Went to the Yamaha dealer yesterday for some fork oil. They had looks of really cool bikes (Kawa H2 for one) and a pair of R3s. So comfy little bikes. Like a new version of my Honda Hawk GT. I am little surprised by the 56 mpg though. Honda is almost 20 mpg higher than that on their 300, aren't they? I really like the initial fit of the R3 though. Very nice even for me at 6'2"
I would guess they would get better mileage than that in the real world. I also think they're pretty cool. I'm a pretty die hard Honda fan, but I think the R3 looks the best out of the mini sportbikes and if I was getting a quarter liter bike I wouldn't want it to be a single clyinder like the CBR300.
No. You'd want it to be a single cylinder like th RC390. 
In reply to Appleseed:
Nope. Also wouldn't want a bike that looked great from the side but hideous head on. Those headlights are terrible. The R3 is sexy whereas the RC390 is, um, something else.
That could be it. They didn't pander to testing cycles and geared it for real driving.
The Honda is nice but down SO much power. It does appear to have an edge on torque though.
The thing about the R3 is that it doesn't have a sport bike seating position. It was very upright and comfortable for my 6'2" frame. I am average leg to torso ratio BTW. If I get a commuter bike, the Yamaha is on the test drive list for sure.
In reply to singleslammer:
The Ninja, CBR, and R3 all have an upright seating position. The difference in economy probably depends on the power curve and gearing. My biggest bitch with these three is the lack of inverted forks. The KTM does have those(ya know, like every other sport bike made in at least the last decade) I still love little bikes, but I have complaints against them as well.
In reply to Petrolburner:
Bad ass. The word you're looking for is bad ass.
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