yamaha news,eng,no.4,2005,7月,7月,the new look of people ... · 2 yamaha news july 1, 2005 up...

Yamaha News,ENG,No.4,2005,7月,7月,The new look of people power!,Motorcycle,Up Front,Venturing into new fields – The story of new mopeds,Beldeyama,Hatsuo Onozawa,AV881P,Moped,MBK,Masatoshi Nakano,M-project,Takashi Koike,Kyoko Shimoishi,International Focus - Serial 50,Supplying quality products and customer satisfaction in an agricultural nation,Stansfield Motors Ltd.,Berlington Idi,Malawi,Blantyre,Four decades of Yamaha business,Gertrude Luhanga,Dedicated to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement,Meeting special needs of the agriculture industry,Much appreciated customer services,Racing Express,Rossi charging toward second straight title with Yamaha!,Racing,MotoGP,Yamaha GMT94,Valentino Rossi,YZR-M1,China,Everts runs in the lead like a true champ,France GP,Team Yamaha China Tianjian,Colin Edwards,YZ450FM,Yamaha GMT94 endurance team wins the Le Mans 24 Hours!,WMX,Stefan Everts,YZF-R1,Team Yamaha China Tianjian runs strong at first China GP,World Endurance Championship,David Checa,TZ250,Le Mans 24-hour Endurance Race,William Costes,China GP,Sebastien Gimbert,Huan Shi Zhao,He Zi Xian,World Topics,Yamaha and its dealers celebrate 50th anniversary at Business Meeting,US Motorsports Business Meeting,Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA,Akira Sano,U.S.A.,Las Vegas,50th anniversary,Yamaha distributor awarded for tsunami relief efforts,Associated Motorways Ltd.,Ruwan Perera,Sri Lanka,Associated Motor (Lanka) Co., Ltd.,Yamaha DT125 motorcycles for first presidential motorcade,Y. SATO (ROVIANA) & CO.,Chen Shui-Bian,DT125 ,Solomon Islands,Shanghai Boat Show becomes Asiaʼs largest,Marine,China International Boat Show 2005,YMA supports Surf Life Saving competition,Australian National Surf Life Saving Championship,Yamaha Motor Australia Pty. Ltd.,Australia,Kurrawa Beach,YMES celebrates YAMAHAʼs 50th anniversary in Valencia,Yamaha Motor España S.A.,Jorge Lasheras,Spain,Valencia,YMA sponsors successful Superbike World Championship round,Superbike World Championship,Steven Cotterell,Yamaha contributes to education long-term,Eduardoño S.A.,Colombia,Yamaha 50th anniversary celebration at Coupes Moto Légende,Coupes Moto Légende,Yamaha Motor France S.A.,Giacomo Agostini,France,Dijon,Phil Read,Christian Sarron,Kent Anderson,Lansivuori and Philippe Coulon,Isle of Man Post issues “Yamaha – 50 Years” stamps,Isle of Man TT,Bill Ivy,United Kingdom,Joey Dunlop,Ray McCullough,Steve Hislop,David Jefferies,John McGuinness,Carl Fogarty,4th Yamaha European Technician Grand Prix winners crowned,4th Euro Tech GP,Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. (,The Netherlands,Sony and Yamaha announce partnership for Italian GPs,Superbike World Championship,Yamaha Motor Italia S.P.A.,Noriyuki Haga,Italy,Monza GP,Sony Italia,Andrew Pitt,The Yamaha Tales - Vol. 2,The YBR125G takes on the challenge of Chinaʼs wild west,Yamaha Jianshe Motor Shanghai Marketing Co., Ltd.,Huang Yan Dong,YBR125,Chomolungma – Urumqi Touring Raid,Chongqing Jianshe Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.,Song Guang Jie,Bai Hua Shun,Liang Zhong Tao,Zhang Xiao Dong,Xu Zi Qiang,Zoom In,A whole new riding experience – Yamahaʼs electric commuter, EC-02,Electric Commuter,EC-02,Electric Vehicle

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

No.4BIMONTHLY

Born in France 80 years ago,mopeds have a long tradition aspopular personal vehicles. Threeyears ago Yamaha reinvented themoped with three new designsnow being manufactured inTurkey. With these convenient andaffordable bikes, Yamaha ispioneering new markets

The new look of people power!

The new look of people power!

2 YAMAHA NEWS JULY 1, 2005

UP FRONT

It was in April 2002 that productionbegan on three new moped models atthe factory of Yamaha Motor’s Turk-ish affiliate, Beldeyama. In the twoyears since the first of these modelswas released in Turkey in 2002 untilthe end of 2004, some 30,000 unitshave been sold in the African, Turk-ish and French markets, constitutinga quiet little boom of popularity. These three markets have a combinedannual moped demand of about100,000 to 120,000 units, and in termsof production the mopeds marketedunder the Yamaha name in Africaand Turkey and MBK name inEurope had top share in 2004. Forthis issue of Yamaha News we spoketo the staff at YMC’s Overseas Mar-ket Development Operations(OMDO) responsible for the Africanmarket to learn about the storybehind the development of these newmoped models and the “Yamaha-ism” they embody.

What is a moped? The name moped takes the “mo” from

motor and the “ped” from pedals,and as vehicles they combinethe functions of a bicycle and amotorcycle. The engines used

on most mopeds are 50cc pistonvalve type 2-strokes that run ofpremixed gasoline and oil. The

engine is started by pump-ing the pedals just

like a bicycle

and once the motor is running it isoperated with the throttle just likea motorcycle. The history of mopeds goes back to1923 and the founding of the makerMotobecane in France. Thanks to thepopularity of the company’s mopeds,shipments of these vehicles haveexceeded one million units at their peak.Entering the 1980s, Yamaha Motordecided to make a major investment formanagement reasons and restart thecompany as MBK in 1984, and the workmotivation and energy of the employeeswas maintained. MBK inherited the moped business andcontinued to manufacture and marketmopeds under the MBK brand name.Mopeds have been popular in themarketplace thanks to their con-venience and stand as an iconof French culture. That statusas a historic symbol ofFrench transportation cul-ture was expressed inrecent years whenMBK’s “AV881P”model moped waspictured on a Frenchpostal stamp.

