Brand New 2012 Yamaha V-star 950 Tourer on 2040-motos

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2013 Yamaha YZF-R6 Color and Graphic Options Announced

Those of you hoping for an updated Yamaha YZF-R6 will have to wait for at least another year, as Yamaha announced the 599cc sportbike is returning for 2013 unchanged except for new colors and graphics. Yamaha last updated the R6 in 2008, equipping it with the company’s Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-T) variable-length intake system. The lack of any significant updates to the 2013 R6 must be disappointing to Yamaha fans, especially as the color updates were announced the same day Kawasaki is expected to reveal a new 636cc ZX-6R.

The Pursuit of Yamaha-ness – A Message from Yamaha’s CEO

Yamaha must “pursue true Yamaha-ness and break out of our old norms” if it hopes to increase profitability, says Hiroyuki Yanagi, the company’s president and chief executive officer. In an open letter released by Yamaha, Yanagi discussed what his company needed to do in order to reach its goal of producing 12 million units this year and collecting 2 trillion yen (US$22.5 billion) in sales. Yanagi’s message offered little in specific details but provided a glimpse of Yamaha’s overall strategy for the next few years.

Unique Sounds of the New Yamaha R1

When Yamaha announced its new R1 literbike last fall, company reps told us about the tractability assets of its new, MotoGP-derived crossplane crankshaft for the four-cylinder engine. It’s unique in that cylinders fire 90-degrees apart, allegedly enabling better grip during acceleration. A byproduct of this design is an exhaust note that is distinctive in this world of cookie-cutter designs.