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Yamaha News,ENG,No.1,2005,1月,1月,Winning Technology,Up Front,The Yamaha Technologies and Spirit Behind the 2004 World Championship Machines, YZR-M1 and YZ450FM,Motorcycle,Valentino Rossi,YZR-M1,The YZR-M1 Challenge,Shigeto Kitagawa,YZ450FM,Rossiʼs 2004 season on the YZR-M1,Masao Furusawa,YZR-M1 Feature Development,Masahiko Nakajima,The ABCs of Race Terminology,Stefan Everts,The YZ450FM Challenge,Rinaldi,The 2004 MX1 Season,Racing Express,Valentino Rossi Interview,Racing,Stefan Everts Interview,International Focus - Serial 47,A vast market of equally large potential,Moscow Representative Office,Russia,Moscow,Launch of the Representative Office in Moscow,Overview of the Russian market,The motorcycle market,Outboard motors in Russia,Snowmobiles keep cold winter hot,World Topics,New marine test and training center opens,Yamaha Motor Portugal,Portugal,Marine Test and Training Center,Yamaha YFZ450 dominates USAʼs GNCC national ATV championship in debut year,ATV,2004 ATVA/AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) championship,Bill Balance,YFZ450,U.S.A.,Grand Yamaha user appreciation day at the races,YahooDay,Hong Leong Yamaha Distributor Sdn., Bhd.,Malaysia,WaveRunners chosen as rescue craft for rowing competition,PWC,National High School Rowing Championships,Japan,Shizuoka,6th African Parts Managers Meeting Held,African Parts Managers Conference,South Africa,Bringing services that “Touch the Hearts” of customers worldwide,Global Service Managers Meeting,Communication Plaza,Yamaha paves the way for 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix,2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix,Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.,Gill Campbell,Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,Yamaha Wins 2004 CS No.1 Award,Indonesian Customer Satisfaction Award,P.T. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing,Scorpio-Z,Indonesia,P.T. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia,Aaron Gobert and the R1 claim 2004 AMA National Superstock Championship,American Motorcyclist Associationʼs Superstock,Aaron Gobert,YZF-R1,50,000 kms on YAMAHA WR450Fs,Australian Safari Tour Experience,Stephen Gall,WR450F,Australia,Designers name MT-01 “Motorcycle of the Year”,Designers Night,Motorcycle Design Association,Tamura,MT-01,Germany,GK Dynamics,Ishiyama,154 units of FZ-6N delivered to the French Army Police,French Army Police Gendarmerie,FZ-6N,France,Yamaha Motor France,Zoom In,“MT-01” Runs to a Different Beat,Soul Beat V-twin Sports,Kodo YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. JANUARY 1, 2005 ENGLISH No.1 BIMONTHLY Winning Technology! Winning Technology!

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Page 1: YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. · PDF filethe Russian market,The motorcycle market,Outboard motors in Russia,Snowmobiles keep cold ... on YAMAHA WR450Fs,Australian Safari Tour Experience,Stephen

Yamaha News,ENG,No.1,2005,1月,1月,Winning Technology,Up Front,The Yamaha Technologies and Spirit Behind the 2004 World Championship Machines, YZR-M1 and YZ450FM,Motorcycle,Valentino Rossi,YZR-M1,The YZR-M1 Challenge,Shigeto Kitagawa,YZ450FM,Rossiʼs 2004 season on the YZR-M1,Masao Furusawa,YZR-M1 Feature Development,Masahiko Nakajima,The ABCs of Race Terminology,Stefan Everts,The YZ450FM Challenge,Rinaldi,The 2004 MX1 Season,Racing Express,Valentino Rossi Interview,Racing,Stefan Everts Interview,International Focus - Serial 47,A vast market of equally large potential,Moscow Representative Office,Russia,Moscow,Launch of the Representative Office in Moscow,Overview of the Russian market,The motorcycle market,Outboard motors in Russia,Snowmobiles keep cold winter hot,World Topics,New marine test and training center opens,Yamaha Motor Portugal,Portugal,Marine Test and Training Center,Yamaha YFZ450 dominates USAʼs GNCC national ATV championship in debut year,ATV,2004 ATVA/AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) championship,Bill Balance,YFZ450,U.S.A.,Grand Yamaha user appreciation day at the races,YahooDay,Hong Leong Yamaha Distributor Sdn., Bhd.,Malaysia,WaveRunners chosen as rescue craft for rowing competition,PWC,National High School Rowing Championships,Japan,Shizuoka,6th African Parts Managers Meeting Held,African Parts Managers Conference,South Africa,Bringing services that “Touch the Hearts” of customers worldwide,Global Service Managers Meeting,Communication Plaza,Yamaha paves the way for 2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix,2005 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix,Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.,Gill Campbell,Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,Yamaha Wins 2004 CS No.1 Award,Indonesian Customer Satisfaction Award,P.T. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing,Scorpio-Z,Indonesia,P.T. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia,Aaron Gobert and the R1 claim 2004 AMA National Superstock Championship,American Motorcyclist Associationʼs Superstock,Aaron Gobert,YZF-R1,50,000 kms on YAMAHA WR450Fs,Australian Safari Tour Experience,Stephen Gall,WR450F,Australia,Designers name MT-01 “Motorcycle of the Year”,Designers Night,Motorcycle Design Association,Tamura,MT-01,Germany,GK Dynamics,Ishiyama,154 units of FZ-6N delivered to the French Army Police,French Army Police Gendarmerie,FZ-6N,France,Yamaha Motor France,Zoom In,“MT-01” Runs to a Different Beat,Soul Beat V-twin Sports,Kodo

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD.JANUARY 1, 2005 ENGLISH

No.1BIMONTHLY

Winning Technology!Winning Technology!

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2 YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005

UP FRONT

The YZR-M1 Engineers’ Quest

Q: We are told that the main featureof the 2004 YZR-M1 was its new

engine. What led up to the start ofdevelopment?Furusawa: From the middle of the 2003season the M1 was definitely getting

faster and evolving. But our rivals werealso progressing very quickly, and evenif we got good results in the time trialswe were often being left behind in theactual races. So, we started thinkingabout the next big step forward. Duringthat summer we did analysis of theengine character and reviewed the possi-bilities. That led to adjustment of thecombustion timing and the start ofdevelopment on a 4-valve unit.

Q: What were your choices at thetime?

Furusawa: There were four types ofengines. The existing regular-intervalfiring type and an irregular-interval typeand either a 4-valve or 5-valve combus-tion chamber for each of these types. Wedeveloped prototypes for all four ofthese combinations.

Q: What was the response of theriders?

Furusawa: During the tests before thestart of the [2004] season we asked theriders their opinions. Of the four, Rossi

liked the irregular-interval4-valve model best. Hecalled it a “sweet” engine.And that corresponded per-fectly with our assump-tions. That was a veryencouraging moment forus. Nakajima: On the develop-ment side we then tookRossi’s “sweet” as ourtechnical term as weworked on the engine’smaturation through the teststage.

Q: What are the advantages of anirregular-interval 4-valve engine?

