2013 Yamaha Super Tenere on 2040-motos

Yamaha Other tech info

Type:Touring Phone:(877) 437-1631

Moto blog

Yamaha Has A Full Slate Of Activities For This Weekend’s Yamaha SoCal Nationals + Video

For the Yamaha SoCal Nationals at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the first round of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented By Yamaha, the tuning-forks brand has lots of fun activities lined up for fans to participate in tomorrow and Sunday at the Southern California racetrack. Q&A Session With Yamaha Riders And Crew Chiefs On Saturday On Saturday, April 26 from 1:30 to 2:15 PM PST in the Media/Rider Center located in the infield paddock at Auto Club Speedway, Yamaha’s “Fast Four,” Josh Hayes, Cameron Beaubier, Garrett Gerloff, and JD Beach, will participate in a Q&A Session that fans and track day participants can attend absolutely free of charge. Yamaha’s Pro Superbike duo and pair of Pro Sportbike riders will have already completed their morning practice sessions on the 21-turn, 2.36-mile road course at Auto Club Speedway, so the Fast Four will be ready to share insights about their fast lines around the racetrack and answer any other questions you might have.

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.

GSX-R600 and CBR250R the glass is half full

Suzuki’s GSX-R600 might not look that much different to the outgoing model but I suspect this bike could be very much a dark horse in 2011. I say this because two years ago I was definitely not building my hopes up en route to the K9 GSXR 1000 launch. The leaked pictures suggested the biggest change from the 2007 version would be some fresh graphics but I was so wrong.  As it turned out, I was greeted in Almeria with a brand new bike, built from the tarmac up and it proved to be more than a match in every department for the much hyped 2009 Yamaha R1.