yamaha motor co., ltd. · serial 44,building a place in the world's largest...

Yamaha News,ENG,No.4,2004,7月,7月,Aluminum Was Meant to Fly,Motorcycle,YZ,Up Front,The motocrosser? It's the fundamental form of the motorcycle ,Takayoshi Fukuda,YZ125,Morimachi Factory,Talking to the developers of the 2005 YZ125 and YZ250,Takehisa Katsura,YZ250,The ABCs of Motocross,Masatoshi Miyamoto,Kazumasa Atsumi,Hiromitsu Okura,International Focus - Serial 44,Building a Place in the World's Largest Market,Corporate,Chongqing Jianshe-Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.,YBR125,China,Chongqing,China, a 12 million-unit motorcycle market,Yamaha faces the competition,A great start and sudden crisis,YBR recovers and finds strong market positioning,An expanding sales network,Looking to the future,Racing Express,Yamaha Power Unleashed! From MotoGP to Stock Races,Racing,MotoGP,Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha,Valentino Rossi,YZR-M1,MX1,Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3,Stefan Everts,YZ450FM,AMA Supercross,Yamaha Factory Racing,Chad Reed,YZ250,World Supersport Championship,Yamaha GMT 94,Jurgen van den Goorbergh,YZF-R6,European Superstock championships,Gianluca Vizziello,YZF-R1,World Endurance Championship,Aaron Gobert,AMA Superstock,De Jagar,All Japan Motocross Championships,Andrew McFarlane,World Topics,Yamaha presents Aerox Race Replica to Valentino Rossi,Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.,Inumaru,Aerox Race Replica,The Netherlands,Jerez circuit,X-Touring Yamaha event proves toughness of Yamaha ATVs,ATV,X-Touring Yamaha,Yamaha Motor de México S.A. De C.V.,Kodiak,Mexico,YSP dealership program launched in Taiwan,Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co., Ltd.,Hu Zi Qiang,Taiwan,YSP,New headquarters, new start for Golden Arrow,Golden Arrow Co., Ltd.,Sudan,HMT opens first direct retail shop in Seoul,Hankook Motor Trading Co., Ltd.,South Korea,Yamaha Sports Korea,PWC tour covers 1,100 km from Jakarta to Singapore,PWC,Water Cross Touring 2004,Indonesia Jet Sports Association,Indonesia,Launch of new model eGO follows Lagenda 110 success,Hong Leong Yamaha Distributors Sdn Bhd,eGO,Malaysia,Lagenda 110,ATV owners instructed in YRA program,Yamaha Riding Academy,Salah Eddine Itani Est.,Grizzly,Lebanon,Yamaha bikes and riders dominate A4DE!,Yamaha Wild Dog 2004 Australian Four Day Enduro Championships,Yamaha Motor Australia Pty., Ltd.,Glenn Kearney,YZ250WR,Australia,Damian Smith,WR250F,Geoff Ballard ,Rob Haskins,Service seminar held for 2004 new models,Marine,Japan,Iwata,First new model intro draws strong response,Man Lee Tat,Hong Kong,2005 Snowmobile Mile High Customer Intro,Snowmobile ,Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.,Canada,Smooth production start for new Vino,Yamaha Motor R&D Taiwan Co., Ltd.,Vino,Customer presented key for First Edition R1, No. 1,Yamaha Motor Italia S.P.A.,Italy,Moto Shop,Grand 30th birthday celebration for IMEMSA,Industria Mexicana De Equipo Marino S.A. De C.V.,Mexico,YRT program bonds race enthusiasts to Yamaha brand,Yamaha Race Training,Anders Andersson,France,Marc de Graaf,Wilco Zeelenberg,What's New,Update on the MotoGP Machine, YZR-M1,Masao Furusawa,Zoom In,A 3rd dimension of dynamic performance The Tricker, it's a whole new breed of motorcycle,XG250,Tricker

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD.JULY 1, 2004 ENGLISH

No.4BIMONTHLY

An aluminum frame was alogical next step for the world-leading YZ motocrossers. But theYamaha development team settheir sights higher. They wereout to build the lightest frameever for a productionmotocrosser. That’s what theydid, and a lot more. The 2005 YZmachines will continue to be themachine of choice for peoplewho want the best—and maybewant to leave the ground once ina while.

Aluminum Was Meant to Fly

2 YAMAHA NEWS JULY 1, 2004

UP FRONT

YN: What made you decide toswitch to an aluminum frame forthe 2005 YZs?

YN: Did you succeed in gettingthe weight reduction you wereaiming for?

Fukuda: Our aim was to build theworld’s lightest production motocrosserframe, and we succeeded in that.

YN: What was the technologicalbackground behind the decisionto go with aluminum?

Katsura: The history of aluminumframe development for the YZ bikesactually goes back 17 or 18 years, duringwhich the “semi-double cradle” framestructure emerged as the best answerfrom the aspect of strength. Our aluminum frame R&D know-howgoes back to the 1987-88 YZM factorymachines that competed in the 500ccWorld Motocross championships. Sincethen we have introduced aluminumframe machines in the All Japan MX

Fukuda: Certainly the call was therefrom the market, but we on the devel-opment team also had the basic desireto build the lightest frame we possiblycould. Reducing weight is always amajor part of improving performanceand that’s why Yamaha has put a lot ofR&D efforts into a variety of weight-reduction technologies. Besides alu-minum, you will also find that wehave worked a good number of titani-um parts into the YZs as well. The challenge of developing a newaluminum frame this time was onemore part of these weight reductionefforts. Steel has its own merits, like agood amount of flexibility. But, withaluminum it is the metal’s lightness,and we wanted to make the most of it.We also chose aluminum because ofthe potential to make a more attractiveproduct.

““TThhee mmoottooccrroosssseerr?? IItt’’ss tthheeffoorrmm ooff tthhee mmoottoorrccyyccllee..””

What is Motocross? Motocross is a form of competitionborn in Europe where riders com-pete for speed over circuits of anunpaved course covering naturalterrain. The name is an abbreviationof “motorcycle cross-country.”

What are the YZmachines?These are motocrosserbikes designed specifi-cally for motocross. YZis the Yamaha productname. S ince there lease o f the f i rs t

What is the attraction of motocross?In the jumps and sliding turns ofmotocross, r iders discover newpotential in the motorcycle. Spec-tators enjoy the thrill of watchingthe action close up at tracksideand the smel l of the earth andnature around them.