Furusawa: The aim of an irregular firinginterval is to get the best possible reac-tion from throttle action with regard totraction development. The aim of a 4-valve design is to improve ease of use inactual MotoGP racing. Kitagawa: That’s right. The characteris-tics of racers in recent years has changeda lot from what it used to be. Racemachines used to have a character thatwould be very difficult for most riders tohandle. But, with today’s MotoGPmachines the problem is how to get asmuch of the power from a more than200 horsepower engine applied to thevery limited point of contact between thetire and the road surface. That meansyou can’t have a hard-to-controlmachine. There has to be a gentle touchto both the engine and the machine. Thatis what we were aiming for.

Q: Can’t those characteristics becompensated for the electronic

control system? Nakajima: If you were only aiming for“gentler” character, you could adjust itjust with the ignition timing. But in therealm of differences in acceleration thateven the riders can’t perceive, you wanttorque that builds like that of a 2-stagerocket. A 4-valve engine design givesyou more room for fine-tuning the char-acter in that way. Furusawa: The rpm is another factorinvolved. The YZF-R1 has its maxpower output in the 12,500 rpm range,but with the YZR-M1 it is 15,000 rpm.In that range the air flow characteristicsare different. It is not simply a case ofthe more intake surface area the better. It

In the 2004 MotoGP series, Italy’sValentino Rossi won a record ninerounds of the 16-round series on hisYZR-M1 to capture the season titleand bring Yamaha its first rider’schampionship in the premier classin 12 years. His nine wins this sea-son is also the largest number ofwins in one series for Yamaha in thisclass since 1988. The YZR-M1machine that Rossi and his team-mates rode is now the focus of keenattention from motorcycle fansaround the world. Yamaha Newsspoke to members of the develop-ment staff that worked on the YZR-M1 to learn about the developmen-tal aims and directions as well as thespirit that guided their efforts.

From left: Shigeto Kitagawa, Masao Furusawa and Masahiko Nakajima

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YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005 3

is the same principle as not getting anymore air coming in when you open yourmouth wide to the wind in a typhoon.

Q: What is unique about Rossi’sriding technique?

Furusawa: Rossi changed his riding stylefor us when he started riding the YZR-M1. He commented that the handlingstability of the M1 was close to that of a250cc machine and he realized theimportance of running lines closer tothose of 250cc racing. He made thateffort to change the way he rode for us.He adopted a more gentle riding style.

Nakajima: We also got a lot of feedbackfrom Rossi. When new parts were addedhe would not come back after two orthree laps and simply say they weregood or bad. He would run seven to ninelaps with the image of actual racing cir-cumstances and then look at the aver-aged lap times before commenting orsuggesting changes. Kitagawa: That is why the specs hechooses are good ones in actual racing.Rossi also explains things in easy tounderstand terms without depending ontechnical terms. And, the fact that hisevaluations usually match our expecta-

tions on the technical side has helpedspeed up the development process. Thishas been a motivating factor for us too.

Q: Can you give us an overview ofwhat gains were made in 2004

and the outlook for 2005?Kitagawa: In the past, racing machinedevelopment probably depended to alarge degree on intuition and experience,but today the analysis technologies havedeveloped to such an extent that we canrun simulations at the developmentstage. I think the 2004 season was onewhere these new technologies andYamaha’s long years of race experiencecame together very well. Nakajima: Power specs are certainlyimportant, but besides just increasingpower we were able to develop in 2004a machine that also brought out the skillsof the rider to the fullest. In other words,a machine that doesn’t hinder the rider.Having a rider like Rossi with such agood sense of development and analysisskills also gave us confidence in ourdevelopment directions. Furusawa: In 2005 we want not only towin the title again but also to finish 1-2.If we can do that we can win the manu-facturers’ title. We want to keep winningand we hope everyone will root for us.

After winning the opening round of the 2004season, Rossi had disappointing races inrounds two and three, finishing fourth. Atround two in Spain, he had trouble with thefirst wet race, and by the end of round threehe stood third in the season ranking, 15points behind the leader, Gibernau. After abreak of three weeks in the schedule, Rossicame back to win round four in his native Italyand then score two more consecutive victo-ries in round five (Catalunia) and round six atAssen. At that point he had regained the leadin the series ranking. But then Rossi crashedin round seven at Rio de Janiero, Brazil. In

that race his rival Gibernau also crashed andretired from the race, leaving the two riderstied for 1st in the ranking. At round eight inGermany, Rossi had trouble with sliding andfinished 4th. But since Gibernau crashedonce again, Rossi regained the series lead.In round nine in the UK, Rossi scored a run-away victory, for his fifth win of the season. After a four-week summer break, Rossireturned in winning form to keep his momen-tum going by finishing 2nd, 1st and 2nd inrounds 10, 11 and 12. These performanceskept him on top in the ranking. Things took adramatic turn in round 13, however, as the

team was penalized for supposedly markingthe grip after the end of the qualifying round,forcing Rossi to start from the very back ofthe grid. Quickly moving up to 8th positionafter the start, Rossi charged hard to reach4th position before falling and retiring fromthe race. This cut his season lead to just 14points. But this is where Rossi showed histoughness, scoring his second three-racewinning streak of the season at rounds 14(Malaysia), 15 (Australia) and the final roundin Valencia. This brought his total wins for theseason to nine, while clinching the season inround 15 with one race remaining.

Rossi’s 2004 season on the YZR-M1

At the final round of the2004 season, the ValenciaGP (Spain) on Oct. 30

Rossi clinched the title at round 15

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UP FRONT

4 YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005

MotoGP The pinnacle of motorcycle road racing is theworld championships, which are competed inthree classes, the premier MotoGP class, the250cc class and the 125cc class. Competing inthe MotoGP class are specially developed 4-stroke machines with a displacement of 990cc orless. Competitors cannot enter with general pro-duction machines.

The ABCs of Race TerminologyRoad racingThis is a type of motorcycle race competed byspecial race machines on a specially designedpaved course called a circuit. The premier roadrace competition, the MotoGP series, will include17 rounds in 2005, beginning on April 10 and end-ing on November 6. The first rider to cross the fin-ish line after running the prescribed number oflaps of the circuit (about 40 minutes in duration) isthe winner. Series points are received in accor-

dance with the finishing place in each round and therider with the most points at the end of the series iscrowned the season champion.

Production (stock) model racingWhereas the MotoGP is competed with specially devel-oped race machines, production model races like theSupersport races are competed on modified productionmodels. In 2004, the Yamaha YZF-R1 was the champi-onship-winning machine in three classes of the world’stop production races in Europe and North America,including the World Endurance Championship.

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Irregular firing interval engineYamaha’s flagship supersport modelYZF-R1 has a 4-cylinder engine with aregular firing interval and a 5-valvecombustion chamber. In contrast, theengine on the 2004 model YZR-M1adopted an irregular firing interval and a4-valve combustion chamber. “In termsof engine type, the 2003 M1 was in thesame area as the YZF-R1, but wechanged the direction of our develop-ment after Rossi chose the irregular-

interval 4-valve prototype as the “sweet-est” of the different engine types we hadat last year’s test session in Sepan(Malaysia),” says Technology Develop-ment Div. General Manager Furusawa.

Engine-brake control systemAnother characteristic of the 2004 M1was a revised engine-brake control sys-tem. Because a 4-stroke engine has ahigher compression ratio than a 2-stroke, the engine brake effect is too

One of the prominent features of the2004 model YZR-M1 was its newengine. As mentioned previously, thisnew engine adopted an irregular firinginterval and a 4-valve combustionchamber. The 2004 model also featuredimprovements in components like theengine-brake control system and trac-tion control system.