Development of the “basic com-muter vehicle” The year 1997 saw the start of a newmoped project. Targeting primarily theAfrican market, the project began withOMDO taking responsibility for plan-ning and market studies while YamahaMotor Europe N.V. (YMENV) preparedto coordinate the overall development

and manufacturing. Taking thefirst letter of the name moped, theproject was called the M-project.Present OMDO business seniorgeneral manager HatsuoOnozawa recalls theearly stages of theproject.

VVeennttuurriinngg iinnttoo nneeww ffiieellddss

YAMAHA NEWS JULY 1, 2005 3

Like models of the past, the new mopeds are run normally by themotor only. The mechanism allows the rider to pedal as well to assistthe engine when more power is needed at times like climbing hills.The body design features two chains, one on either side. One is forthe pedal drive used when starting the engine or pedaling to assist theengine and the other is the drive chain connecting the engine to therear wheel

Developing new styling basedon the opinions of the cus-tomersOne of the first problems the develop-ment team tackled was the styling of thenew models. What kind of look shouldthey have? Working with the designteam from Amsterdam-based GlobalDesign (GK Europe), market studiesbegan with the aim of finding out thecurrent tastes and trends among con-sumers in the African countries. Design

“In Africa it is possible for us to get gov-ernment agencies and NGOs to invest inhigher quality Yamaha products ratherthan other brands. But, in this market itis very difficult to sell the same productsto private consumers becauseof the price. We knew thatthe way to reach people inthese countries of Africawith products that couldenrich their lives and bringreal satisfaction was tosupply products that aretruly affordable for theaverage customer.That brought us to theidea of building a “basiccommuter” bike that wehoped could create a syner-gistic effect with motorcy-cles to show more peoplethe convenience and benefitsof 2-wheelers.”Once that aim was established,the Yamaha team worked incooperation with the suppliersthroughout the development, from creat-ing the initial concept, the design andengineering and all the way to the pro-duction line, in order to meet the chal-lenge of developing models that wouldtruly match the real needs of the cus-tomers. This would be a pioneering pro-

ject aimed at opening up new markets,and it was decided that the stage for thisnew product development would beIstanbul, a city that has long been knownas the crossroads between East andWest. Needless to say, not everything wentsmoothly from the beginning. Therewere several important questions con-fronting the project team. How much ofthe original moped design—which had-n’t changed in some twenty years—should be maintained? What was thebest way to improve the reliability of theproduct? How could cost competitive-ness be improved?

OMDO’s M-project staff, Hatsuo Onozawa, Masatoshi Nakano, Kyoko Shimoishi, Takashi Koike (from left)

––TThhee ssttoorryy ooff nneeww mmooppeeddss

UP FRONT


sketches of seven different prototypeswere shown to customers in three ofAfrica’s biggest moped markets, Moroc-co, Tunisia and Burkina Faso, as well asTurkey. The design concept that emerged fromthese studies was one of “sporty ele-gance.” Based on this, a new styling wasdeveloped that went beyond the tradi-tional moped design. The design work was supervised byYMENV as a joint project involving thetechnical engineers from Beldeyama anddesigners from the Italian design compa-ny Sanbarnaba. Together they created thedesign for a viable production model thatreflected the voices of the users. The essential design elements for thenew chassis design were the kind ofrigidity balance that would contributedirectly to handling and running perfor-mance and the basic strength and dura-bility a quality machine requires. At this

stage of the design, vital structural analy-sis work and the like were conducted atthe Yamaha headquarters in Japan.Meanwhile, skeleton and clay modelswere created and the various manufactur-ing requirements worked into the design. One of the YMC engineers involved atthe time, Masatoshi Nakano, recalls: “Indesigning the engine, which is really theheart of any vehicle, we based our deci-sions on factors like the global availabili-ty of parts and cost effectiveness as weworked to fulfill the original designrequirements. We kept the piston valvedesign that has been a proven standard inthis category for so long, and then weused our Yamaha technology to the

fullest in order to boost reliability.”

2004 brings rising popularity inmain marketsToday, the production lines at Beldeyamaare manufacturing mopeds with a month-ly capacity of 4,000 units using partssupplied from over 100 vendors. And

with this production capacity theYamaha and MBK brandmopeds have won an unprece-dented market share in thecombined markets of Africa,France and Turkey. However, even as the popu-larity of these models contin-

ues to rise in the marketplace,there are new market forces

coming into play. OMDO’sKyoko Shimoishi comments: “We

developed and launched our new mopedmodels like the ‘Galaxy’ with a productconcept of the ‘basic commuter’ vehicle.But, the African markets have seen aninflux of inexpensive Chinese-mademotorcycles in the last few years thathave definitely undermined the appeal ofmopeds as low-cost bikes to somedegree. However, mopeds still haveunique appeal in other areas, like the factthat (in most markets) mopeds and other50cc motorcycles do not require alicense, they are easy and convenient touse, they have durable engines and theycost less to repair.”Ms. Shimoishi goes on to say, “Forexample, mopeds used to be the vehicleof choice among students in their teens inmarkets like France, but today new

Beldeyama A.S. was established in Istanbul in 1997 as a joint venture between Turkey’s KOÇGroup and YMENV. Today the company employs 300 and since 2003 it has taken over the fullmoped manufacturing operations from MBK, making it a leading manufacturing base for mopedsin the Yamaha group. In 2004 it manufactured 50,000 units

The staff of the Yamaha Motor Casablanca Coordination Center(YMCCC) office in Morocco. This office was established in 2000with the aims of improving communication with the area’smoped distributors and gathering market information


groups of moped users are growing inother countries around the world. This isbecause of the affordability of these bikesas basic commuter vehicles. That is whywe are now introducing these models inmarkets like Morocco this year and weare also considering marketing thesemodels in European countries other thanFrance.”