Talking to the developers of the 2005YZ125 and YZ250

Since joining YMC in 1998, MasatoshiMiyamoto has worked on engineeringdesign for on-road models and now worksin the Chassis Supply System group’s tech-nology team, where he coordinates devel-opment and manufacturing efforts

Project Leader Takayoshi Fukuda joinedYamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) in 1981and has worked on the development of theYZ models ever since. For the YZ400F heserved as chassis project chief

Takehisa Katsura is a veteran of numerousYamaha factory machine development pro-jects for the World GP and All JapanChampionships competition

On June 16, the long-awaited 2005model remakes of the famed Yama-ha YZ motocrossers were unveiledat Yamaha Motor Corp., USA’s(YMUS) National Dealers Meeting. Atthe same time, off-road bike fansfrom around the world went on-lineto check out the new YZs with theirexciting new aluminum frame andfine-tuned specs on the YMUS web-site. To find out about the new technolo-gies and the development philoso-phy behind the new YZs, YamahaNews met with the YZ ProjectLeader, Mr. Takayoshi Fukuda, andmembers of his development team.

Yamaha began exploring the possibilities of aluminum frames on motocrossers18 years ago. The YZM500 entered in the 88’ WMX

The ABCs of Motocross

Motocross AMA Supercross

YAMAHA NEWS JULY 1, 2004 3

championships since 1991 and, mostrecently, we’ve developed aluminumframes for the 4-stroke YZ GP machines.

YN: When did developmentbegin for the new 2005 YZs?

Katsura: Actual work began in thesummer of 2002 just after we fin-

ished work on the YZ450F.We entered the first proto-

type in the last round ofthe All Japan MX in

October that yearand continued

ffuunnddaammeennttaall

YZ250 in Japan in March of 1973, these bikeshave a history now exceeding 31 years. What is the fastest class?The 500cc class used to be the status class untilthe 250cc models grabbed the spotlight with thepopularity of Supercross racing using 250cc bikesin the USA. In the mid-1990s the 250cc 2-strokeclass came to be recognized as the fastest class.

Have 2-strokes been the standard? The simple structure and lightness of a 2-strokeeng ine has long made them the cho ice fo rmotocross machines. In Europe, where motocross-ing was born, 2-stroke models were always thestandard in motocross until the mid-1990s.

Why did Yamaha develop its 4-strokemotocrossers?As environmental concerns grew, user needschanged and European makers began introducing4-stroke models in the 500cc class of the WorldMotocross GP, Yamaha became the first Japanesemaker to develop and introduce a 4-stroke produc-tion motocrosser in 1997.

tests on it afterwards.

YN: How didthose tests go?

Katsura: At theend of that year wetook the first proto-type to America forlocal tests, but the initial responses werenot good. The test riders said, “It feelsstiff” or, “The feeling during cornering isunnatural.” I remember feeling prettydepressed on the return trip.

YN: What does a stiff feelingmean in this case?

Katsura: As anyone cansee just by watching amotocrosser comedown from a jump, theYZ frames demand farmore strength than aroad model, in terms of

rigidity. In order to get that strength, weinitially thickened the upper and lowerhalves of the main frame. This increasedthe longitudinal rigidity of the frame andgave it the “stiff” feeling the test riderscomplained about. So, our developmentproblem became how to reduce this lon-gitudinal rigidity. In other words we hadto maintain the required strength whilecutting down on the stiff feeling the ridergets.

YN: Did the choice of types ofaluminum play a role in this?

Katsura: We ended up using severaldifferent types of aluminum in theseframes, including cast parts where thealuminum is melted down and cast in amold, and forged and extruded partswhere the aluminum is heated and thenforged into the desired shape or forcedthrough a die to produce stock of a givenshape. Extruded stock is used for thelower half of the main frame, whileforged aluminum, which has more flexi-bility, or “forgiveness,” is used for theupper half. These are then welded togeth-er to create a frame with the right balanceof rigidity and strength. Using the righttypes of aluminum and the right process-ing methods enables us to come up withthe optimum combination of qualities forthe different parts of the frame. That’s why the close teamwork we gotfrom the manufacturing division was so

Numerous types of aluminum are usedin the YZ 125/250’s integrated framedesign

YN: What form did this participa-tion actually take?

Fukuda: Generally speaking, the easiera component is to manufacture the heav-ier it will be. Conversely, building some-thing light requires higher levels of preci-sion manufacturing. Of course, on themanufacturing side, the more leewaythey have in terms of precision, the easierthings are. But, the engineering sidewants accuracy right down to the mil-limeter. So it is a matter of how much wecan give each other to get the best result.

YN: Was this a first for you onthe manufacturing side?

Miyamoto: Usually, the designers

UP FRONT


decide on the specifications and our jobis then to translate them into a manufac-turing process. But with the YZ projectthis time there was constant discussionbetween us about the possibilities ofstructure and processing methods rightfrom the beginning. And some of thedebate got pretty heated: “We can do thisbut not this” or, “This is out of the ques-tion!” There was a lot of serious give andtake all the way. I can’t remember a pro-ject ever being this intense, especially inthe debates about weld specifications.

YN: Were there any ideas that themanufacturing side initiated?

Miyamoto: Yes. In aluminum weldingthe key is the balance of elements includ-ing the strength of electric current used,the angle of the welding torch, its speed,the welding medium used and the shapeof the resulting weld cross-section. Also,structurally speaking, there are shapesthat are ideal in design terms but notfrom a manufacturing standpoint. Thereare shapes that are easy to weld andshapes that are extremely difficult. This time we made suggestions about theshapes of the welds on the frame and

participated in the discussionswhere the final specs weredecided.

YN: Do you use weldingrobots in the manufactur-ing?

Miyamoto: Most of our weld-ing is done by robots, but it isexperienced welding specialistswho have to program the robots.Only experience can teach youwhat combinations of currentstrength, welding speed andwelding direction will producethe ideal weld.

YN: Are there somehandcrafted parts aswell?

What effect did the 4-stroke YZ have on themarket? An especially big effectwas seen in the US mar-ket. With the introductionof the first 4-stroke YZ as a1998 model, the US

motocrosser market began to grow, doublingin size by 2001 compared to the 1997 level.This growth was led by Yamaha’s YZ 4-stroke and its WR sister model. Many peoplewho had formerly enjoyed 2-strokemotocrossing were attracted to the idea ofriding a 4-stroke, and this trend continuestoday.

What are the different types of motocrosscompetitions around the world? The World Motocross Championships (WMX) arecompeted in the pinnacle “MX1” class between 250cc2-stroke and 450cc 4-stroke machines, while the“MX2” class is competed by 125cc 2-stroke and 250cc4-stroke machines. In the USA, the stadium-courseAMA Supercross competition is the most popular.

very important in this frame develop-ment project.

YN: What did this “teamwork”consist of?

Fukuda: Because these are competitionmodels, we must achieve high levels ofprecision in the welds, for one thing. Forexample, even the shape of each weldingbead affects the final strength. So, werealized that it would be important towork closely with manufacturing and useactual prototype work during the designprocess to decide what kinds of beads touse and what adjustments could be madein the welding conditions and weldangles. So manufacturing was involvedfrom the very first stages of the design.