The engine management system(EMS) includes the engine-brakecontrol system and the traction con-trol system. The former controls valveaction on two of the cylinders

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YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005 5

strong for a racing machine. So, one ofthe development aims is reducingengine brake effect. “With the 2003 M1we used a mapped control system thatcontrolled the engine brake effect basedon programming developed for eachtype of turn and course,” says Furu-sawa. “But in actual races you will sud-denly get rain or heavy tire wear, so weneeded a more mature system. With the’04 M1 we adopted a feedback type sys-tem that gives you control functionbased on real-time monitoring of thedifferences in front and rear wheel revo-lution speeds,” he adds. Practically speaking, this is a systemwhere the 1st and 2nd cylinders are con-trolled separately from the 3rd and 4th.The two cylinders on the left, whenlooking in the direction of forwardmotion, are controlled by the rider’sthrottle action, while the valves of thetwo right-hand cylinders are controlledby the throttle with an additional com-

puterized controlassist.

Traction controlThe YZR-M1 enginehas a power output ofover 200 PS. Tractioncontrol is used tokeep the front endfrom lifting duringacceleration. The trac-tion control systemuses sensors to detectdifferences in the rev-

olution speed of the two wheels. Whena difference indicating either spinning(slippage) of the rear wheel or lift of thefront wheel (wheelie) is detected, thesystem automatically reduces enginepower to correct for the spin or lift.

Optimized frame for the 4-cylin-der engineThe advantage of a parallel-four (in-line4) engine is that it enables a shorterframe design. As shown in the illustra-tions, the rear cylinders of a “V” typeengine cause the center of gravity toshift too far to the rear. The wheelbaseof the YZR-M1 is shorter than the rivalmakes, but compared to the 2003 M1,the 2004 model’s wheelbase was length-ened by 20mm and the engine mountingposition was moved farther forward. This enables good power delivery whilealso increasing the weight distributionon the front wheel for a more solid frontwheel road set. “When this is added to

The 2005 MotoGP Schedule (planned)10 April: Jerez – Spain

17 April: Autodromo Nelson – Brazil

1 May: Shanghai – China

15 May: Le Mans – France

5 June: Catalunya – Spain

12 June: Mugello – Italy

25 June: Assen – Netherlands**

10 July: Laguna Seca – United States*

24 July: Brno – Czech Republic

21 August: Sachsenring – Germany

28 August: Donington Park – United Kingdom

11 September: Sepang – Malaysia

18 September: Twin Ring Motegi – Japan

1 October: Qatar – Qatar **

16 October: Phillip Island – Australia

30 October: Estoril – Portugal

6 November: Valencia – Spain

*Only MotoGP class competition held** Final races held on Saturday

the effect of the new engine, it creates amachine that is capable of faster entryinto the turns and steeper banking,” saysFurusawa.

Less lateral rigidity in the frame“Compared to the 2003 model, wedeveloped the 2004 model with morefocus on stability than on handling,”adds Furusawa. To improve stability, thelateral rigidity of the frame was reducedand it was designed with greater rigidityin the other directions. The rear arm wasmade a reverse truss type with a lowercenter of gravity to improve the balancewith the rest of the frame. While main-taining the necessary rigidity balance,the link to the suspension was alsorevised.

2003 FRAME 2004 FRAME

To achieve an optimumrigidity balance withplenty of longitudinalrigidity and more lateral“give,” the 2004 modeladded engine mountarms

2003 Rear ARM

A reverse truss type reararm was adopted tomaintain an ideal bal-ance with the frame

2004 Rear ARM

An ideal front-rear weight balance is achieved by taking advan-tage of the in-line 4-cylinder engine’s potential to enable ashorter wheelbase than a V-4 engine

IN-LINE 4

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UP FRONT

6 YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005

quest for the next breakthrough tech-nologies.

The story begins with Yamaha’s firstintroduction of a 4-stroke model inmotocross competition in 1997. At thetime, everyone believed that amotocrosser had to have a 2-strokeengine to be good. Two-stroke engineshad fewer parts, were lighter and packeda powerful punch. But Yamaha was looking to the nextgeneration of environment-friendlymotocrossers, and that meant taking onthe challenge of developing a 4-stroke

machine that could compete with the250cc 2-strokes. When that first machinewas ready, Yamaha entered it in the500cc class of the ’97 Motocross WorldGP as the factory “YZM400F.” At thetime there were already some 4-strokeEuropean machines competing in this500cc class, but Yamaha’s YZM400Fwas the first machine from a Japanesemaker that boasted the capability tocompete with the 250cc 2-strokes.When the same model was entered in theUSA’s AMA Supercross competition in1997, it far outran the technical staff’sexpectations by winning its debut race andbecoming the first 4-stroke machine everto win a Supercross competition. The nextyear, 1998, Yamaha released its productionversion, the YZ400F, and won the AMANationals season title that year in the 250ccclass. The following year, Yamaha intro-duced the YZM426F and won the WorldGP 500cc class title with it.

The difference between the FIM andAMA regulations, however, preventedthis machine from competing in the250cc class of the World GP. Althoughthis was a machine built to competeagainst the 250cc 2-strokes, the regulationonly allowed it to compete in the 500ccclass. So, some frustrating seasons wentby without seeing that match-up. It was in 2003 that the FIM was finallyconvinced by the makers and prominentfigures in the sport to change its regula-tion to allow 250cc 2-strokes and 450cc4-strokes to compete in the same classseries for the title of No. 1 in the world.This new class was named the MXGPclass that year and the name waschanged to MX1 in 2004. Meanwhile,the former 500cc class was competedseparately as the MX3 class. With thesechanges, the pinnacle of motocross rac-ing became the MX1 class and the MX2class, which is competed by 125cc 2-strokes and 250cc 4-strokes. Furthermore, the 2004 season saw notonly Yamaha, Honda and KTM entering4-stroke machines but also Suzuki. And,

Another big news for Yamaha race fansin 2004 was the season title won in thepremier class of international motocross,the MX1 class, by Stefan Everts of theYamaha L&M Motocross Team racingon the YZ450FM. Since coming toYamaha, Everts has won four straighttitles, two in the former 500cc class andtwo in what is now the MX1 class.Yamaha also won the manufacturers’title in this class, helping cement theimage of Yamaha as the maker of thefastest motocrossers. But what is it thatmakes the Yamaha machines unique? Asearch for the answer reveals an ongoing

Stefan Everts scored overall wins in eight of the 2004 season’s 16 rounds while consistently winning series points at every round

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YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005 7

the single heat race format that had beenadopted experimentally beginning in2001 was abandoned in favor of the tra-ditional two-heat format.

Unlike the specially developed factoryracers used in the MotoGP, motocross iscompeted with general productionmachines. In the case of the MX1 series,which is competed mainly in Europe,Yamaha enlists Mr. Michele Rinaldi andhis workshop for team management andset-up of its competing YZ450FMmachines. These machines are basically productionmodels to which appropriate modifica-tions are made based on the latest racedata, with all this work being done at theRinaldi workshop in Italy. This system isanother example of Yamaha’s policy ofpromoting racing by taking advantage oflocal talents, personnel, cultural back-

teams in each country and working toinstall next-generation race regulations.All this has been done in a comprehen-sive program successfully linkingtogether our technological ideals andpromotional activities. This is what youmight say defines Yamaha’s uniquepresence in motor sports.

