2011 Yamaha Fz8 Sport Touring on 2040-motos

Yamaha FZ tech info

Type:Sport Touring Stock Number:4857 Phone:8663004136

Moto blog

Yamaha Reports 2013 Sales Results

Yamaha reported a 1.2% decrease in motorcycle sales in 2013 but managed to increase its net sales revenue by 16.2%, thanks in large part to the depreciation of the Japanese yen. According to the company’s 2013 fiscal report, Yamaha sold 6,014,000 motorcycles last year, down slightly from 6,090,000 sold in 2012. The good news however, is most of the sales decrease was limited to Thailand and Vietnam where the economy worsened in 2013, while Yamaha’s sales increased in nearly all other markets.

Kevin Ash, one year on

I’ve lost dozens of friends in bike racing over the years, and while each death was a shock and incredibly sad, I’ve always had some kind of internal coping mechanism that allowed me to carry on relatively unaffected.  Maybe it’s because I was always extremely passionate and committed when taking part in my dangerous sport so was also prepared to pay the ultimate price should things go wrong.  Rightly or wrongly I’ve taken comfort from the fact that these unfortunate racers have checked out while doing something they love.   I’ve also lost a few journalist friends in bike accidents over the years but for some reason these have hit me harder.  The worst and possibly as it is the most recent is Kevin Ash who was killed last January while on a BMW launch in South Africa.  Starting in 2001, over a period of ten years, I was in Kevin’s company on countless new bike launches in pretty much every corner of the world.  At times he was cocky and occasionally irritating but always entertaining with a wicked sense of humour.  He was many things but no one can deny he was a brilliant journalist and his technical knowledge was second to none.  I always appreciated his complete enthusiasm to all things biking as he would ride through any weather on a daily basis to jobs or airports and seemed to always be tinkering with winter projects (mainly Ducatis) at home.  I also admired how much work he got through as he had columns in more than one weekly publication plus all his launch and web work. He was a competent safe rider who was certainly quick enough to evaluate any new bike thrown his way.  Kevin also drove a Porsche but then none of us are perfect!   I looked to Kevin as a wise Owl so not long after I started working with TWO/ Visordown, I asked him on an R1 launch in Australia he thought the motorcycle industry was currently in a good place.  His reply was, ‘we’ve just been flown here business class, been taken by speed boat to our five star hotel under Sydney Harbour Bridge, Yamaha have wined and dined us and furnished us with expensive gifts each day, what do you think Niall?  How times have changed.  On the subject on air travel he once told me, ‘when travelling business or first class it’s not about the pampering, comfy beds or fine dining, the important part is looking smug as you walk straight past all the people lining up at the cattle class check in! On more than one occasion I had food or drink spurt out when Kevin would deliver unexpected one line funnies at the dinner table.

Milan Show: Moto2 tried and tested

The insanity of Moto2 doesn't seem like the right home for the elegance of the Rizoma brand. But the Rizoma ProGuard system has helped secure the levers of Toni Elias on his road to championship success in the inaugural Moto2 season. The example above was on an attractive Rizoma-enhanced BMW S1000RR, but the lever guards are not limited to sports bikes, they were also visible on Yamaha's FZ8.  The patented design can tilt up to 10 degrees providing full lever coverage and can be added by simply replacing the bike's existing bar-ends.