350 employees work at Yamaha Motor’s Morimachi Factory located about 20 minutes northby car from YMC’s Iwata headquarters. The main work here is frame welding and processing

The aluminum frame welding staff at YMC’s Morimachi Factory. All are veteran aluminumwelding craftsmen

Where extra skill and precision are needed, the welding is donemanually by expert welders

The YZ 125/250 frame is made up of 13 aluminum parts that arewelded together in over ten different steps, with most of the weldingdone by carefully programmed robots

05 YZ250F


Miyamoto: There are. Parts like thehead pipe assembly where an especiallyhigh level of precision is required mustbe done by hand by expert welders.With the new YZ frame there are a totalof 13 parts that are welded together tocreate the frame. The total weld lengthfor these 13 parts is four meters. This isactually far less than for an equivalentsteel frame, but on the other hand thereis a higher level of accuracy required inaluminum welds.

YN: So, what is the ride of thenew aluminum framed YZ bikeslike?

Katsura: The ride cannot be expressedin terms of numbers, but basically wecan say that we have taken the recog-nized handling stability of the YZ seriesmodels up to now and further refinedand evolved the bikes’ overall perfor-mance. And a new element of lightnesshas been added to this. The lighter han-dling feeling when you lean the bike

After the January-to-May Supercross series ends, theoutdoor motocross Nationals begin and run until Sep-tember. How do Yamaha Motocrossers do in thesecompetitions?Yamaha won its first WMX title in 1973 in the 250ccclass. From then until 2003, Yamaha has won 16 ridertitles and 14 manufacturers titles. In AMA Supercross,

this year’s (2004) series cham-pionship by Chad Reed gaveYamaha its eighth title. How about feedback toproduction models? The motocross suspensions andmany other technologies devel-oped for motocross competition

models have been fed back into manyproduction models. Many of the Yama-ha engineers who worked on the devel-opment of YZ models have gone on towork on general market models forCBU and CKD models and their tech-nologies have spread to marketsaround the world.

into the turns should result in lessfatigue for riders near the end of a race.I think this is a feeling that will exceedthe expectations of the customers.

YN: Finally, we would like toask each of you what the YZbikes mean to you personally.

Miyamoto: In the manufacturing divi-sion, we have a strong awareness thatthe YZ models have a very specialplace among the Yamaha motorcycles.We are always being asked how the YZproduction is going and everyone takesthese questions very seriously. Perfor-mance and ease of manufacture areopposing qualities, and we are alwayslooking for ways to achieve both with-out compromise. This challenge lies atthe heart of Yamaha’s goal of “ExcitingPerformance and Stylish Design” andin the end it contributes to the quality ofother products as well. Katsura: I am very interested in theconcept of the motocrosser as a product

designed for 3-dimensional motion. Noother type of motorcycle is designed toleave the ground in jumps. People,especially young people, have alwaysbeen tempted to see how high a heightthey can jump or dive from. That is thekind of challenge—and excitement—Ifeel when working with the YZ bikes. Fukuda: These are competition mod-els, so there is always a consciousnessthat we can’t let ourselves be beaten bythe rival manufacturers. This sense ofcompetition provides a good part of ourmotivation. But, to tell the truth, I thinkof the motocrosser as the most funda-mental form of the motorcycle andwhat it can and should be. Challengingto the limits of speed on the road is oneother fundamental direction, but whenyou think about the type of riding thatonly a motorcycle can provide, I thinkthe motocrosser is its most essentialform. I hope that everyone will contin-ue to watch what we do to keep Yama-ha motocrossers the best.

2004 MX1Racing


INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

With an annualdemand of approxi-mately 12 million units,China is already theworld’s biggest motor-cycle market. And, withhuge potential still to bedeveloped demand is

continuing to grow at a slow but steadypace. What’s more, in recent years,China has also emerged as the world’slargest exporter of motorcycles. In2003 alone, some 3 million Chinese-made motorcycles were shipped tooverseas markets. In the city of Chongqing, where theYamaha motorcycle manufacturerChongqing Jianshe-Yamaha MotorCo., Ltd. (JYM) has its factory, some 4million motorcycles are produced eachyear, making this the largest motorcy-cle production center in the world.What makes the Chinese motorcyclemarket unique is not only its size, how-ever, it is also surely the most competi-tive in the world, with over 100 compa-nies struggling to survive an intenseindustry shakedown.

Location: Chongqing, ChinaPresident: Kazumasa AtsumiEmployees: 1,500

Yamaha faces the competitionUntil recently, the foreign joint-venture com-panies in Chinese competed with a marketpositioning that set them apart from the localmakers by offering high-quality productscapable of commanding higher prices.

Recent developments have radically changedthat scenario, however. First major citieshave made an effort to combat air pollutionand traffic congestion by placing limits onthe number of motorcycles that are grantedlicense plates. This has imposed a ceiling onmotorcycle demand in these urban centersthat have been the main markets for the high-er value products of makers like JYM andother overseas joint-venture companies. At the same time, the competition from thelocal makers with their improving productshas also gotten stronger, forcing the joint-venture makers to act aggressively to cutcosts. In such market conditions, JYM is workingto advance the development of products withcompetitive costperformance, likethe new YamahaYBR125 (Chinesemarket name:Tianjian), which itsucceeded inlaunching withrecord speed andwith high productquality.

A great startand sudden crisisIn October 2002, motorcycle dealers fromaround China gathered in Chongqing toattend the launch event for the new YBR125.This dealer meeting and product launch werehailed unanimously as the most completeand successful such event ever held in theChinese market. The impact it had on thedealers was great and the outlook for the

YBR was bright.This success alsogave momentumto a series ofdealer meetingsin the country’s

smaller interiormarkets that untilnow Yamaha hadbeen unable toreally penetrate.These eventshelped spreaddealer and cus-tomer understand-ing of the Yamaha brand and promoted therapid expansion of territory and sales for theYBR. To reach even more users in the more remoteareas, a promotional “caravan” program alsogot under way, bringing the product to thecustomers with local displays and test-rideevents. Among these activities, the test rideswere especially effective in giving customersa chance to actually ride the YBR and expe-rience for themselves the difference from thesimilar-looking bikes by other makers. Moreand more users were now aware of theadvantages of the Yamaha product and theword has spread quickly. However, no sooner had the YBR125 launchreached full stride than the SARS crisisstruck. Amidst the threat of this lethal epi-demic, many regions slapped a ban on eventslike the YBR caravans that gathered largecrowds of people. At the same time, privateconsumption slumped in the wake of the cri-sis, bringing another devastating blow to thisimportant product launch.

