Yamaha Patents Tricity Variant Design

Yamaha has patented the design for a new variant to its Tricity leaning three-wheeled scooter featuring a broader fairing resembling the TMax. Yamaha has previously announced it would introduce more leaning multi-wheeled vehicles, and this newly patented design may be the next one to go into production.

The new design is heavily-based on the original Tricity. In fact, the renderings filed in the patent appeared to be digitally-altered versions of the Tricity’s patent diagrams. From the animated GIF below, we can see that most of the parts align perfectly with the Tricity’s design.

The new patents reveal a wider face with twin headlights like Yamaha’s Tmax instead of the Tricity’s V-shaped single headlight. The bodywork includes a piece that extends down between the two front wheels, perhaps to offer better protection for the parallelogram link mechanism that allows the three-wheeler to lean.

Now, it’s possible the second design may have been an alternate look Yamaha considered for the TMax and not an all-new model. The new design patent however, was filed on July 4 whereas the Tricity’s patent was filed months earlier on Feb. 7. The five-month difference between patent filings suggest that the second design is indeed for a new model.

Beside the front face, the only other visible change between the two models is the area between the foot placements. The new design has plastic bodywork positioned between the feet, possibly to cover a larger fuel tank.

We hope to learn more about this new three-wheeler in the months to come as we enter the autumn motorcycle show season.

[Source: Japan Patent Office]

By Dennis Chung