The Yamaha tradition of pioneer-ing new markets The story of the new mopeds is a storyof creating a manufacturing systembased on regional needs and employingYamaha technologies in order to revive avehicle that was not a Yamaha productto begin with. But this kind of pioneer-ing spirit is nothing new to Yamaha. “In our various product ranges from out-board motors to motorcycles, OMDOhas worked to bring out new productsand new specs that meet customer needsaccording to the way the products areactually used in each different market,”says OMDO’s Takashi Koike. “Forexample, there is the case of the XJ900police bike that is now being used inseveral African and Middle East coun-tries. In addition to outfitting these mod-els with the necessary police bike equip-ment like sirens, we have taken otherregion-specific measures like oversizedcowling to help protect the machinefrom sand and dust while also meetingstrict Yamaha requirements for high-speed performance. We are not justbringing in appropriate models fromother markets. We are creating market-

specific models that could even be calledOMDO originals. It has always beenYamaha’s ideal to go into each market,listen to its users, observe the way theylive and the way they use their productsand then to build new products that fitthose real needs,” he concludes. The three new moped models are primeexamples of the pioneering spirit that

makes use of the Yamaha group networkand the strengths of each local supplierto bring to market products that trulymeet local needs. Born in France and remade by Yamaha’spioneering spirit, these new mopeds arenow bringing satisfaction to customersin countries far beyond the borders oftheir homeland.

In the French market a new model incorporating a cat-alytic converter unit was introduced to meet new exhaustregulations in 2003. Whereas the general trend towardscooter use is reducing the demand for mopeds, there arehopes that marketing efforts for new moped models willhelp cultivate new user groups

In the African markets, the introduction of low-priced motorcycles fromChina has stimulated lower-end demand for two-wheelers. Theseimports have caused a reduction in demand for mopeds. In Morocco,however, license regulations for 50cc motorcycles and the ongoingpopularity of mopeds have caused annual moped demand to expand tothe level of 27,000 units. Plans call for the M-Project Yamaha mopedsto be introduced one after another in this important market

In the Turkish market motorcycle demand is growing once again after the country’s economy recovered from economic crisis in 2001.In 2004, moped demand stood at 35,000 units. Of this, Beldeyama mopeds including the traditional “Mobylette” model and theYamaha brand models together sold some 23,000 units. The company is looking toward a further expansion of this market in 2006


INTERNATIONAL FOCUSLocation: Blantyre, MalawiChairman/CEO: Mr. D.G. (Tich) Robb Yamaha Franchise Manager:

Mr. Berlington IdiYamaha Franchise employees: 20

Four decades of Yamaha busi-ness For over 40 years Stansfield Motors Ltd.has been the distributor for Yamahaproducts in the South East African nationof Malawi. Stansfield Motors is a familyowned company that was founded inMalawi in the early 1920s. Today it is aprofessionally managed corporate groupoperating distributor franchises forYamaha Motor, Mercedes Benz, Mit-subishi Motor and Peugeot vehicles outof state-of-the-art premises situated inthe major southern city of Blantyre, withbranch facilities in the capital, Lilongwe,in the central region of the country andMzuzu in the north.As the distributor for Yamaha productsin Malawi for more than four decades,Stansfield Motors Ltd. has made Yamahamotorcycles the market’s leading brandhere for many years. In addition to sup-plying a full range of agricultural usemotorcycles and off-road motorcycles,including the AG100, AG200, DT125,DT175, RX100, YT115 and V80 models,the group’s Yamaha Franchise also sup-plies Malawi customers with Yamahaoutboard motors, generators and waterpumps, lawn mowers, hammer millspowered by Yamaha multipurpose

engines and welding unitspowered by Yamaha gen-erators to meet a widerange of industry needs. To handle the fast grow-ing market for these prod-ucts, Stansfield Motorshas put together a dynam-ic Yamaha Team operat-ing out of all three of thegroup’s main offices withthe responsibility of pro-moting and managingYamaha products.

Dedicated to customer satisfac-tion and continuous improve-mentAt Stansfield Motors, our mission is todeliver Customer Satisfaction whilstdeveloping and nurturing a culture ofContinuous Improvement within thecompany. We are committed to strivingfor excellence, integrity and profession-alism in all that we do and to the growthand development of all our employees. An important key to customer satisfac-tion in a market like Malawi is the quali-ty and availability of after-sale service.We have high quality workshop facilitiesin Blantyre and we also have custombuilt premises in Lilongwe and a smallfacility in Mzuzu. Our workshops arefully equipped with the special toolingnecessary for the products we market. Inaddition, we are continually updating ourexisting technical diagnostic equipment,to ensure that we meet optimum servic-ing standards and are able to quicklydiagnose and remedy technical problemsthat arise. Another important part of our efforts for“Customer Satisfaction and ContinuousImprovement” is our intensive and ongo-ing internal and external training pro-grams. We are totally committed to the

ongoing training and development of allour staff and have the full support ofYamaha, which regularly sends person-nel to Malawi for staff and customertraining. Some of our personnel alsohave the opportunity to travel to Japan,Kenya, Republic of South Africa andZimbabwe to undergo training.

Meeting special needs of theagriculture industryStanfield Motors’ Yamaha Franchise hasbeen successful in boosting its salesturnover considerably by giving specialsupport to our customers in largetea/sugar estates who maintain fleets ofmotorcycles like the AG100 and AG200.One of our fleet customers is the largestsecurity company Securicor, who useAG200 bikes for patrolling on the sugarestates. To give them the height to seeover the tall sugar cane, they also usecamels in concert with the Yamahabikes. Our fleet customers like IllovoSugar (M) Ltd. mostly service their bikesthemselves, but we provide them withconsignment stocks of parts, which isvery convenient for them. The consign-ment stock system helped us to improveour service delivery to the customers,which has in turn lifted our turnover.

SERIAL 50

Stansfield Motors Ltd. (Yamaha Franchise) Supplying quality produ

agricultural nation

Our reporter: GertrudeLuhanga, Yamaha SalesRepresentative, StansfieldMotors Ltd.

Yamaha Franchise Man-ager, Mr. Berlington Idi

The workshop of Stansfield Motors Ltd. in Blantyre

Rural mechanics have also been trainedand positioned in the country’s moreremote areas in order to support our cus-tomers. There are over 10,000 Yamahaproducts in use in Malawi today andbecause they are widely dispersedthroughout the country, we cannot hopeto service them all. So, to facilitate reli-able back-up we embarked on a programto train rural mechanics and certify andgrade them with collateral support oftools, signage, overalls, and we inspecttheir premises regularly. Stansfield Motors is also planning amobile field service unit to enable ourtechnicians to visit remote locations onpre-notified dates and service any bikesbrought in, with a free estimate and goodpricing, good back up services offeredand of course the best product!