YBR recovers and finds strongmarket positioningDespite the ban on events in some regions,the JYM team continued to drive thousandsof kilometers from Chongqing to bring theYBR caravan campaign to remoter areasunaffected by the SARS related bans. In theend, JYM staff and local dealers workedtogether and weathered the hard times. Theseefforts produced new and closer relationshipsthan ever before between the company and

Our reporter: Mr. Hiromitsu Okura,Secretary of JYM

SERIAL 44

Chongqing Jianshe-Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (JYM)

China, a 12 million-unit motorcycle marketBuilding a Place in the Wo

Nearly 100 dealers attended the Xinjiang Uygurregional dealers meeting in Oct. 2002 where theYBR was introduced

The YBR release brought many dealers to the Yamaha sales networkand over 500 dealers attended marketing seminars like this andtoured the JYM factory, which impressed the dealers and differentiat-ed Yamaha from the other brands

Dealers at the regional meeting inXian test-rode the YBR and praised itsstarting performance, low vibrationand comfortable ride

its nationwide dealers. By the time the SARS crisis had subsided,the connections built during this periodwould translate into a powerfully functioningsales network that would drive sales of theYBR to new heights. Meanwhile, JYM hadits sights set on the growing demand formotorcycles as leisure-use vehicles. Toencourage motorcycling as a leisure pastimeand build stronger, lasting relationships withthe customers, JYM launched a YamahaClub program for Yamaha owners. This wasfollowed by a rapid succession of other pro-motional efforts, like entering the YBR in theChomolungma (Mt. Everest) Rally, wherethe strength and reliability of the product wasproven when three YBR125s successfullycompleted a 1,370 km round trip from theTibetan capital, Lhasa to the base camp of

Mt. Everest at an elevation of 5,520 meters.An outdoor advertising effort also saw JYMput up some 2,000 billboards in interiorregions. Meanwhile, another program of trainingseminars for dealers got under way at theJYM headquarters in Chongqing, with a totalof some 500 dealers attending in 12 hold-ings. The dealers who completed the seminarall praised it as a very meaningful form ofretailing support.

An expanding sales networkBefore the launch of the YBR125, JYM hada network of about 500 dealerships aroundChina, most of which were concentrated inthe higher-income coastal regions. Thanks tothe concerted marketing efforts that followedthe introduction of the YBR, however, thatnumber grew steadily. JYM had set a targetof 1,000 dealerships by the end of 2003, butthe results far exceeded this target and todaythe company boasts a sales network ofroughly 1,800 dealers.

Looking to the futureThanks to these efforts by the people ofJYM, the YBR now holds a solid position inthe Chinese motorcycle market. However,due to their specifications and prices of theproducts, Yamaha motorcycles have yet topenetrate the vast rural market of the Chineseinterior with its 900 million people. Toexpand into this high-potential market, JYM

China

A Nation of Vitality and a 5,000-yearHistoryEverywhere you go in China there arevisages of its proud history, 29 ofwhich are registered under the WorldHeritage program. In Chongqingwhere the JYM is located, you will seethe famous Grottoes of Dazu with their50,000 Buddhist sculptures. Theworld’s most populous nation, China isnow booming economically, with build-ings and roads under constructioneverywhere. The administrative dis-tricts of its major cities now bristle withskyscrapers, and the speed of the con-struction boom is awesome. From themornings, when families gather aroundbreakfast tables full of various dishesand lively conversation to the eveningswhen the workday is done and thewine begins to flow, the days are full ofvivacious excitement.


■ Capital city: Beijing■ Area: 9.6 million sq. km■ Population: 1.27 billion■ Language: Chinese

A child study whileselling vegetables ata free market(Chongqing city)

People do Tai chiexercises in front ofChongqing’s GreatHall of the People. Inevery park through-out China peoplegather shortly after6:00 every morningto enjoy Tai chi,dancing or bad-minton.

rld’s Largest Market

now has plans in the works to launch newproducts that can be competitive in the ruralareas. Based on a philosophy that “Quality prod-ucts require quality marketing,” JYM is dedi-cated as a company to pursuing a strategy ofhigh quality market launches of productsdeveloped to meet users needs that will dif-ferentiate us from the competition and builda stronger Yamaha presence in the Chinesemarket.

Members of a new Yamaha Club founding event organized by a dealership in Zhe-jiang province. The Yamaha user club program promoted nationwide is addingmomentum to the new leisure-use trend in China

Three YBR125s reached the Mt. Everest base camp at 5,520 meters in theChomolungma Rally on Oct.18, 2003

Song and dance act accompanied the YBR event

3,000 Yamaha billboards have gone up in new markets in the Chi-nese interior, like this one in Mao Zedong’s hometown in Hunanprovince

The Grottoes of Dazu are a World Her-itage site

The Bund of Shanghai has become a sym-bol of the city’s growing prosperity

For more details about the Chomolungma Rally see our 2004 YamahaNews No.1.

EXPRESSRA

CIN

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Rossi grabbed his third win of the season on the YZR-M1 in round five

Chad Reed won the AMA Supercross title, and sinceMay he is competing in the motocross Nationals

Goorbergh is hot on the YZF-R6 in the WSS

Stefan Everts is on his way to a second consecutive title

Yamaha Power Unleashed!Yamaha Power Unleashed!

EXPRESSRA

CIN

G

In early May, Chad Reed grabbed the AMASupercross title in the pinnacle 250cc class,

bringing Yamaha its first 250cc class title infour years. This big title seemed to ignite achain reaction, as Yamaha riders around theworld scored one win after another. In April, Valentino Rossi had already gotten theMotoGP season off to a propitious start forYamaha with a win in the opener in SouthAfrica. Motor sports journalists exalted to see arevival of the Yamaha-Honda rivalry after lastyear’s Honda dominated season. In fact, as ofthe Catalonia GP, Rossi and his YZR-M1 havewon three of the first five rounds of the series.What’s more, following the winner Rossi atCatalonia in 3rd and 4th places were M1 ridersMarco Melandri and Carlos Checa, proving thatthis year’s Yamaha wins are no fluke. (For thetechnological side of this Yamaha ascendance,see the What’s New page of this issue.)Yamaha is also leading the pack in worldchampionship motocross, where Stefan Evertsis running strong toward his second consecutivetitle in the premier MX1 class on his 4-strokeYZ450FM. This year’s WMX has returned to atwo-heat format that is more demanding on the

riders. Still, Everts has managed to win 10 ofthe 18 heats in the first nine rounds for a pointtotal of over 400, which gives him a healthy100-point lead 2nd ranked J. Coppins (Honda4-stroke).

