Beginner-ish Sportbike Shootout + Video

From the title alone, there’s a good chance new riders are intently combing through each word of this shootout. The beginner bike market is one the manufacturers value dearly, and for decades Kawasaki has owned this corner of the market with its EX/ Ninja 250, and now the current Ninja 300. Honda finally followed suit in 2010, introducing the CBR250R as a 2011 model, and later, in 2014, the CBR300R as a 2015. Now the floodgates have opened, as both KTM and Yamaha have launched their own small-displacement sportbikes – the RC390 and YZF-R3, respectively – to try to grab a slice of that pie. If it weren’t for the crop of highly advanced literbikes coming out this year, a strong argument could be made for 2015 being the year of the entry-level sportbike.

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2015 Yamaha R3 First Ride Video Review

After riding Yamaha’s spectacular YZF-R1 and YZF-R1M, stepping down to something like the R3 might seem a bit dull in comparison. Fortunately, that’s not the case with Yamaha’s latest entry into the beginner bike market. As I noted in my first ride review following the R3’s press intro in Northern California, the R3 is a bike gentle enough for a new rider, yet entertaining enough for an experienced rider to still have some fun.

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2015 Yamaha YZF-R3 First Ride Review + Video

Yamaha’s been on a roll lately, with bikes like the FZ-09, FJ-09 and FZ-07 stealing headlines by proving that affordable and competent motorcycles aren’t synonymous with dull and boring. If that wasn’t enough, Yamaha also unleashed the new YZF-R1 and R1M to the masses, showing the world in one swift kick how far it can push the boundaries of technology on two wheels.

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Top 10 Anticipated Motorcycles of 2015

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the 2015 model year. With so many new models coming from almost every manufacturer, it’s hard not to be excited. And of all those new models slated to arrive within the coming months, this week’s Top 10 lists the ones your MO crew are most anxious to ride.

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AIMExpo 2014: 2015 Yamaha R3 First Look Video

MO E-i-C Kevin Duke offers his first-hand look of the new 2015 Yamaha YZF-R3 right from the AIMExpo show floor.

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AIMExpo 2014: 2015 Yamaha YZF-R3 Coming to America

Yamaha revealed its new 320cc YZF-R3, bringing in MotoGP star Colin Edwards and his wife Alyssia to ride the entry-level sportbike before the gather media at AIMExpo in Orlando, Fla.

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