Much appreciated customerservicesAnother aspect of maintaining a highlevel of customer satisfaction is teachingthe customers to use their Yamaha prod-


cts and customer satisfaction in an

Malawi has been fondly referred to as “theWarm Heart of Africa” with its friendly peopleand beautiful lakes and mountains. Malawi alsoboasts the highest mountain in Southern Africa,called Mt. Mulanje, which towers through themists and is a popular tourist resort. Mountain-ous areas in the north include the beautifulNyika Plateau and the forested Viphya Plateau.The Great Rift Valley runs across EasternAfrica like an ancient scar from the Red Sea inthe North to the Zambezi valley in the South.Malawi has two rift lakes—Lake Malawi andLake Malombe—as well as Lake Chirwa andLake Chiuta, which lie outside the Rift system.In all, over 20% of Malawi is covered by water.In the north the Rift Valley Escarpment risessteeply from the Lake, reaching elevations of2,500 meters. Malawi is a beautiful country withcooler months from May to October whichmakes travelling comfortable for visitors fromthe Northern Hemisphere. The lush green sum-mer from November to April is also a good timeto visit. The May and June months combine thebest of both seasons—cooler, still green withgreat visibility, which is good for photography.Game viewing is best in the hottest times of thedry season when the animals are forced tocome to water sources, but of course the coun-try is more attractive in the wetter, greenermonths. Bird watchers enjoy their best sight-ings in October and November.

Republic of Malawi■ Capital City: Lilongwe■ Area: 118,484 sq km■ Population: 11 million■ Currency: Kwacha■ Main products: Tobacco, Tea, Sugar

ucts properly. We regularly run “safe rid-ing courses” under the Yamaha RidingAcademy program, which includes basicmaintenance instruction for the users aswell. These courses are well patronizedby our customers, who bring their ownYamaha motorcycles to train with in allregions of the country where we conductthese courses. We are very grateful to thesponsorship by Yamaha Motor Compa-ny, Japan in these endeavours that help alot in building the Yamaha brand.One of the distinctive geographical fea-tures of Malawi is the large area of thecountry covered by lakes that support alocal fishing industry. Here we have acompany that custom-builds boats forfishermen. And at this moment theMpwepwe Boatyard company is buildingits biggest boat ever for a special projectwhich will pioneer deep-water fishing onLake Malawi and also transport peopleand their goods across Lake Malawi toMozambique. This boat will be poweredby a Yamaha inboard engine.

During 1980, the then Managing Direc-tor of Stansfield Motors attended Yama-ha’s 25th anniversary in Japan and abeautiful crystal gift from Yamaha mark-ing that celebration adorns our currentboard room table. Now 25 years later,our current Chief Executive D.G. (Tich)Robb and our Managing Director DavidGrimes are planning to attend Yamaha’s50th celebration in Malta in November2005. We take this opportunity of thank-ing Yamaha Motor and their people for

all their professional support over manyyears which has helped us considerablyin making Yamaha the market leader inMalawi. But we are not complacent, aswe know that companies are just likegreat football teams: they are only asgood as their last win!

Many Yamaha bikes are used on large tea and sugar estates andStansfield Motors provides these customers with consignment stocks ofparts so repairs can be made right away

Yamaha AG200 bikes are used by a security company on sugarestates. The same company also uses camels on security patrols

Many customers participate with their own bikes inthe “Yamaha Riding Academy” course held regu-larly around the country

EXPRESSRA

CIN

G

As of the end of the first six rounds of the MotoGP class of theroad racing world championships, Valentino Rossi on hisYamaha YZR-M1 has won five rounds and finished 2nd once.This is even better than his performance in the first six roundslast year on his way to the 2004 title, when he had racked upfour wins and two 4th places. Rossi’s 2005 charge began with a win in the opening round ofthe season. Then, in round two, the Portugal GP, he finished2nd. But in the Shanghai round, the first GP ever held inChina, he came back and despite a sixth position start on thegrip, ran into the lead in the early stages and held on for hissecond win of the season. In round four, the France GP, Rossibattled for the lead with his teammate Colin Edwards andfinally prevailed for win number three. Edwards held on to 3rdplace, giving Yamaha its first two-man podium of the seriesand proving the awesome potential of the YZR-M1. Next, in round five at the Italy GP, Rossi battled fellow ItalianMax Biaggi (Honda) down to the wire and finally out-dueledhim to capture his third straight win. Then in round six, theCatalonia GP, Rossi ran on the tail of Spaniard Sete Gibernau(Honda) in second place from the early stages. Finally, withthree laps remaining Rossi ran the fastest lap of the race to gopast Gibernau and take his fourth consecutive win. As of the end of round six, Rossi stands far above the rest inthe point ranking with 145 points, followed by MarcoMelandri (Honda) in 2nd with 87 points, Biaggi in 3rd with 77and Gibernau in 4th with 73. In the constructors’ ranking,Rossi and Edwards have combined to put Yamaha on top, 24points ahead of Honda. Looks like Yamaha is off to a goodstart toward a double title in its 50th Anniversary year.

Rossi and Edwards congratulate each other for their podium finishes (France GP)

2005 Road Race World Championships

MotoGP

2005 Road Race World Championships

MotoGP

Rossi, Edwards and Gibernau in a tight dogfight in round four, the France GP

Rossi charging toward secondstraight title with Yamaha!Rossi charging toward secondstraight title with Yamaha!

The 2004 World Endurance Championship title winners, theYamaha GMT94 team, took part in the Le Mans 24-hourEndurance Race held in France on April 16-17. Riding theYamaha YZF-R1, David Checa, William Costes and SebastienGimbert ran a total of 830 laps in 24 hours to finish ahead of 2ndplace Castrol Suzuki and grab a big victory. Since the Le Mans 24 began in 1978, Yamaha has only won itonce in 1991 with the team from Yamaha’s French distributor atthe time, Sonauto. Since 2004, Yamaha Motor France has sup-ported the GMT94 team’s participation in this race. That first yearthe team ran in first place into the 23rd hour only to be hit withmechanical trouble with an hour remaining and miss the win. Thevictory this time is the first in this race for Yamaha Motor Francesince the company was founded in 1992 and comes in YamahaMotor’s 50th Anniversary year. This year also happens to be the40th year since Yamaha products were first sold in the Frenchmarket.