Meanwhile, in stock-model road racing,competitors are scoring big wins on the

YZF-R6 in the World SupersportChampionship (WSS). In round one, theYamaha Motor Italy team’s Jurgen van denGoorbergh took the win and in round six it wentto teammate Fabien Foret, and with the excep-tion of round five, Yamaha riders have mount-ed the podium in every race. At the end ofround six, Goorbergh has racked up 92 points,just 15 points behind the leader, K. Muggeridge(Honda).The new YZF-R1 is also showing its speed atthe hands of Gianluca Vizziello, who has wonfour of the first six rounds of the EuropeanSuperstock championship to top the ranking.What’s more, the next three riders in the rank-ing also ride the R1, and with just three roundsremaining it looks like this trend will hold. The YZF-R1 is also hot in the FIM World

Endurance Championship, where the YamahaGMT 94 team came from behind in round twoto win the Zhuhai 6-hour, the first champi-onship motorcycle race ever held in China.Second place finishes in the other two roundsheld so far have given them a slight series leadover their Suzuki Team rivals. Round four willbe held at Japan’s Suzuka circuit in late July. In the USA too, the R1 is the machine to beat inAMA Superstock, where A. Gobert and J.Hacking stand 1-2 in the series ranking afterround six. These same two riders also stand 2-3in the Supersport class riding the YZF-R6.

And the victory reports keep coming in. Inthe first week of June, South African Jarret

De Jagar visited Japan to take part in the AllJapan Motocross Championships and scored arunaway victory on the YZ250F in the 125ccclass. The next week, an Australian rider,Andrew McFarlane won both heats in the MX2class of round nine of the world motorcrosschampionships, the Italian GP, riding theYZ250FM. With new heroes like these emerg-ing, there is new excitement every week on thisseason’s race scene.

Gianluca Vizziello (center) is blowing away the competition onthe new YZF-R1 in the European Superstock championships

Aaron Gobert on the YZF-R1 and the podium

The Yamaha GMT 94 team won the Zhuhai (China)round of the World Endurance Championship

De Jagar raced in Japan with support from South Africa’sYDSA and won in the all Japan motocross premier class

From MotoGP to Stock RacesFrom MotoGP to Stock Races


The Netherlands

O n the 2nd of May, Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.’s PresidentInumaru visited the Jerez circuit in Spain to watch round 2 of theMotoGP series and to visit defending MotoGP champion

Valentino Rossi in the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha pit box. The purposeof Mr. Inumaru’s visit on the morning of the race was to presentValentino with a personal model of the new Aerox Race Replica scooterthat went on sale in Europe in May. This attractively designed scooter inRossi’s race colors is targeted at the young European race fans, and fromthe day it arrived in the dealer shops, sales have been very successful. Rossi will use this first Aerox Rossi model as his official paddock scoot-

Yamaha presents Aerox RaceReplica to Valentino Rossi

Mexico

Over the two days of April 8 and 9, a groupof hard-core ATV enthusiasts coveredsome 334 km of rugged terrain that only an

ATV could possibly traverse. This was the third ofa popular new series of “X-Touring Yamaha”events organized by Yamaha Motor de MéxicoS.A. De C.V. (YMMEX). This event, which touredfrom Coatzacoalcos to Catemaco in the state ofVeracruz, was organized with the help of distribu-

tor Fernando Echazarreta of southern Veracruz. In the ambitious firststage of the tour the participants ran for 20 hours over trails and dunes,across rivers, mud and marshes, with the last 43 km being run throughjungles at night depending only on GPS without a predetermined route.After a night of camping, another 150 km of somewhat easier terrainwas covered on day two. What impressed the participants particularlywas the toughness and power of the Yamaha Bruin 350 model, whichkept pace with the bigger Yamaha Kodiak 450 models. There was evena case when a Bruin pulled a Kodiak out of a deep marsh with the helpof a winch. Besides the 334 km of the “X-Touring Yamaha,” YMMEX staff put theBruin 350 through 1,500 km of tests in extreme use in high mountainsand volcanic zones, successfully proving its great durability, handlingcapability and power. Readers can find more information and images ofthese tough X-Touring Yamaha events at the YMMEX website athttp://www.yamaha-motor.com.mx.From Magdalena Flores, YMMEX, Mexico

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to Chief Editor Maki Yamaguchi of the PR Division,

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<[email protected]>

er during all the MotoGP races this season. Readers can see the Aerox Race Replica at http://www.yamaha-racing.com/aerox. From Renzo Moscou, YMENV, the Netherlands

Rossi and YMENV President Inumaru with the Aerox Race Replica

“X-Touring Yamaha” event provestoughness of Yamaha ATVs

One of the Kodiaks fel lfrom a boat into the riverand floated upside for 13min. But 40 min. later itwas running perfectly again

Taiwan

O n April 8, a ceremony was held in the city of Tai Chong in centralTaiwan to commemorate the launch of a new “YSP” (YamahaSuper Plaza) motorcycle dealership program that Yamaha Motor

Taiwan Co., Ltd. (YMT) is promoting throughout the island. Despite thefact that Taiwan is said to have the highest per capita scooter ownershiprate in the world, two-wheelers have continued to be sold through smallshops run in the traditional style that hasn’t changed for decades. YMT haslaunched the YSP dealership program in order to differentiate itself as thefirst maker to implement an integrated dealership program designed toguarantee the highest level of customer service. The program begins with atotal of 60 YSP shops around the island and plans to increase that numberas more shops meet the high YSP service and business standards. The grand launch ceremony, held at the newly opened YSP Hai Niao shopwas attended by some 200 people, including the owners of the first 60YSP-designated shops, representatives of the public sector including theMayor of Tai Chong, Mr. Hu Zi Qiang, and members of the press. Afterhearing the “Five Promises” of the YSP code guaranteeing customersTrust, Speed, Convenience,Consideration and Fairness, jour-nalists were heard to commentthat the Taiwanese 2-wheelermarket has now entered an newage where the brands must nowquality of service market share. From Katsuhiko Honmaru,YMT, Taiwan

YSP dealership program launchedin Taiwan

In the first stage of the YSP program, 60 dealers have wonYSP designation


South Korea

O n April 5, Yamaha distributor in South Korea, HankookMotor Trading Co., Ltd., opened its first Yamaha direct retailshop, named Yamaha Sports Korea (YSK) Seoul-Kangnam.

Located in the South section of Seoul, which until now has been thelocation primarily of motorcycle shops selling a wide range of import-ed models, this Yamaha direct retail shop has quickly become the cen-ter of industry attention because of its focus on customer communica-tion functions and full-ranging service program. The new YSK Seoul-Kangnam will undoubtedly serve as an important center for the dis-semination of user-oriented information. HMT followed up on April 17 and 18 with a circuit riding school forits YZF-R1 and R6 customers and race participants at the TaebaekCircuit in Kangwon-do. Blessed with fine weather on both days, 36enthusiastic participants gathered to receive instruction from formerAll-Japan 500cc star and present YMC development rider NorihikoFujiwara and Japanese privateer team manager Yasuaki Fujimoto.After the successful completion of this school, there were immediatelyrequests for more holdings in the near future. From Masahiko Arika, MC operations, YMC

