Weird Flex: Yamaha R3 Goes Electric! Well, Sort of...

This Chinese electric bike is almost a blatant copy of the Yamaha R3’s design. But its specs almost make us want to overlook the plagiarism

Chinese manufacturer Longzu Star has introduced an electric bike, codenamed the ‘HL-V6’. As you can see, its design is a shameless copy of the old-gen Yamaha R3. However, the spec-sheet suggests it is more than just a gimmick.

Powering the bike is a hub motor linked to either a lithium-ion battery or a lead acid battery pack. Depending on the motor and battery specs, the bike can reach a claimed top speed of up to 143kmph. At 240km, the claimed range is pretty impressive too, at least on paper. The brand says it’d take 6-8 hours to charge the battery using a 110-240V socket. 

The electric motorcycle is built on a steel frame linked to a telescopic front fork and a rear-linked monoshock. It gets a pair of 280mm front discs and a 220mm rear unit, but there’s no ABS. Features include an all-LED lighting system and a semi-digital instrument cluster that looks identical to the Yamaha R3. While the faux exhausts look like an unashamed lift off the Kawasaki Ninja H2, it serves as a storage compartment. We’re not even mad, that’s actually clever and practical!

The e-bike is priced at a wholesale USD 1,115 (around Rs 80,000), but expect the retail price to be steeper. That said, even at twice the wholesale rate, it would still be a value-for-money electric bike, provided the motorcycle lives up to the tall claims in the spec sheet. 

In case you’re more curious about the real deal, the Japanese brand launched the 2021 iteration of the R3 in its home turf in December 2020. Check out more details here.