Yamaha GMT94 endurance team wins theLe Mans 24 Hours!

At the last pit stop therewas some tension as theteam checked for possibleoil leakage but they wenton to win by a 20-secondmargin

The GMT94 team alsohopes to do well at theBol D’Or 24-hour racethis autumn

EXPRESSRA

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G2005 Motocross

World Championships2005 Motocross

World Championships

MX1classMX1class

The 2005 World Motocross Championships is beingcompeted over a long 17-round series. After the firsteight rounds Stefan Everts riding the YamahaYZ450FM is running ahead of the rest in the seriesranking with 339 points. Following in 2nd place isJoel Smets (Suzuki) with 276 points, Joshua Coppins(Honda) 3rd with 274 points, Michael Pichon(Honda) 4th with 261 and Ben Townley (KTM) in5th with 254 points. After taking the overall win in the opening round ofthe season, Everts finished 2nd at round two, theSpain GP. He then came back to win rounds threeand four to secure his lead in the ranking. But, atround five, the Europe GP (Germany), he took a fallin the first heat and finished the day 4th overall. Thisbrought the day’s winner, Pichon, within nine pointsof Everts in the ranking. The next three rounds were held on a tough scheduleon consecutive weekends in Japan, Britain and Italywith long travel legs in between that put an additionalstrain on the competitors. In the Japan and Britishrounds Everts rode steadily to consecutive wins as hisrivals fell and lost points. Another strong perfor-mance at round eight, the Italian GP, got him 2ndplace overall, as he continued to rack up the points fora big series lead. With nine rounds remaining, the championship title isfar from won. There are sure to be tough battlesahead in the title race, and all eyes are on the champEverts and his YZ450FM.

The WMX returned to Japan for the first time in tenyears with the Japan GP as round six (May 29).Yamaha’s Everts and Jorgensen grab a 1-2 start

Everts scored a perfect win at roundseven, the British GP, his 84th overallwin in the WMX

Everts runs in the lead like a true champEverts runs in the lead like a true champ

On May 1, Shanghai hosted the first World GP race ever held inChina. For this China GP a “Team Yamaha China Tianjian” wasformed and two riders, Huan Shi Zhao (31) and He Zi Xian (29)were entered on the Yamaha TZ250 production road racer.These two riders had entered the 250cc class of the Malaysia GPin 2003 and at that time Huan became the first Chinese rider everto qualify for a GP final, and then completed the race in 19thplace. For the home China GP this time, however, their goal wasfor both riders to qualify for the final. A team of experience Yamaha race

staff joined the effort and helped prepare the ridersand mechanics for the attempt with things like testruns on the Shanghai circuit prior to race week. The first day of qualifying was rainy and the ridersand team were all struggling to cope with the condi-tions. But on the dry second day both riders camethrough with their best race-week times and quali-fied for the final.

Team Yamaha China Tianjian runs strongat first China GP

The final was also held in the rain, but this time the riders went out confi-dently, with He moving up from 28th to 16th position at the start and Huanmoving up from 27th to 24th. As one competitor after another dropped outof the race, the two Chinese Yamaha riders became the darlings of the fansin the stands as they raced on valiantly to the wild cheers of the spectators.Riding hard to the end, they became the top Chinese finishers with He tak-ing the checkered in 20th place and Huan in 21st. In doing so, they showedmany new Chinese fans the excitement of motor sports.

The two Yamaha Tianjian team riders pushed hard throughoutthe race to finish as high as possible

The Team Yamaha ChinaTianjian riders were cheeredon by ecstatic home fans


USA

On June 12th, nearly 3,500 dealer staff and their familiesrepresenting 1,100 Yamaha dealerships nationwide gath-ered for the 2006 US Motorsports Business Meeting inLas Vegas, Nevada. The meeting began with a special50th anniversary presentation including opening speechesby YMC President Takashi Kajikawa and Yamaha MotorCorporation, USA (YMUS) President Akira Sano. Then,the exciting new motorcycle, ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS)models were introduced to the resounding approval of theaudience. The next day dealers attended seminars onCustomer Service, Star Motorcycle marketing and more.Finally YMUS hosted an unforgettable gala 50th Anniver-sary dinner party with guests including former Yamahachampions like Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson and BrocGlover and music by the popular The B-52’s rock band.From Brad Banister, Yamaha Media Relations Manager,YMUS

Yamaha and its dealers celebrate 50th anniversary at Business Meeting

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to Chief Editor Rika Niwa of the Corporate Communication Dept.,Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

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

The new “Road Liner” joins the popular Star brand cruisers as the new flagship

The B-52's in retroYamaha gear

YMC’s president Kajikawa addresses the US dealers


Australia

YMA supports SurfLife Saving competition

The Australian National Surf Life Saving Championship,known as the “Aussies,” was successfully held in March atKurrawa Beach on Queensland’s Gold Coast with Yama-ha Motor Australia Pty. Ltd. (YMA) serving as one of themain sponsors. With over 8,000 participants from 285 surfclubs around the country competing in events such asswimming, surf ski paddling, surf board racing and teamrowing, this is one of the biggest sporting events held any-where in the world. And of course it attracts huge amountsof interest nationwide.YMA also sponsors the national surf life saving organisa-tion SLSA as a preferred supplier and provides its clubswith Yamaha outboard motors, WaveRunners and ATVsfor surf rescue purposes. A few days before the “Aussies”event, SLSA club members met with Queensland Yama-ha representatives to pick up their products for the comingyear.From Sean Hawker, YMA, Australia

Sri Lanka

Yamaha distributor awarded fortsunami relief efforts

Sri Lanka was one of the nations hit hardest by the Indian Oceantsunami (tidal wave) at the end of last year. In its aftermath, thepeople of Associated Motorways Ltd.—parent company of theYamaha marine distributor—quickly got involved in deliveringfood and other supplies to victims in the stricken areas. TheYamaha distributor, Associated Motor (Lanka) Co., Ltd., alsotook its mechanics around the coastal areas to offer free out-board motor repairs for the fishermen whose boats had beenstruck. For his role in these efforts, the company’s Sales Manag-er, Mr. Ruwan Perera, was presented a recognition award by theSri Lanka Institute of Marketing at a ceremony on Feb. 12. From Reiko Kirihara, OMDO, YMC