Sudan

New headquarters, new start forGolden Arrow

O n March 10, a ceremony was held to celebrate the openingof the new corporate headquarters and showrooms of theYamaha distributor for Sudan, Golden Arrow Co., Ltd. A

tape cutting ceremony was held at one of the company’s new show-rooms located in a commercial district of the capital, Khartoum. Thenew company headquarters is also located in Khartoum on a streetthat happens to bear the same name as the company. Sudan boaststhe largest land area of any country in Africa, and in his speech atthe opening ceremony, Golden Arrow’s Managing Director, Mr.Abdu M.A.M. Abdalla declared his determination to significantlyexpand sales of Yamaha products in this vast market. Attending theceremony on behalf of the government was the Vice President andChairperson of the Coordination Council for Southern Sudan, Dr.Reyak Guy. Yamaha was represented by OMDO Senior GeneralManager Shibata. It was clear that the opening of this new facilitymarks a new start with big expectations for Yamaha business inSudan. From MichiruWajima,OMDO, YMC

Sudan’s Vice PresidentGuy (center) joined in thetape cutting with GoldenArrow Chairman, Mr.Mamoun A.M. Abdalla(to left of Dr. Guy) andOMDO’s Shibata (rightof Dr. Guy)

500km

JAKARTA

SINGAPORE

PWC tour covers 1,100 km from Jakarta to Singapore

On April 7, an intrepid group of 15personal watercraft enthusiastsset out from the Indonesian capi-

tal, Jakarta, on what would be an adven-turous five days of coast and island hop-ping north to Singapore. This “WaterCross Touring 2004” event was organizedby the Indonesia Jet Sports Association,led by Mr. Fully Aswar and Mr. Jusli, togive PWC enthusiasts a chance to experi-ence international long-distance adven-ture touring. The participants includednine Yamaha SUV 1200 owners, threeFX140 owners and three owners of othermakes. They were accompanied by two Yamaha powered cruisers carrying a support crew including twodoctors, five mechanics, a TV film crew and security staff. In all, the 1,100-km course was covered in 31 hours of riding over five days with all the Yamaha PWCs fin-ishing successfully with no breakdowns. The proud participants were greeted on their arrival in Singaporeon April 11 by Mr. Justin Lee, president of the Singapore Powerboat Association. Everyone involved appreciated the experience and plans are already being made for the next tour event torun from Jakarta to Pattaya in Thailand later this year. From Ronald Leman, KG Marine, Indonesia

All participants who joined the “Water Cross Touring 2004”

Indonesia

The staff of YSK Seoul will play an important role in user communication and service

HMT opens first direct retail shopin Seoul

Malaysia

Launch of new model “eGO” follows “Lagenda 110” success

O n March 31, Malaysian distributor, Hong Leong Yamaha DistributorsSdn Bhd (HLYD) organized a gala press and dealer launch for thenew 115cc automatic transmission scooter model “eGO.” Some 300

industry guests and reporters and film crews from 23 media companies gath-ered at the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. After an introduc-tory speech by HLYD’s COO, Mr. Ng Choong Hai, Senior General ManagerNick Ohmura of Yamaha’s regional business center, gave an impressiveaccount of the success of the new model so far in other ASEAN markets.With interest growing in Malaysia today for automatic model scooters like thenew eGO, this is considered a verytimely launch. It was clear from theenthusiastic responses of everyonepresent that expectations are high fora new model of this type and size.Following the recently successfullaunch of the moped type Lagenda110, Yamaha’s position in theMalaysian market has been consider-ably strengthened. From Ryohei Nakata, MC opera-tions, YMC

Lebanon

ATV owners instructed in YRAprogram

In early April, the Yamaha motorcycle distributor in Lebanon, SalahEddine Itani Est., organized a Yamaha Riding Academy (YRA) eventfor its ATV customers in cooperation with the Yamaha Motor Sports

Promotion Division for the first time. With snow still remaining in themountain areas where ATV use is popular, a course was set up in anempty lot in Beirut for the YRA ATV riding course. Some 22 ATV own-ers gathered to receive instruction in proper riding practices and tech-nique. Some of the participants came as families and the smiles of parentspracticing together to master the techniques were truly gratifying. In theLebanese market utility models like the Grizzly and Kodiak are the mainsellers and are often outfitted for touring. From now, Salah Eddine Itaniplans to train instructors and will continue to educate people in sound rid-ing technique. From Masahiko Arika, MC operations, YMC

With demand growing for automatic-transmissionscooters in Malaysia, the eGO’s launch is a timelyone

Australia

Yamaha bikes and riders dominateA4DE!

Lebanese ATV owners appreciated the professional instruction in proper riding practices

Yamaha riders dominated the medals in spectacular fashion at theYamaha Wild Dog 2004 Australian Four Day EnduroChampionships that ran from April 15 to 18 at Warragul, Victoria.

Ballard’s Yamaha Motorex Team enjoyed its most successful champi-onship to date with five Australian titles, a feat that put Yamaha on coursefor impressive event statistics.The highlight was Glenn Kearney, who rode his YZ250WR brilliantlyto win his first outright Australian Enduro Championship along withthe Over 200cc 2-stroke class title. Damian Smith (WR250F) contin-ued Yamaha’s domination of the 250cc 4-stroke class, taking a con-vincing class win and fourth outright at his first attempt on the smallbore 4-stroke. Team manager Geoff Ballard (WR250F) added yetanother page to his enduro legend by blitzing his competition overthe last three days to easily wrap up the Over 35’s classChampionship. He also won the all-important final motocrossahead of a fleet of much larger capacity machines. The Over 45category was also won by a Yamaha WR250F, this time pilot-ed by Rob Haskins. The irrepressible Ballard’s YamahaMotorex Racing Team also won the Trade Team event,which was represented by Kearney, Smith and Jason Cater.

Yamaha Motor Australia Pty., Ltd. (YMA) will continue tosupport race events like this because in the sports-oriented Australian

market it has been proved time and again that the machines that win on Sunday arethe ones that sell on Monday. From Sean Hawker, YMA, Australia


Outright winner GlennKearney was the star ofthe 2004 Australian FourDay Enduro Champion-ships on his YZ250WR

Photo taken by Colin Chan


ME Company service theme of increasing customer satisfaction and becom-ing No. 1 in reliability through an integrated program of “products and ser-vice as one.”