The 2004 MX1 Season

Comment by Mr. Rinaldi“Taking the production YZ models as our base machines,we work to improve their competitiveness in the races wecompete in, mainly through appropriate modifications to theengines and suspensions. Yamaha has won a very highreputation in the motocross world today and many fans lookat Yamahas as the ultimate motocross machines. We arevery happy to be associated with Yamaha. The 2005 cham-pionship series will have 17 rounds and I think we have avery strong team with Stefan and our new rider, Brian. Wewill definitely be going for the title again, and I am confidentwe will win. Both of our riders will be shooting for the title.”

With the establishment of the Motocross GP Class in 2003, whichwas then renamed the MX1 Class in 2004, the premier class com-petition in the world motocross championships is now competed byboth 250cc 2-stroke machines and 450cc 4-stroke machines in thesame race. In the 2004 season, Stefan Everts and Cedric Merottecompeted in this class from the Yamaha L&M Motocross Team onthe YZ450FM.In the 32 heats in the 16 rounds of the series, Everts racked up atally of 13 wins, ten 2nd places and three 3rd places to overwhelmthe competition and keep his lead in the series ranking from roundtwo. By the end of round 15, the Ireland GP, Everts enjoyed a 93-point ranking lead over 2nd place M. Pichon (Honda), enough toclinch the title with one round remaining. This was Everts’ secondconsecutive win in the MX1 class and his fourth consecutive titlegoing back to the former 500cc class. What’s more, Everts’ andMelotte’s combined record gave Yamaha the manufacturers’ title aswell.

ground and originality. It was under this system that Everts onceagain won the championship title underthe management of Mr. Rinaldi. ForTeam Manager Rinaldi, this was hiseighth world title.

The eight seasons of world champi-onship motocross sinceYamaha entered its first 4-stroke machine in the500cc class in 1997 havebeen a time of greatchange in the sport. And,through it all, Yamaha hascontinued to promote thesport, not only by develop-ing race machines and newtechnologies but also bysupporting race activitiesbased around outstanding Everts clinched the MX1 series title at the Ireland GP. Team Manager Rinaldi showered

Everts with champagne after the win

Everts will compete in the2005 MX1 series againon the YZ450FM

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EXPRESSRA

CIN

G

After winning the 2004 MotoGP champi-onship title riding the Yamaha YZR-M1,Valentino Rossi visited Yamaha MotorCompany’s headquarters in Japan in lateNovember, where he attended a press con-ference to officially report on his champi-onship. Here are some excerpts from thepress conference interview.

Q: Congratulations on winning theMotoGP title. Were you confident

that you could win this year?

R : At the beginning of 2004 there werestill some improvements that needed

to be made in the M1. But the first time Irode it, the feeling wasn’t bad. We didsome thinking about what directions wecould work in to make it a more competi-tive machine, but otherwise I didn’t haveany bad feelings about it overall. Ofcourse, I didn’t expect us to be winningthe championship in the first year. But as Isaid, the feeling wasn’t bad.

Q: At what point in the season didyou begin to think you could win

the title?

R : I was able to win the first round ofthe season, but there were still some

things that had to be improved before I

could really compete atthe top level. So, at thatpoint I was still notready to say I could winthe title. But after win-ning the Mugello,Catalunya and Assenrounds I began to think,“I can win this year’stitle!”

Q: What was thetoughest race of

the season for you?

R : There were a fewtough races. But the

most difficult of all was the race in Rio deJaneiro because we couldn’t get the bikeset up right for the track there. During thepractice runs, the qualifying and duringthe race, we never got the settings right.So, I think that was the toughest race.

Q: After one year, how do you feelabout being with Yamaha?

R : I really enjoyed working withYamaha. Everyone around me were

good people. It felt like one big family. Itwas fun working with everyone. They

were all very kind and clever people.They all gave 100% to make the M1 areally competitive bike. That made it funto work not only for results but also forthe engineers and all the people on theteam.

Q: What do you want to do in thecoming 2005 season?

R : After the last race of the season Itested the new M1 model at the

Valencia circuit and it felt good. Ofcourse, since it is a new bike there aremany things to improve, but it felt good.

After working for a year withYamaha we got a lot of datafor developing the new M1.So, I have big expectations forit. It is a good bike and that iswhy I am working withYamaha.

Q: What are the issues forthe coming season?

R : The bike is much betternow compared to the start

of the 2004 season. But thereare still things to work on. Ithink we should keep the pre-sent engine characteristics butwe need more horsepower.That is the first issue. The sec-ond is improving the rear end.We need more stability in therear end. Sometimes there istoo much play in the rear.These are the issues we will beworking on for next year.

Valentino Rossi InterviewValentino Rossi Interview

Rossi on his way to victory in round four, the Italian GP on June 6, 2004

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EXPRESSRA

CIN

G

Stefan Everts recently won his second consecu-tive world title in the MX1 class of the 2004world motocross championship series. Evertsrecently visited Japan to personally report toYMC on this great achievement. Here areexcerpts from an interview of Everts made onthe occasion of his visit.

Q: Congratulations on your fourth con-secutive personal title with Yamaha and

your eighth overall. How do you feel about thisachievement?

E: This is my eighth title so I didn’t feel it wasso special. But, I love winning and I try to

win every race I enter, so I am just very happyto win another title. I am satisfied with my 2004season, but to be honest, 2003 was my best sea-son ever. I raced in both the 125cc class and theMX1 class and I did well in both classes andwon my seventh title, which was a new recordat the time. But, every GP is different-differentcourses and different conditions. So there is afresh feeling with every race.

Q: What is the secret to keep winning likeyou do?

E: To keep practicing. Because we are allhuman, we have good days and bad days,

but I think it is important to keep practicing.Keeping a good balance is important too. It isimportant not to get over-confident and to knowwhen you are tired and need to take a rest. Youalso need the ability to be flexible and makequick decisions. Also, you need to try not tomake mistakes as much as possible.

Q: What was the turning point for you inthe 2004 season?

E: There was no real turning point. I didn’t dowell in the opening round, but won both

heats in round two to take the overall win. And Ikept racing well after that. I won the title because I ran all the rounds with-

out making any seriousmistakes, while the peo-ple around me weregradually making mis-takes.

Q: How does it feelbeing on Manager

Rinaldi’s team andbeing with Yamaha?

E: When I was having trouble with contractissues and injury, I got the offer from Mr.

Rinaldi and Yamaha. I signed the contract withYamaha and joined Rinaldi’s team in 2001 andmade a GP comeback that year. I was reallyhappy when I won the first round. It took some time at first before Mr. Rinaldi andI came to trust each other completely. But, Ithink we have a strong relationship now. He isthe greatest partner, and I think now that it was agood choice. The machine was also runningvery well this year. Everything went well.

Q: What does Yamaha mean to you per-sonally?

E: The good thing about Yamaha is that theygive the riders the credit they deserve. They

value the relationship with the rider and theymake the rider feel close to the company. Thepresident and the other top management and theemployees have all shown me a lot of respect. Ialso feel that it is a very honest company thatkeeps its promises.