Mr. Ruwan Perera was awarded fortsunami victim relief efforts

Solomon Islands

Yamaha DT125 motorcycles for firstpresidential motorcadeOn January 29th, 2005, when the President of Tai-wan, Mr. Chen Shui-Bian, visited the SolomonIslands, he was given the very first motorcade inthe history of this South Pacific island nation. It wasfor this occasion that the Police Dept. decided tointroduce police bikes for the first time and Yamahadistributor for the Solomons, Y. SATO (ROVIANA)& CO., worked quickly to complete the delivery ofsix units of DT125 and all related procedures. In addition to the big demand for Yamaha outboardmotors and generators, which play an importantrole in inter-islands transportation and as powersources in Solomons, this special motorcade eventhas now boosted the demand for Yamaha motorcy-cles.From Africa, Caribbean and South Pacific Div.,OMDO, YMC

YMA supplies Australian surf life saving clubs with Yamaha outboardmotors, WaveRunners and ATVs for surf rescue purposes

Winners are awarded at the Yamaha sponsored Australian National SurfLife Saving Championship

The DT125 bikes supplied to the Solomon Islandpolice

China

Shanghai Boat Show becomes Asia’slargestFrom April 8-11, the exhibition center of Shanghai near the city center was the venue for theChina International Boat Show 2005, now said to be Asia’s largest marine trade show. Withsome 256 companies including boat builders from Japan, Europe and North America show-ing their products, the scale and quality of this boat show reflected the dynamic economicgrowth that its host cityShanghai has achievedin recent years. Yamaha made a strongappeal for its status as acomprehensive marinemaker with a boothshowing an impressivearray of products fromboats like the 25 ft.cruiser “LUXAIR” andthe “CR28” (Japanesemarket models) to out-board motors andmarine diesel engines.

The Yamaha booth displayed boats, outboard motors and marine diesel engines


Australia Colombia

Yamaha contributes to educationlong-termThe Yamaha marine andpower product distributorin Colombia, EduardoñoS.A., offers a prime exam-ple of the strong globalYamaha group commit-ment to corporate socialresponsibility. For severalyears Eduardoño has con-tinued a campaign thatcontributes school note-books to elementary andmiddle schools through itspublic-service Eduardoño Foundation on the belief that contributing to educationis one of the best ways to contribute to society and people’s lives. Starting with20,000 notebooks in 2000, the campaign has spread nationwide, with 72,036notebooks in 2005. The campaign involves Eduardoño’s dealer network, whichnot only brings Yamaha closer to the dealers but also brings the dealers closer totheir communities. From Kazuro Yamaguchi, ME Company, YMC

As part of the 50th anniversarycelebrations, Yamaha Motor Aus-tralia Pty. Ltd. (YMA) has becomethe first distributor to sponsor around of the Superbike WorldChampionship.“We wanted to celebrate our 50th anniversary in combination withYamaha’s return to the Superbike World Championship. By doingso at such a high profile event, Yamaha is at the top of everyone’sminds,” explains YMA director Steven Cotterell. Many thousands of spectators saw an abundance of Yamaha sig-nage around the famous Phillip Island circuit and a purpose builtYamaha expo area. Track marshals were issued WR enduro bikesand YFM350 Raptor ATVs, while those who signed up for Yama-ha’s Corporate Hospitality were treated to many behind-the-scenesopportunities like pillion rides aboard a Yamaha YZF-R1, visits tothe Yamaha pit areas and exclusive autograph sessions with theYamaha riders. From Sean Hawker, YMA, Australia

YMA sponsors successfulSuperbike World Champi-onship round

Colombian children happily receive their donated notebooks

Spain

Over the three days of May 3, 4 and5, 2005, Yamaha Motor España S.A.(YMES) celebrated the 50th anniver-sary of the Yamaha group. The cele-bration took place in conjunction withthe Spanish Dealer Convention,which gathered 500 guests at the“City of the Arts and the Sciences ofValencia,” a complex that is currentlyconsidered a masterpiece of modernSpanish architecture and culture.May 4 began with the commercialconvention in the two chosen hotels.That evening at 20:30, the wholegroup went to the Hemispheric facili-ty for an image and sound show andartificial fireworks and a gala dinnerto celebrate the 50th anniversary ofYMC. The show started with a greatprojection using the Hemispheric asa giant screen with the theme “Pas-sion, Kando and the Future” andwelcoming words from Mr. Inumaru,president of Yamaha Motor EuropeN.V. The show highlighted the Kando phi-losophy of Yamaha and reviewedthe 50 years of the company’s histo-ry. Soon after, at the gala dinner, thepresident of YMES, Mr. JorgeLasheras, presented as guest ofhonour Giacomo Agostini, 15 timesWorld Champion in the 350cc and500cc categories. Mr. Agostiniassured that “to be a great championit is necessary to win with Yamaha.” From Meritxell Romero, YMES,Spain

The event concluded with a pyrotechnic extravaganza characteristic of the city of Valencia

YMES celebrates YAMAHA’s 50th anniversary in Valencia

At the gala 50th anniversary dinner

The Netherlands


To have your topic included in Yamaha News World Topics: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.