The participating service man-agers will now be responsible forthe important job of disseminatingnew-model service information intheir respective countries to ensuresmooth product launches. From Hideaki Kuno, CR ServiceDept., ME Company, YMC

Service managers and staff at the 2004 modelservice seminar

Hong Kong

O n May 16, a special new model introduction event was held at Yamaha distributor ManLee Tat in Hong Kong. Five YMC-manufactured large-displacement motorcycles andtwo types of scooters manufactured by Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co., Ltd. were unveiled

on that day. It was also announced that Yamaha is truly making a commitment to grow its shareand build customer satisfaction in Hong Kong. This was the first event ever held in Hong Kongto introduce new models, but about 80 guests(the press and representatives from dealerships inH.K. and Macau) showed intense interest as theyquestioned the Yamaha staff about the new mod-els. Many also expressed their impression thatthey can expect more from Yamaha in the future. Popular actress Yo-Yo further livened up theevent. The following week, Man Lee Tat report-ed a flood of orders and inquiries about the newmodels. From Yukari Fujishiro, YMC

First new model intro draws strong responseTaiwan

Smooth productionstart for new Vino

Over the four days from April 20 to23, a group of 32 Yamaha servicemanagers gathered at the newly

outfitted CR ServiceTraining Center of

Yamaha’s ME Companyin Iwata to receive service

training for the new models being released this year.The participants came from all Yamaha marine divi-sions. In addition to comprehensive instruction in servicetechnology for the new 2004 outboard motors andWaveRunners, the international participants joined inproductive discussions about putting into effect the

Service seminar held for 2004 new modelsJapan

At the Man Lee Tat new model introduction event

W ith a dynamic new lineup of 2005 Yamahamountain snowmobiles Yamaha Motor CanadaLtd. (YMCA) decided that the opportunity to

demonstrate the ability of these class-leading models wasneeded where they show best, “on the mountain.”Three weekend events were held though March and April2004, at major consumer riding areas in British Columbia(Western Canada), at elevations of 500 to 2,500 meters.Yamaha dealers had spe-cial “VIP” invitationssent to leading mountainclub enthusiasts to ridethe new 2005 models insnow conditions measur-ing up to three meters indepth. The 2005 RX-1

Mountain, RSVector Mountain, and SXViper Mountain per-formed flawlessly for over 200 enthusiastic riders looking toappreciate the Yamaha riding experience in the toughest condi-tions. From Peter Swanton, YMCA, Canada

2005 Snowmobile “Mile HighCustomer Intro”

Canada

T he first units of the 2004 model ofYamaha’s popular retro fashion scooter“Vino” went on sale on March 29.

Having undergone a complete model changefor 2004, the newVino went into pro-duction at the YamahaMotor Taiwan Co.,Ltd. (YMT) factory,where the productionteam successfullyreached their initialgoal of 98% uninter-rupted assembly com-pletion rate. In effortsto achieve the world’s highest level of manu-facturing quality, YMT has been aggressivelyupgrading its expertise in manufacturing tech-nology and quality control systems that identi-fy problems and root them out with optimumspeed and efficiency. This time YMT and itsR&D branch Yamaha Motor R&D TaiwanCo., Ltd. worked together with the various SySsystem supplier organizations and YMC’s 1stIwata Factory to achieve a smooth productionstart and realize their goal of 98% uninterrupt-ed completion rate soon after the first lot.Everyone involved was duly proud of this suc-cess. From Yoshihiro Akahori, YMT, Taiwan

The second eye of the Dharma figureis painted in by Mr. Akira Araki, rep-resenting YMC, to symbolize the suc-cess of the new Vino production

The scenic test-ride venues were at elevations up to 2,500 meters

Customers test rode 2005 models like the 4-strokeRX-1 Mountain and RSVector Mountain in idealmountain conditions


Italy

The arrival of the fully redesigned 2004 YZF-R1 has been along-awaited event for motorcycle lovers in Italy, and YamahaMotor Italia S. P. A. (YMIT) has prepared a lot of 1,000 units

of the 2004 R1 each mounting a special serial number designating itsplace in the “R1 First Edition.” On March 20, a ceremony was held topresent the key for the serial No. 1 machine of this edition to its ownerat a dealership in the city of Parma named Moto Shop. The serialnumber of the machine each new owner receives was decided by theorder in which their orders were received, and the lucky first customeris a man who placed his order back in August 2003, long before theofficial press introduction of the 2004 R1 last autumn. The owner ofMoto Shop, Mr. Buratti, his staff and representatives of YMIT pre-pared a special plaque to present to the No. 1 and No. 999 machinecustomers, symbolizing the size of the 1,000 unit lot of the long-antic-ipated new R1. The key presenting ceremony also included a dinnerand a disco event that attracted many young people along with a large

group of excitedowners come topick up theirR1s.From TatsushiKasai, YMIT,Italy

Customer presented key for“First Edition” R1, No. 1

The second Yamaha Race Training (YRT) program for R-series rac-ers took place at the Nogaro circuit in France in late March, with 60riders from ten European countries attending. YRT gives Yamaha

the opportunity to work directly with its racing customers and explain howto get the best out of their machines. Riders spent one day in the classroomand three days on the circuit, where they received invaluable guidance

from YMC and YamahaMotor Europe engineers.Attendees also received aservice manual and tech-nical guide offering infor-mation on suspension,fuel injection and the kitparts themselves.Hosting the event was

YRT program bonds race enthusiasts to Yamaha brand

1) Send us your text or an outline of the contents, making sure to specify who, what, when, where, why and how details.

2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution photos with explanations. 3) Submissions received in Japan by the 20th of odd-numbered months will

be considered for the next issue.

France

Notice of when your article will appear in YN will be made after the editing process. Send your articles to me, (Ms.) Maki Yamaguchi, at the address below. Address: 2500 Shingai Iwata Shizuoka Japan E-mail: [email protected]

To have your topic included in Yamaha NewsWorld Topics:

From right, the first cus-tomer, Moto Shop’sowner, Mr. Buratti andYMIT staff, Mr. Murata

Yamaha Motor Racing’s technical consultant, Mr. Wilco Zeelenberg, whoalong with Yamaha Motor Europe service engineer, Mr. Marc de Graaf,and Öhlins suspension expert, Mr. Anders Andersson, gave talks on thefeatures of the production YZF-R1 and R6, Yamaha EngineeringCorporation kit parts and the art of suspension set-up. Also giving atten-dees the benefit of their vast experience were four engineers from YMC,headed by Mr. Jiro Izaki.“The YRT program proved popular when we introduced it in 2003,” saidZeelenberg. “This year we made some small changes based on feedbackfrom the previous event. The number of riders choosing to race withYamahas, especially the new R1, is impressive and it is important that weprovide the riders and their mechanics, as well as technical staff atYamaha’s national distributors, with as much technical information aspossible on their new bikes.”From Paul Taylor, Yamaha Racing Communications, the Netherlands

Mr. De Graaf (at front) and Mr. Zeelenberg head the YRT racingschool program

Mexico

S ince 1974, when it was founded to distribute Yamaha out-board motors and build FRP fishing boats under a technicalassistance agreement with Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC),