Q: What do you hope for from Yamaha inthe future?

E: I would like to see a bike with just a littlemore power. I also hope they will make

even better bikes besides the YZ450FM.

Q: Your son Liam was born this summer.Has becoming a father changed your

outlook any?

E: Liam’s birth was more important to methan any title. It really made me happy. I

could watch him 24 hours a day and never gettired of it. I am doing my part in the child rear-ing too. About if I want Liam to become a motocrossrider when he grows up, I have mixed feelings.It would be nice because he would be a thirdgeneration motocross competitor. My fatherwas very happy when I started motocrossing,but he was always worried about me gettinginjured too. Now I’m a father and I have thesame feeling as my father had. I can understandhow complex a thing it is.

Q: What goals do you have from now on?

E: Of course, I am going to try my best to winthe 2005 title. If I am careful not to make

mistakes and can continue to win, I want tokeep competing as long as I can still win. Mycontract with Yamaha runs through 2005, but atthis point I want to keep racing the GP for atleast two more years. Sometime in the future I want to teach childrenriding and raise GP stars of the future. And, myfinal goal is to work to raise recognition forMotocross. Actually, my father has been organizing aschool in Spain for the past ten years wherethere is perfect weather and environment forMotocross. Also, it has good facilities. So, in thefuture maybe I will be teaching together withmy father.

Stefan Everts InterviewStefan Everts Interview

Everts racing in round 14 of the 2004 MX1 series

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10 YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005

INTERNATIONAL FOCUSLocation: Moscow, RussiaEmployees: 8

Launch of the RepresentativeOffice in Moscow It was on the 16th of September, 2003that a small but hopeful business basewas launched in Russia’s political andeconomic capital, Moscow, as the Rep-resentative Office of Yamaha MotorCo., Ltd. (YMC) under the operation ofthe Russian Div. of OMDO (YMC’sOverseas Market Development Opera-tions). The Moscow RepresentativeOffice was established with the aim ofenhancing activities of OMDO’s Russ-ian Div. in the areas of information gath-ering, coordination with various stateauthorities, event planning and front-linecommunication with our distributors.The Office’s launch coincides with asignificant growth stage in Russia interms of economy and infrastructure.The Office now consists of a staff ofeight, include six Russian staff membersand two Japanese representatives.

Overview of the Russian mar-ketRussia is the largest country in theworld, having a total area of more than17 million square kilometers (6.5 mil.sq. miles), which is roughly 1.8 timeslarger than the territory of the USA. Itcontains many different types of envi-ronments, from the Euro-neighboringNorthwest region to the Far East. That iswhy one can hardly summarize thiscountry in a few words. There is, how-

ever, something we can clearlysay: such variety is giving usgreat opportunities to promoteYamaha products ranging frommotorcycles, ATVs, outboardmotors and Water Vehicles(PWCs) to generators and snow-mobiles throughout the year. In2004 we have seen a break-through in the Russian market forYamaha products, with total

imports increasing by around 60% com-pared to 2003, thanks to supreme effortsmade by our business partners. And weexpect the trend will continue for thecoming years supported by the boomingRussian economy.

The motorcycle marketPeople visiting Moscow for the first timewill probably be shocked by the numberof vehicles crowding the city’s streetsand constantly causing serious trafficjams. This is surely part of the reason forthe rapidly increasing number of motor-cycles in the city. Another thing that hastriggered the boom in motorcycle salesis the growing number of individuals inthe middle to high income bracket.Although new motorcycle imports todayare still in the range of 3,500 units, theyare growing significantly by 25 to 30% ayear. The people contributing to thisboom are often lawyers, actors, execu-tives or company owners, and it hasbecome trendy for them to put on fullleather suits every Friday night and ride

up to Vorobyovy Gory, a famous bikers’meeting place near Moscow University,on superbikes like the R1 or R6. Meanwhile, we are taking on the chal-lenge of expanding the motorcycle mar-ket in Russia by adding an introductorylevel model with affordable pricing formore casual users, who may completelychange the market composition in Rus-sia. The YBR125, a sophisticated 125ccYamaha motorcycle made in China,fully proved its potentiality last summerin an event where it was displayed in“Yakitori-ya,” a popular sports bar inMoscow. Several interviews were madeof monitor customers to whom the firstset of trial units were sold. We also gotpositive opinions concerning theYBR125 through a test ride event forpotential customers organized by thelocal Yamaha distributor at a karting cir-cuit in Moscow. For the next season, weplan intensive promotions on a widerscale in cooperation with our distribu-tors.

SERIAL 47

Moscow Representative Office A vast market ofpotential

Bike fans gather every Friday near Moscow University

A YBR125 display at Moscow’s ”Yakitori-ya” sports bar

Moscow is notorious for traffic jams, which makes motorcycles a con-venient transportation choice

The Yamaha Moscow Representative Office staff, with our reporter, Marketing Assis-tance Ms. Inkina Nataly Vladimirovna (extremely left)

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Outboard motors in RussiaRussia has a lot of long and wide rivevs,and the country’s large lakes and sur-rounding seas provide plenty of opportu-nities for using outboard motors for fish-ing, hunting and pleasure boating. Themarine industry and boat production arenow developing rapidly in Russia andproducing new demand for Yamaha out-board motors at yacht clubs, marineclubs, boat stations, marine centers, res-cue centers and the like. Yamaha out-board motors are widely known through-out Russia and have proved their relia-bility. Boat races organized by local boatmanufacturers and marinas are alsobecoming popular, providing goodopportunities for users to compare thedifferent brands. The fact that most ofthese competitions are won by boats

powered by Yamaha outboards showscustomers the high quality and outstand-ing performance of our products andcontributes directly to increased sales.During the 2004 sales season, more than10,000 units of Yamaha outboards wereimported into Russia, twice the 2003 fig-ure. This gave Yamaha a high 36% mar-ket share among imported outboardbrands. These figures snow that Russiamay soon become one of the world’sleading outboard markets.

Snowmobiles keep cold winterhotIn the beginning of March, 2004, an

event was held at the Meridien resort out-side Moscow to encourage our distribu-tors to promote Yamaha snowmobilesales toward the coming winter. Duringthis event organized by staff membersfrom YMC in Japan and the MoscowRepresentative Office with cooperationfrom our local distributor, new modelpresentations were made along with testrides for each distributor. For this wintersales season, YMC has received pre-orders from our distributors for around2,000 units, or almost twice last year’svolume. So far, there are many positive

The state: TheRussian Federa-tion of today is ademocratic federalrepublic. The coun-try was formed on24th August, 1991from the former

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic of theSoviet Union.Russia consists of 21 autonomous republics, 10autonomous districts, 2 federal cities (Moscow andSt.Petersburg), 1 autonomous oblast and 49 oblast.Lifestyle: Russian people today are discovering thehealthy lifestyle and the positivehabits and attitudes it brings.People spend time in the sportsclubs and enjoy fitness activi-ties, swimming and playing icehockey in winter. Today’s urban population prefercolorful fashion like those inMilan and many like to frequentchic bars, casinos and clubsyou can find especially inMoscow and St.-Petersburg.

YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005 11

■ Capital City: Moscow■ Area: 17,075,400 sq km■ Population: 150 million people ■ Currency: Russian rubleequally large

signs to support our optimistic forecastsfor the coming snow season.

