Yamaha R25 250cc Sportbike Prototype Revealed – Video

After much anticipation, Yamaha has revealed its new R25 250cc sportbike at the 43rd annual Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. The manufacturer has long offered a 125cc model in India, and that’s where word surfaced of an impending 250cc model. We will have to wait a bit longer however, as the R25 at the Tokyo Motor Show is still just a prototype, meaning we should expect to see the production model for 2015.

The Yamaha R25 is powered by a liquid-cooled parallel-Twin engine, displacing 249cc. No performance figures were released however, but Yamaha does say the R25 “boasts a powerful and sporty ride in the high rpm range while being easy to handle”.

To illustrate the R25′s sporty nature, Yamaha enlisted none other than Valentino Rossi to ride the prototype for a promotional video. “This bike really packs a punch!” Rossi exclaims.

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Yamaha says the R25 will be offered in Japan, Europe and emerging markets in Asia. No word on whether it will come to North America however.

Here’s what Yamaha has to say about the R25 prototype:

“A superbike you can ride every day” is the development concept behind the “R25,” a 250cc sport bike mounting a newly developed in-line 2-cylinder engine on a lightweight, slim and compact chassis that shares its look with the “YZR-M1″ MotoGP machine. It boasts a powerful and sporty ride in the high rpm range while being easy to handle. The R25 is positioned and offered as an entry-model in the sport bike category for developed markets like Japan and Europe, and as a top performance sport bike for emerging markets, primarily throughout Asia.

[Length×Width×Height]=2,000 mm×720 mm×1,140 mm
[Engine type]=Liquid-cooled 4-stroke
[Cylinder arrangement]=In-line 2-cylinder
[Displacement]=249 cm3
[Fuel supply system]=Fuel injection
[Transmission type]=Constant mesh 6-speed

[Source: Yamaha]

By Dennis Chung