Notice of when your article will appear in YN will be made after the editing process. Send yourarticles to me by the e-mail, (Ms.) Rika Niwa, at the address below. E-mail: [email protected]

4th Yamaha European TechnicianGrand Prix winners crownedYamaha Motor Europe N.V. (YMENV) recently organized the 4th Euro Tech GP.This contest for Yamaha motorcycle mechanics was held on April 19-21 at YMENV.Top technicians from nine European countries competed in practical troubleshootingand a written exam to become the best Motorcycle Mechanic of Europe.The competition results produced a clear winner and second place, but for thirdplace there were two competitors tied with exactly the same point totals. Now thesefour European winners are invited to officially represent Europe at the World Techni-cian Grand Prix, which will be organized at YMC in Japan, where they will competeagainst the best Yamaha technicians of the world. From Marc de Graaf, PTW Service & Testing Department, YMENV, The Netherlands

France

Yamaha 50th anniversarycelebration at CoupesMoto Légende

Despite bad weather,some 25,000 visitorsattended the CoupesMoto Légende onMay 21 and 22 at thefamous Dijon track.Gathering to celebratethe 50th anniversaryof the founding ofYamaha Motor werelegendary Yamahachampions includingGiacomo Agostini,

Phil Read, Christian Sarron, Kent Anderson, Lansivuori andPhilippe Coulon. Hundreds of fans had their dreams come truewhen they got to meet and receive autographs from suchfamous racing stars. Thousands of people could also admireYamaha Motor France’s (YMF) exhibition of about 30 historicalmotorcycles and giant posters showing Yamaha riders of thelast 50 years. Many Yamaha bike owners register to join in theYamaha Parade on the circuit. Meanwhile, the local dealer “Route 21” of Chenove close toDijon set up a display of the 2005 Yamaha model range. From Communication and Events Department, YMF, France

United Kingdom

Isle of Man Post issues“Yamaha – 50 Years”stamps

For 50 years Yamaha has been synonymous with The Isle ofMan TT races, to mark this half a century landmark Isle of ManPost is issuing a set of six “Yamaha – 50 Years” commemora-tive stamps at a time that also coincides with the 50th anniver-sary of the Island’s other premier road race meeting, the South-ern 100. The stamps feature a roll call of some of the mostfamous names in motorcycle racing, Bill Ivy, Phil Read, JoeyDunlop, Ray McCullough, Steve Hislop, David Jefferies, JohnMcGuinness and Carl Fogarty, all of whom achieved successon Yamaha machines.

The “Yamaha – 50 Years” commemorative stamps issued by the Isle of Man Post

The four winners from left to right: 2nd placeCharles Chamorel of Burnier Bernard,Hostettler (Switzerland), the European Cham-pion 2005 Brian Hovinga of MotoportAlmere, YMNL (Netherlands), tied 3rd placefinishers Philip Vanhouttegem of Motocity,D'Ieteren Sport (Belgium) and NigelCartwright of Alf England Motorcycles,YMUK (UK)

Giant posters showed the famous Yamaha riders of the past 50 years

Italy

Sony and Yamaha announce part-nership for Italian GPsYamaha Motor Italia S.P.A. (YMIT)announced a partnership with SonyItalia, the Italian distributor of theworld-leading Japanese consumer andcommercial electronics company. Withthis agreement, the Yamaha MotorItalia racing team will display the Sonybranding prominently on the YZF-R1machines of riders Noriyuki Haga andAndrew Pitt at the three Italian roundsof the Superbike World Championship;in Monza on May 8, Misano on June 26 and Imola on October 2. The Monza GP isthe home race for the Yamaha Motor Italia squad, and the partnership with a pres-tigious company like Sony makes the event even more important. From: Yamaha Racing Communications, The Netherlands

Andrew Pitt (left), Noriyuki Haga and their YZF-R1machines

European Champion 2005 Brian Hovingaduring practical troubleshooting

The legendary Yamaha riders, (from left) ChristianSarron, Phil Read and Giacomo Agostini gathered tocelebrate the 50 years of Yamaha Motor

deserts where ancient caravans carried goodsto the East and the West over what came tobe known as the Silk Road, and finally, on tothe arid plains of Uygur. To many Chinesethese great expanses of the west have a mys-terious and often breathtakingly beauty. Thiswas the land that Yamaha Jianshe MotorShanghai Marketing Co., Ltd. (YMSM)chose for a grand-scale touring raid that tookas its theme “Into the Land of Azure Skies.”The tour would cross 3,000 km during lateMay and early June. Applicants were soughtto participate as riders on the tour fromacross China, and from the over 500 peoplewho applied, six motorcyclists with seven ormore years of riding experience were cho-sen. They came from different parts of thecountry and different walks of life, but all ofthem had one thing in common: a love ofYAMAHA motorcycles.

Six intrepid Chinese riders team withthe YBR125Western China is a vast land of varied andbeautiful landscapes stretching from theHimalayan mountains along the border withNepal in the south, across the great Tibetanplateau and on north through the grasslandsof Qinghai province to the edge of the


Vol.2

The Yamaha

Tales

In late May the six riders met for the firsttime, and together with a support staff ofChinese and Japanese specialists, they setout on an adventure-packed 14 days of tour-ing over mountains and through valleys theywill never forget. The machine used on this touring raid is theYBR125 “Tianjian” that is manufactured inChina by Chongqing Jianshe YamahaMotor Co., Ltd. (CJYM) and has sold over200,000 units since its Chinese marketlaunch in 2003. This 125cc 4-stroke streetbike would be taking on a tough course thatcrossed mountain passes as high as 5,231meters and dipped into scorching desert val-leys lying 300 meters below sea level. And,even as the riders suffered from altitude sick-ness and struggled through biting sandstorms, the one thing they never had toworry about was their dependable

YBR125s. Everywhere theywent, people’s attention wascaught by these riders run-ning as if at one with theirtrusted machines. And, it wasthese handsome but ruggedYBRs that became the topicof conversation that started somany exchanges between theriders and the local peoplewherever the tour stopped.

Huang Yan Dong, Song Guang Jie, Bai Hua Shun, Liang Zhong Tao, Zhang Xiao Dong, Xu Zi Qiang - YBR125G “Tianjian” Off-road VersionThe YBR125 “Tianjian” Riders

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8910

Chomolongma 8,848m

Lhasa 3,770mYangbajain

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5,231mThe highest pointin this raid’s route

First Bridge of theChangjiang River

4,600m

Golmud 2,800m

Da Qaidam 3,100m

Dunhuang 1,100m

Hami 760mTurpan -300m

Urumqi 900mGOAL(June 4)

START(May 22)

The YBR125G takes on theChomolungma – Urumqi Touring Raid

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5,231mThe highest point in this raid’s route

GOALSTART


trate fully on their riding inthis strength-sapping 5,000-meter environment was theYBR125G Tianjian Off-road Version machinesthey were riding. The onlysignificant change that hadbeen made to these produc-tion models was the addi-tion of a high-altitude car-buretor that automaticallyadjusted the air intake vol-ume in the thin air of the

high altitudes all the way up to 5,000meters. And the faultless performancethrough it all made the riders come to trusttheir YBRs completely. Within a few days Mr. Bai and Mr. Liangwere able to rejoin the tour. It was as iftheir strong desire to be riding theirYBR125s with the team once again hadsped their recovery. From that point on, allsix riders rode as one to the goal. High altitudes would not be the only hard-ship mother nature had in store for thetouring raid. Near Dunhuang the riderswould see mirages as they rode throughthe blinding expanses of arid desert, andnear Turpan they would encounter blus-tering winds that knocked large trailertrucks right over on their sides. But, evenwhen the desert temperatures soared to 40degrees Celsius and the winds whipped uprunning clouds of fine sand, the YBRsnever faltered at all. All the machinesreached the goal without even one minorproblem.