Russia is a country with huge marketpotential for Yamaha products. Andthere are Yamaha products to promote inall seasons. All the staff of the MoscowRepresentative Office believe that in thenearest future the markets for Yamahaproducts will spread throughout most ofthe country’s regions. And as they do,we want to make sure that Yamaha willbe continuously touching the hearts ofthe Russian people.

Unique Holiday: The 8th of March is an official“Women’s Day,” the favorite day for all Russianwomen. On this day men give women gifts and flow-ers. Men also are supposed to do all the houseworkon this day so women have a chance to forget aboutcooking, dishes and so on.Russian cuisine: In today’s information-rich world,Russians are eating more like most Europeans. Buttraditionally, Russian food was influenced by reli-gious periods of fasting when the eating of meat anddairy products was prohibited and non-fasting peri-ods. This surely had a big effect on Russian food,leading to lots of vegetable, cereals and fish dishesenriched with vegetable fats. But Russian holiday

feasts are rich in varieties of meatdishes. A common lunch in Russia usuallyconsists of soup such as Borsch and amain meat/f ish dish. One of thefavorite dishes in Russia is salted her-rings covered with beet root with may-onnaise called “Selyodka Pod Shuboy”(meaning herring under fur coat). Rus-sians also drink a lot of tea. It is cus-tomary to have something sweet withtea, such as biscuits, cake or jam.

Boating is a popular pastime in Russia and Yamaha outboards are the trustedpower

Russian Federation

The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow is home to Rus-sia’s world famous Bolshoi Ballet

St. Basil’s Cathedral with a MoscowKremlin Tower in the background

Russia is the world’s coldest country, but snowmobiles add fun and convenience to the long winters

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12 YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005

USA

After dominating the competition throughout the season, Bill Ballanceand the Yamaha YFZ450 ATV clinched the 2004 ATVA/AMA GrandNational Cross Country (GNCC) championship on October 6, 2004 withtwo rounds remaining in the series. The title is Ballance’s fifth straight,making him only the second rider to earn as many as five #1 plates inGNCC competition. “The Yamaha YFZ450 is the most awesome ATV I have ever ridden,”said Ballance after winning the series title in Summersville, West Virginia.“Every championship is sweet, but I’ll remember this year as being the

Yamaha YFZ450 dominatesUSA’s GNCC national ATVchampionship in debut year

This is Ballance's fifth national ATV championship plate

easiest because of the YFZ450 andYamaha’s support.” The season’sranking also showed that theYFZ450 is in a class by itself, as itwas the machine ridden by eight ofthe top ten riders. Known as America’s toughest formof off-road racing, the GNCC Rac-ing series consists of 14 rounds,with each stop pitting rider andmachine against not only the com-petition but also rugged naturalenvironments. Each course ranges

anywhere from 13 to 20 kilometers (8-12 miles) in length, and riders dobattle at the highest levels, often competing for up to three hours straightin everything from tree-line trails and sand sections to mud and rocks.This means that to win races in this series an ATV must have an excel-lent balance of performance capabilities. With the YFZ450, Ballance wonthe top spot on the podium in seven of the first 12 races of the series,including five straight rounds, as he built up an unbeatable points lead.“There’s a lot of blood and sweat that goes into winning races, but wehad fewer problems than we’ve had in other years,” said Ballance, prais-ing the reliability and durability of his Yamaha machine. “The YFZ450 isperfect for GNCC racing. Most people are amazed at how few changesare made to the stock unit to make it a race-ready machine.” With five championships to his credit, Ballance is now just two short ofthe all-time GNCC record. With the help of the YFZ450, the reigningchamp plans on getting one step closer to that record in 2005. “My planis to win another championship in 2005 and maybe win a few races outWest,” said Ballance. “The YFZ450 is the ATV I have the most confi-dence in, and in this sport confidence is everything.”From Steve Nessi, ATV PR Manager, YMUS

Ballance receives his No. 1 plate for next seasonafter winning the 2004 championship

Portugal

On Sept 23, an opening ceremony was held for Yamaha Motor Portugal’s(YMP) newly completed Marine Test and Training Center. Built into a for-

mer warehouse on the groundsof YMP’s headquarters, the newcenter will serve as an importantservice base in this largely com-mercial-use market, as well asbeing a facility for training dealermechanics in the latest serviceknow-how. Equipped with alarge-size test tank capable ofrunning two big engines at onceand a heavy-duty hoist (2.5 ton),

New marine test and trainingcenter opens

this facility also has the capability to prepare boat package rigging for thegrowing pleasure-use market. As a test facility for Southern Europe, thecenter will also perform roles like testing new motor and boat matchings. Among the roughly 70 guests on hand for the opening ceremony and cele-bration were Mr. Herry Kleyn van Willigen and Mr. Eiji Ichida of YamahaMotor Europe N.V. (YMENV), Mr. Matt Kondo representing YamahaMotor’s (YMC) Marine Service Operations, as well as important industryrepresentatives and marine journalists. After a tape cutting and the presen-tation of a special plaque from YMC, the guests were given a tour of thefacility before moving on to a lunch at the Cascais marina. The support forthis new service center from YMENV and YMC is another example ofYamaha’s “Think Globally, Act Locally” policy. From Takahiro Fujimura, YMP, Portugal

The guests toured the new YMP test and training facility

The new Marine Test and Training Center has alarge capacity test tank and facilities for WaveRun-ner testing too

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to Chief Editor Rika Niwa of the Public Relations and Administration Dept.,Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan, <[email protected]>

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YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005 13

Malaysia

On September 26 of last year, Yamaha’s Malaysian partner, Hong LeongYamaha Distributor Sdn., Bhd. (HLYD) organized its 4th YahooDay, thecompany’s annual Yamaha fan appreciation event. Being the 25th anniver-sary of the company’s founding, this event was organised on a larger scalethan usual. Held in conjunction with the Malaysia round of the FIM Asian600cc (SuperSport) class championship, the YahooDay schedule alsoincluded an FIM certified moped race plus special HLY-sponsored attractionsincluding an X-treme riding show and freestyle jump show that thrilled theaudience. A Yamaha booth was also set up at the circuit to display Yamahamachines and offer services like a children’s riding course. Making a guestappearance from Japan to give a riding demonstration and hand out sou-venirs to the fans was Yamaha MotoGP rider Norick Abe. Besides seeing theYamaha TDM, XJ900, “tricker” and YZ125 in action in the shows and on dis-play, the audience also saw Yamaha team rider Yusuke Teshima fromJapan win the main 600cc class Asian Championship race on the YZF-R6.This victory, along with all the other Yamaha promotions surely helpedimpress on the fans the outstanding quality and performance of the Yamahaproducts and boost the brand image here in Malaysia. Representing YMC atthe final awards ceremony as presenters were Senior Managing DirectorKajikawa and Yamaha Motor Asian Center Co., Ltd. President Iio. From Ryouhei Nakata, Southeast Asia Business Div., YMC