Industria Mexicana De Equipo Marino S.A. De C.V. (IMEMSA) hascontinued to grow with the Mexican fishery and marine markets.This year, IMEMSA celebrated the 30th anniversary of its foundingwith a grand ceremony on June 10 attended by some 250 people. Onthis occasion, IMEMSA’s President Jefferson H. Fuller and theentire staff welcomed guests including dignitaries from the politicaland business world as well as representatives from the company’sdealers and associated businesses. Attending from Japan wereYMC’s President Toru Hasegawa, ME Company’s President ShinyaSato, CR Overseas Marketing Division General Manager AkiraKoide and Latin American Group Manager Kazuro Yamaguchi. Atthe ceremony President Fuller expressed his company’s determina-tion to expand Yamaha business in the Mexican market and YMC’sPresident Hasegawa presented IMEMSA with a commemorative giftof a Japanese samuraihelmet and words ofcongratulations andappreciation for 30years of achievement.From Tetsuya Kaneko,Representative inIMEMSA, Mexico

Grand 30th birthday celebrationfor IMEMSA

YMC’s President Hasegawa presents a samurai helmet toIMEMSA’s president Fuller

Four Yamaha YZR-M1 machines are com-peting in this season’s MotoGP and as ofthe conclusion of round five, the CataloniaGP in Spain, the YZR-M1 has won threeof the first five races. As the series entersits middle stages, Yamaha News spoke toMr. Masao Furusawa, who heads the M1development team, to get up to speed onthe changes in this year’s machine.

Q: The MotoGP class is now in itsthird year. How has the YZR-M1evolved during this time?

Furusawa: The engine on the 2002 modelin the first year of the MotoGP had a 940ccdisplacement and later the competitivenesswas increased with the shift to a 990ccengine. Also, the early frame was actually adevelopment of the YZR500 type frame.We quickly developed a new frame specifi-cally for the M1 and have been workingtowards a more mature unit since then. In 2003 we adopted fuel injection on theM1 and began refining the engine manage-ment system. This combined with newframe design elements to help shave a fullsecond off the average lap time comparedto the 2002 model, although that progressdidn’t immediately lead to improved raceresults at the time. That was mainlybecause all the MotoGP competitors wereevolving so quickly. In order to make an even bigger improve-ment in 2004, we tried a number of differ-ent engine-frame combinations during thepre-season tests and gradually refined theseinto a new race machine.

Q: Will you first of all tell us aboutthis year’s engine?

Furusawa: One of the spec changes is thefiring order. The 2003 M1 had a firingorder of 1, 2, 4 and 3 with a regular firinginterval. The 2004 engine has a firing orderof 1, 3, 2 and 4 with an irregular firinginterval. That’s why you can hear a lowtone harmony in the new engine’s exhaustsound compared to the single-note sound

up through the 2003 model. Another thing we did was to optimize thecombustion interval to give the best trac-tion in response to throttle action. Rossicalls this a “sweet” engine, but we stillhave to keep developing it as the seasonprogresses.

Q: How about the frame?

Furusawa: We reduced the lateral rigidityof the frame and also lowered the reararm’s center of gravity. This improves thebalance with the suspension function whenleaning the bike deeply through the turns.And, we lengthened the wheelbase by20mm and moved the relative position ofthe engine farther forward. This gave aslight increase in weight distributiontoward the front wheel for a better frontstability. This is a design that brings out thebest of the in-line-4 engine layout whilealso contributing to handling and stability.

Q: What advantages have beengained through these changes?

Furusawa: The results are that this year’smachine can go into the turns faster andyou can take it into a deeper lean than lastyear’s machine. These advantages havecontributed to our early-season wins thisyear.

Q: What are yourdevelopment goalsfor the remainderof the season?

Furusawa: Our themesare increasing enginepower and gettingeven more stability inmachine motion dur-ing turns. The direc-tions for maturationare “predictability”and “drivability.” Predictability meansthe information the

Update on the MotoGP Machine,YZR-M1Update on the MotoGP Machine,YZR-M1

machine feedsback to the rider.The weight of aM o t o G Pmachine isapproximately145 kg, or onlyabout twice the weight of the rider.Because the rider is shifting his bodyweight in all directions as the races, thisfeedback is vital. While computer-con-trolled functions like engine-brake controland traction control are increasing, thereare also ways that the rider controls themachine directly. We are now working tomake more rider-friendly control areas.

Q: What are your hopes for the rid-ers and the series results?

Furusawa: Rossi has a great talent for rid-ing relaxed, enjoying the race and adjustinghis riding style to the machine’s character-istics. These talents are also making thebike faster, I believe. Jeremy Burgess, whocame to the team with Rossi is also makinga significant contribution. All our riders have great potential; Checawith his steady, serious approach, Melandriwith his aggressive riding style and Abe,who is getting more used to the machinewith every race. I hope everyone will cheerfor us as we work to regain the title forYamaha.

YZR-M1 development chief, Mr. Furusawa

2004 YZR-M1 at RSA

Printed in Japanhttp://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Public Relations Division 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan Telephone: 81-538-32-1145, Facsimile: 81-538-37-4250

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

The XG250 “Tricker” is a brandnew product that was firstunveiled at the 2003 Tokyo

Motor Show and goes on sale beginningin Japan this year. Motorcycle fanseverywhere are already checking out theTricker as a machine with an excitingnew look that conjures up images of“extreme sports” like surfing, snow-boarding and BMX trick riding, wheredynamic body action is the key to perfor-mance. But, it’s not only the look. AJapanese motor journalist who rode theTricker says, “Riding this machinebrought back that the thrill of that daywhen, as a child, I first learned to ride abicycle.” Even one of Yamaha’sMotoGP riders keeps his own Tricker forriding around the paddock at the race cir-cuits. He says, “It has a fresh look, and

you can ride it anywhere, from aroundtown to forest trails. Of course, you canuse it for just getting around, but it’s alsoa bike you can really play with.”Driving that performance is an air-cooled, 250cc, SOHC, single cylinderengine with a broad torque range andplenty of pick-up. And its light and nim-ble ride draws from a new-design light-weight frame, 19-inch front and 16-inchrear wheels with special-pattern tires ona YZ85 motocrosser size chassis with athin-design fuel tank, a simple seat offer-ing a slim riding position with plenty offreedom in riding style, plus an extralarge handlebar turning angle. Of course,the cool appearance is another reasonwhy it appeals to bike fans.To generate a fresh but familiar look, the

designers incorporated elements from

products like sneakers, MDs and portableCD players to convey the convenience ofhand-held devices that fit in as expres-sive parts of young people’s lifestyles. One of the designers says, “We had to

break out of the conventional straight-line image of the motorcycle’s line fromthe head pipe back through the seat. Todo that, we looked at the aggressive ver-tical motion seen in extreme sports andexpressed that image by angling the seatto look like it is sticking into the fueltank and then grouping that with theengine in a way that implies verticalthrust.”The Tricker’s slim fuel tank employs anew construction that was key to achiev-ing the overall slimness of the machineand the sense of dynamic vertical motioncentral to the original product concept.

A 3rd dimension ofdynamic performance The “Tricker,” it’s awhole new breed ofmotorcycle

yamaha motor co., ltd. · serial 44,building a place in the world's largest...

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