Yamaha YZF-R3 Rendered as a 3-Cylinder Superbike

After Yamaha has registered the trademark for the YZF-R3 and R3 bike names, numerous rumors started to circle the motorcycle planet. So far, the most credible ones say that Yamaha will either deliver a 300cc sport bike or a new generation of sub-liter-class machines equipped with their all new 3-cylinder engine.

To be honest, both possibilities are as plausible as it gets. For starters, Yamaha is the last of the big boys who does not have a small-displacement sporty bike in the US and European line-ups. Honda, Kawasaki and even Suzuki are selling their (around) quarter-liter bikes well and and are enjoying a serious battle in this segment.

A 300cc bike in Yamaha's YZF family could only mean that a lot of young customers will go and buy this machine, provided that Team Blue offers it for a competitive price. Which we know it can, if we look at the MT-09/ FZ-09.

And the MT-09 brings us to the other side of the rumors: a bigger, 900cc sport bike powered by the crossplane engine debuted last year. Whereas the MT-09 is a naked beast, the future YZF could add a stylish R1-derived bodywork and mark the debut of a new Yamaha superbike generation.

An R3 rendering has already surfaced, and it follows the big-bore path. What are your guesses?