Japan

Yamaha WaveRunners have been chosen as the official rescue craftfor the upcoming National High School Rowing Championships to beheld in YMC’s home prefecture, Shizuoka, next March. At therequest of the Shizuoka Rowing Association, Yamaha Motor will sup-ply the competition with specially outfitted WaveRunners of the typethat are now being used as rescue craft by a growing number oforganizations and agencies around the world. When used as rescuecraft, PWCs usually pull a rescue sled that lies close to the watersurface and is easy to lift the victim onto. The Shizuoka RowingAssociation’s decision to approach YMC concerning the supply ofrescue craft resulted from a review of rescue preparedness followingan accident that occurred at the 2001 rowing championships. WhenYamaha gave a demonstration of a rescue operation using aWaveRunner at the recent Shizuoka Prefectural Sports Meet rowingcompetition, the officials were very impressed with the speed andsafety with which the PWC carried out a demo rescue. In their decision to choose Yamaha WaveRunners as rescue craft,the Association also appreciated factors like the lack of an exposedpropeller and the great maneuverability of the craft, which enablesthem to maneuver right alongside the victim in the water easily andsafely. From YoshiakiMurakoshi, WVDiv., ME Company,YMC

WaveRunners chosen as rescue craft for rowing competition

Grand Yamaha user apprecia-tion day at the races

Student rowers will be protected by rescue teams using WaveRunners

When used as rescue craft,the WaveRunners usuallytow a rescue sled

Practicing for the freestyle jump show

At the YahooDay opening ceremony

South Africa

On the 7th and 8th of October, 2004, Yamaha Parts managers from 19distributors in 17 African countries gathered in Durban, RSA, for the 6thAfrican Parts Managers Conference. Held regularly on a roughly biennialbasis, these meetings had been aimed at improving parts supply andparts management in the African markets. The main focus of the confer-ence this time was to organize the launch of full-fledged parts marketingstrategy, adding a whole new aspect to previous efforts concerning sim-ply what should be done to improve parts management in the past fewyears. The contents of the marketing program centered around know-how for

6th African Parts ManagersMeeting Held

promoting the use of Yamaha Genuine Parts. Yamaha reps made pre-sentations on research subjects and good examples of sales activitiesfrom outside the African region. The par-ticipating distributors also shared presen-tations of their current marketing effortsand discussions were held on their con-tents. Also, a neighboring conferenceroom was set up like a model dealershipto display the various POP tools to beused in the dealer program, as well as toexhibit Yamaha Genuine Parts andYamalube oil. From Heihachi Matsuoka, Area Market-ing Div., Parts Operations, YMC

Parts Managers from 17 African countriesattended the meeting in Durban, RSA

MotoGP star Norick Abe appeared in hisGauloise colors on the Yamaha Y125ZRused in the moped race

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14 YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005

Indonesia

For the first time, Yama-ha is the winner of theIndonesian CustomerSatisfaction Award(ICSA) in the sportmotorcycle category.Based on interviews ofsome 10,200 customers in six cities by anindependent polling company (concern-ing product quality, price and brand repu-tation), the ICSA has been Indonesia’smost prestigious customer satisfactionaward since it was launched in 1999. ForYamaha’s local manufacturer, P.T.Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing(YIMM) and sales company P.T. YamahaMotor Kencana Indonesia (YMKI), thisaward is surely the result of the CCS(Customer and Community Satisfaction)Phase II program launched in 2003 toboost customer satisfaction. In order tosurvive in and lead the increasingly com-petitive Indonesian motorcycle industry,these two companies will continue workto differentiate the Yamaha brand fromthe other makers in the future, both interms of business quantity and quality. Atthe same time they are dedicated to pro-grams that contribute to the society andmake them valuable corporate membersof the society. And their challenge to beNo. 1 in CS will be the central pillar ofthese efforts. From Toshifumi Kubota, Sales & Market-ing Div. 2, YMC

Yamaha Wins 2004CS No.1 Award

USA

Aaron Gobert and the R1claim 2004 AMA NationalSuperstock ChampionshipThe 23-year-old Team Yamaha U.S. rider Aaron Gobert andthe new YZF-R1 have claimed the number one championshipplate in perhaps the most competitive and brand-rich class inall of AMA racing. The American Motorcyclist Association’s Superstock classfeatures the most powerful open class production-basedmotorcycles with only minimal modifications allowed for rac-ing. The competition is always extraordinarily close and allmachines appear as if they’re fresh off the showroom floor.Gobert began the year with a dramatic win at the prestigious

Daytona Motor Speedway and rode con-sistently all year to take the hard-foughtchampionship title from his teammateJamie Hacking in the final round at VirginiaInternational Raceway.“The AMA Superstock Class is the onlyone in AMA racing that truly features all the major brandsand, as such, the championship is that much more meaning-ful to us,” said YMUS Racing Division Manager Keith McCar-ty. “To finish both first and second in the championshipproves the new R1 is the absolute best in class.”The championships won by the YZF-R1 and last year’s YZF-R6 have contributed directly to the retail success of each ofthese models. Both are completely sold out and commandinga premium price throughout the U.S. dealer network. From Bob Starr, Corporate Communications Div., YMUS

The Scorpio-Z has sold well allover Indonesia

YMKI staff at the award cere-mony

Gobert in the lead coming out of a turn

Japan

Yamaha’s 3rd Global Service Managers Meetingwas held from September 21 to 24 at the Communi-cation Plaza and other facilities of YMC’s headquar-ters in Iwata, Japan. This meeting is held every twoyears for the purpose of promoting the worldwidedevelopment of motorcycle service activities andcommunication between the service managers inthe different regions. This was the third holding of

the Meeting afterthe first in Taiwanand the second twoyears ago inFrance. This year’s meetingwas attended by 57service representatives from 32 countries. The firstday’s agenda included tours of YMC’s Kanto LV(Land Vehicle) Service Div. and Repair ConsultingCenter. On the second day an explanation of theService Division’s new Mid-term Plan was given atthe Communication Plaza. From day three the par-ticipants were divided into eight groups to discusstopics including “New Model Launch Activities” and“Developing Attractive Service Activities.” Reportson each group’s conclusions were then presentedto the entire audience and awards given for the bestreports. With a strengthened recognition of the new direc-tions and levels of service activities, the managerswill now be pursuing “True One-to-One Service” intheir respective countries to help promote sales andwin loyal customers.From Motorcycle Operations Service Div., YMC

2004 AMA Super-stock ChampionAaron Gobert

Gobert and his team pose for a victoryphoto

USA

Yamaha paves theway for 2005 RedBull U.S. Grand Prix Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A, has stepped for-ward to fund the track safety improvements requiredby the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme togain its approval for the track to host the 2005 RedBull U.S. Grand Prix, the ninth round of the 2005MotoGP Championship.