The spreading Yamaha spiritThough the road was often hard and thegoing painful, there were also many heart-warming encounters along the way. Asthe tour approached the city of Hami on

Facing the forces of nature andbonding with their machinesOn May 22 all the preparations had beenmade and the touring raid set out from itsstarting point in the Tibetan capital,Lhasa. Over the first three days the ridersrode at an average elevation of 4,500 mon the way to the tour’s first big chal-lenge, the Tanggula Mountains. The routewas much harder than anyone hadexpected, and on the second day out, atthe 4,800 m town of Amdo, two of theriders, Mr. Bai and Mr. Liang were strick-en so badly by altitude sickness that theyhad to be sent back to a hospital, in whatwas a tearful temporary parting for thedisappointed pair. But this parting onlystrengthened the determination of theremaining four to carry on for their sakes.And with that will they set out to crossthe 5,231 m pass at the “Entrance to theTanggula Mountains” that would be thetour’s highest elevation. The night beforesnow had fallen, so the road surface couldbe treacherous, and all the while the tell-tale headache and dizziness of altitudesickness grew worse. Still, they rode oncarefully and when they finally crossedthe pass, the ridersstopped to savor theiraccomplishment withhearty embraces andpats on tired shoul-ders. One of the biggestreasons that the riderswere able to concen-

the ninth day out, they were greeted on theoutskirts of the city by 14 members of aYamaha touring club from the town ofKaramay several hundred kilometersaway. All of them were big Yamaha fansand they had come all that way to offerwhatever support they could. From thereeveryone paraded together, a big 20-bikecaravan of Yamahas cruising proudly intotown. When the tour left Hami two dayslater after a day of rest, the bikers werethere again to escort the tour toward thenext town. This kind of support from fel-low Yamaha fans lightened the spirits ofthe six riders even as the fatigue of thejourney was reaching its peak. This kind of warm welcome had beenseen frequently along the entire 14 daysfrom Lhasa to the tour’s final destinationon June 4, the beautiful lake of Tianchi ina scenic mountain setting outside of thecity of Urumqi. What had gotten the tourthrough the snowy mountains, burningdeserts and days of endless gravel roads tothis spectacular goal, however, was noneother than the faultless reliability of theYBR125s. Without the complete trusteveryone had in the machine, it is doubtfulwhether the riders and the staff could havebeen able to work together as well as theydid. Said Mr. Zhang, the amiable spokesmanof the riders, “The weather and the touringconditions were often harsh, but I willnever forget the fun of having ridden withthis great group of bikers. I want to thankthe Yamaha staff who gave us this oppor-tunity and the YBR125 Tianjian.” As thesix smiling riders relished the beauty oftheir final destination, there at their sides,shining in the sun were the YBRs that hadgotten them through everything China’swild west had tested them with.

Around the final destination, Tianchi Lake. Therewere lots of dirt courses like this to ride

Xu, Zhang, Liang, Shanghai Yamaha's President Won, Song, Baiand Huang (from right to left) at the closing ceremony reception

challenge of China’s wild west

Parading through Hami with the members of theYamaha touring club from the town of Karamay

At 5,231 meters at the “Entrance to the TanggulaMountains”

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

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Corporate Communication Dept. 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan Tel: 81-538-32-1145, Fax: 81-538-37-4250

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

This spring, Yamaha launched onthe Japanese market an “electriccommuter” that runs 100% on elec-

tricity from the world’s most advancedlevel lithium battery. This new vehiclerepresents Yamaha’s second “EV” (Elec-tric Vehicle) following the “Passol”launched in Japan in November of 2002. Developed under the theme of a “Fun-to-ride minimum commuter,” the new EC-02is packed full of the latest technologies,including many innovations garneredfrom Yamaha’s cutting-edge electronics.Being a 100% electric powered vehicle,the EC-02 runs quietly with absolutely noexhaust gas emissions and is mainte-nance-free. What’s more, its lightweight,

store the bike indoors or carry in an auto-mobile. All of these features make theEC-02 a product that is sure to offer manycustomers an enjoyable and entirely newtype of rider-vehicle relationship. Yamaha is dedicated to developing clean-running commuter vehicles, including notonly battery-powered electric bikes likethe EC-02 but also fuel cell models andhybrid models, under the developmentkey words of “Exhilarating fun,” “Inter-esting when not being ridden, too,”“Sense of quality” and “Environmentalfriendliness.” These R&D efforts are sureto bring us more exciting Yamaha vehi-cles in the future.

compact design and short wheelbase givethis bike easy, agile handling and asmooth and lively ride. All this means thatthe EC-02 is sure to offer a fresh and easyto enjoy ride, not only for experiencedmotorcycle users but also for people com-ing to a motorized 2-wheeler for the firsttime. Another thing that people will notice rightaway about the new EC-02 is its unique,playful look, built around an aluminumdie-cast frame. Also, the pentangle-shapedside panel is exchangeable to allow own-ers to customize the bike to fit their owntastes. Owners will also be pleased to findthat the clean, oil-free design and foldablehandlebars and footrests make it easy to

A whole new ridingexperience – Yamaha’selectric commuter,EC-02

A whole new ridingexperience – Yamaha’selectric commuter,EC-02

yamaha news,eng,no.4,2005,7月,7月,the new look of people ... · 2 yamaha news july 1, 2005 up...

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