallons) on the ninja is awesome when coupled to +60 mpg efficiency.
 

Or an FJ-07.

I want an FZ-07 TÉNÉRÉ edition (Maybe FX-07?).

you dream too much driftless, imagining Yamaha would come out with something perfect straight from factory? fj-09 is good, but at 12k its not my cup o tea. 
fj or fx-07 would be awesome if the pricing on the bikes were similar. somewhere around 8500

[lonerider]

I did test rode the R3 a few weeks ago. I really like the look of the blue R3. The lack of torque when going from a stop is a bit surprising. My WR250X was a lot torquier. I had a blast riding this little sport bike. I like it better than the competitors. But i have to say that i didn't try the CBR300 (but i rented a CBR250 a few years ago). Yamaha is supposed to unveil a MT-03 in a few days. I don't know yet if it would be available in North America.

[SkH]

Went with the R3 for the wife.
 
The bike is lower and far lighter than the FZ07. Well, its the only bike I have to compare to! Haha. Walking it around my garage is so easy relative to the FZ07. But it sucks riding the R3 at low speeds- worse/unstable maneuverability compared to the FZ07, but I was informed that is true for all sport bikes with clip ons. Its posing a problem for the wife since she seems to have a very easy time dropping the bike. Lol.
 
But I will say the R3 leans much quicker on twisties.  Its nice having two types of bikes, you can feel the drastic characteristic differences between the two.  I'm kind of eyeing the R6 now.
 

 

[norcal616]

I find Most ppl drop there bike when moving at a low speed and turning sharp and grabbing too much front brake...

[fromthecage]

Went with the R3 for the wife. 
The bike is lower and far lighter than the FZ07. Well, its the only bike I have to compare to! Haha. Walking it around my garage is so easy relative to the FZ07. But it sucks riding the R3 at low speeds- worse/unstable maneuverability compared to the FZ07, but I was informed that is true for all sport bikes with clip ons. Its posing a problem for the wife since she seems to have a very easy time dropping the bike. Lol.
 
But I will say the R3 leans much quicker on twisties.  Its nice having two types of bikes, you can feel the drastic characteristic differences between the two.  I'm kind of eyeing the R6 now.
 

Good looking bike, my wife would love the "Hello Kitty" stickers. I did my MSF course on the CBR250 and I know exactly what you're talking about with the small bike/clip-on combo. I was having the same issues with the bars and my wrist angle against the tank trying to make slow, tight turns. That whole figure 8 inside the box thing killed me. As soon as I got on the FZ-07 my mind exploded at the ease of turning at slow speeds in comparison.

[pattonme]

> low speeds- worse/unstable maneuverability compared to the FZ07, but I was informed that is true for all sport bikes with clip ons.
 
It's ergonomics and weight bias that many clip-on arrangements bring about. You'd drop a dresser with clip-ons just as fast. upright bars and sitting position is the natural, human way. Clip-ons get everything tight and cramped and contort wrists into unnatural and difficult to control angles. It's enlightening watching the MSF students ride the various types, up close and personal over the course of only God knows how many hours on the range. Clip-on riders try to use their arms and shoulders instead of their wrists.
 
The trick to the figure-8 box is 1) turn your head around as far as it will go and keep your eyes "locked" on the opposite corner. 2) sufficient momentum so you can lean and pull in the clutch and coast thru 60% of the arc and then feed in some power to get you back upright. I'd say 90%+ try to balance the bike on the knife edge of falling over and completely lose the concept of feathering the clutch and keeping the gas on the whole time. Personally I'd like to see the box about 5 feet wider initially and force them to do it "at speed".
 
If your lady keeps dropping it, she's likely to quit in short order. The bars look pretty relaxed as clip-ons go, IMO. There's oodles of room to pivot them outward and get a flatter interface. 5-10 degrees might make all the difference. The other popular mod was something from Storz which was an adapter plate that let you run traditional flat-bend bars.
 
You can see the beancounters got a few words in edgewise...
http://www.likeautomotive.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2015-Yamaha-YZF-R3-Review-and-Specs-Feature.jpg
 
Cockpit:
http://i2.wp.com/www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2015-Yamaha-YZF-R3-up-close-5.jpg
http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/gallery/2015-yamaha-yzf-r3-comes-with-better-materials-than-expected-at-eicma-live-photos_6.jpg
 
Hmmm, I should peddle adjustable fork caps to the R3 crowd (R3 uses 41mm forks like FZ family)