Yamaha is also serving as theofficial motorcycle at MazdaRaceway Laguna Seca and as a“Proud Sponsor” of the Red BullU.S. Grand Prix through 2007.“We’re thrilled by the interestfrom Yamaha in particular andthe motorcycle community over-

all in this event coming to the U.S.,” said Gill Camp-bell, CEO and general manager of Mazda RacewayLaguna Seca. “Yamaha’s generosity has made itpossible to bring the MotoGP World Championshipback to the USA for the fans to enjoy.” “Helping bring the MotoGP World Championship backto the U.S. was an excellent opportunity for us to showour appreciation to our customers and fans,” said BobStarr, corporate communications manager at YMUS.“And since this race corresponds with Yamaha’s fifti-eth anniversary, we could think of no better way to cel-ebrate than with over 100,000 U.S. fans.”Plans for the track improvements, which began inNovember, were completed in concert with ClaudeDanis, president and circuit inspector for the FIM. Theimprovements include increasing the runoff area atseveral turns, widening the front straight and relocat-ing the track bridge. From Bob Starr, Corporate Communications Div.,YMUS

The participants were divided into eightdiscussion groups

The 3rd Service Managers Meeting drew 57 people from 32countries

Yamaha wil l sponsortrack improvements for a2005 US MotoGP round

Bringing services that“Touch the Hearts” ofcustomers worldwide

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in Bathurst and took in the vast outback of New SouthWales along the way—involved long transport sectionswhere the 450cc enduro bikes hustled along at 130 kphfor hours on end. “Witnessing six WRs finishing therace and these 12 bikes not missing a beat despite therough tracks and extremely dusty conditions proves thereliability of these awesome machines,” said Yamahaspokesman and TASTE participant Sean Hawker. Yamaha Riding Academy boss Lyndon Heffernanheaded the trip using the same route sheets suppliedto the entrants. Yamaha legend Stephen Gall also tookpart and proved that the WR450F can be economicalas well as reliable. He regularly squeezed 200 km froma tank of fuel when other TASTE riders were averaging140 km per 10-litre tank. “It’s all about smooth throttlecontrol and picking the right lines,” he explained. From Sean Hawker, Advertising and PR co-ordinator,YMA, Australia

Australia

50,000 kms onYAMAHA WR450Fs

France

154 units of FZ-6Ndelivered to theFrench Army Police

Yamaha’s inaugural Safari TASTE, or TRIBE Aus-tralian Safari Tour Experience, was a spectacular suc-cess for both the entrants and the WR450Fs that tookpart. All 12 machines that followed the gruelling course com-

pleted the event with-out a single problem.Regular oil changes,clean fi l ters, chainlubes and the oddtyre change were theonly items requiredon the 4,200km off-road adventure. The course—whichstarted and finishedStephen Gall on his WR450F

On 20th October, 2004, 154 units of FZ-6Nwere delivered to the French Army Police Gen-darmerie in one big lot at the head offices ofYamaha Motor France (YMF). These are unitsthat have been modified for Riding Schoolusage with several originally-developed kit partsby YMF. This Gendarmerie is the police unit administrat-ed by the French Army as a supplementaryforce to the normal police, and the Gendarmeriepolice bikes are used daily for patrolling publicroads for speed control, traffic accidents, escort-ing VIPs and other duties. The Gendarmerieare now starting to use Yamaha’s FZ-6N fortheir Riding Schools to educate future Gen-darmerie police bike riders. Welcomed byYMF’s president, Mr. J.C. Olivier, 154 ridersfrom the Army Police Gendarmerie and a groupof officials came to pick up the 154 units theyhave bought from YMF. Blessed by a break inthe rainy weather, it was so impressive to see

Germanyof motorcycle design, which was followed by interviews with the industrymagazines like Germany’s leading monthly motorrad. At this meeting, the MDA members also voted for their choice for the asso-ciation’s “Motorcycle of theYear,” an annual award thatrecognizes the year’s bestdesigned motorcycle. Theresult of the voting wasannounced the next day,Sept. 15, and the winner wasYamaha’s new “MT-01.” From Kunisaburo Uemura,GK Dynamics Incorporated,Japan

The Motorcycle Design Association (MDA) held its “Designers Night” eventon September 14 of last year in Munich, Germany, to correspond with oneof Europe’s leading motorcycle trade shows, the Intermot. Launched in2001 by the co-founders Francois Duma of France and Glynn Kerr of theUK, who presently serves as president, the MDA is an organization ofEuropean corporate and free-lance motorcycle designers, modelers andplanners. As one of the events on this latest holding of the Designers Night,President Ishiyama of Yamaha’s motorcycle design company GK Dynam-ics was ushered in as an honorary member of the organization. After thisinduction ceremony, Mr. Ishiyama gave a speech presenting his philosophy

Designers name MT-01“Motorcycle of the Year”

YAMAHA NEWS JANUARY 1, 2005 15

The MT-01 designer, Mr. Tamura of GK Dynamics(right), Mr. Ishiyama (middle) and Mr. Kerr (left) atthe ceremony

Team Yamaha and TASTE riders prepareat Mount Panorama in Bathurst

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The fleet linedup in front ofYMF headquar-ters

this delivery ceremony with so many futurepolice bike riders and the lined-up fleet of FZ-6Nbikes under the blue sky!This type of large government order owes muchto YMF’s diligent program of after-sale serviceas well as the reliability of the bikes themselves. From Communication and Events Dept., YMF,France

Page 16: YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. · PDF filethe Russian market,The motorcycle market,Outboard motors in Russia,Snowmobiles keep cold ... on YAMAHA WR450Fs,Australian Safari Tour Experience,Stephen

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YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Public Relations and Administration Dept. 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan Tel: 81-538-32-1115, Fax: 81-538-37-4250

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

Yamaha officially unveiled the new2005 European and Oceania mar-ket model “MT-01” at the

INTERMOT Munich 2004 (4th Interna-tional Motorcycle and Scooter Show) inSeptember. The “MT-01” was first dis-played as a special exhibition model at the1999 Tokyo Motor Show, where itsunique product concept and innovativedesign ideas drew a lot of attention world-wide. Since then, there have been manyexpectant calls from the marketplace for aproduction model of the MT-01, especial-ly from the mature European market,which presently boasts annual two-wheel-er demand of about 1.9 million units.Expectations have been growing for anew-concept big V-twin model. The newMT-01 has been developed with the latesttechnologies throughout its design toanswer these expectations aroused by theoriginal model concept.The development project adopted as itskey words a “Soul Beat V-twin Sports”

model while aiming to build the ultimatemachine for the sophisticated adult rider.The power unit is a newly developed air-cooled 1,670cc OHV V-twin 4-strokeengine rigid-mounted on a Yamaha CFaluminum die-cast frame to produce mas-sive, broad-ranging torque like no motor-cycle before it and a ride that offers theultimate pulse experience, or what iscalled Kodo* in Japanese.True to Yamaha’s dedication to develop-ing machines that offer a sensual ridingexperience that can’t be expressed in merespec numbers, this is a model that pro-vides a truly emotional riding experiencethat lets the rider feel the beat of theengine and the feeling of strong, directpower to the road surface like the kick ofa steed.Meanwhile, the look of the MT-01 hasbeen designed in a completely differentimage from the beautifully balanceddesign of a supersport bike. The frameand seat have been designed around the

central mass of the power unit in order tocreate a profile that focuses everything onthe massive presence of the engine. Theresult is a design that makes the enginelook even bigger and all the other compo-nents smaller. In short, the design imageis one of a running “engine on wheels.” In late November of last year, motorcyclejournalists from around the world gath-ered in South Africa to test ride the MT-01, and they came away convinced thatYamaha has created a machine that deliv-ers a completely new riding experience.Now the time has come for the customersto experience the Kodo of Yamaha’sproud new “soul beat” machine.

* Kodo is the Japanese word for pulse and“soul beat.” But its true essence is best felt byJapan’s legendary kodo drum music, anearth-trembling expression of awesome latentpower produced by a bass drum so massivethat its intense beat resonates in your heartand soul.

“MT-01” Runs to a Different Beat“MT-01” Runs to a Different Beat