Yamaha XS Motorcycles in Mesa, page #45

Moto blog

Yamaha Files Suit Over Scooter Design

Yamaha has filed a lawsuit against a pair of Japanese companies alleging their electric scooter copies the design of the Yamaha Gear BX50 scooter. The Yamaha Gear  BX50 (pictured left above) is a 50cc four-stroke scooter sold in Japan as a commercial-use model, aimed for small business such as newspaper distributors. Yamaha has been offering the BX50 (and the BX50N variant) since 2007, selling 39,917 units as of December 2011.

Not the most sensible of commuters..

This is the white and gold 2012 Yamaha R1. It's also the bike I shall be commuting on for the next 8 months. The crouched riding position and murderous amounts of power may not be ideally suited for the London grind, but with plenty of track action planned I have to make some compromises. There are three fresh colours to choose from.

Frog eBike – the Electric Successor to 1985 Frog FZ750 Concept

San Francisco-based Frog Design released images of a new electric motorcycle concept, just as its influential Yamaha FZ750-based Rana concept gets enshrined at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Frog designer Jin Soek Hwang prepared the Frog eBike concept as an expression of how electric motor technology can influence motorcycle design. In a post on Frog’s blog, the designer says he was inspired in part by Frog’s 1985 FZ750 Rana concept (pictured after the jump).

AMA Supercross: 2012 Houston Results

Ryan Villopoto has captured the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship with a dominating performance at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Monster Energy Kawasaki racer took the lead early in the race after passing holeshot-taker Davi Millsaps on the opening lap. Villopoto would lead the rest of the way for his eighth win of the season.

Graves Yamaha AMA Racer Injured in Scooter Accident

Motorcycle racers recognize they compete in a dangerous sport, risking serious harm in a crash. Of course, all riders know about the risks, whether they’re on a race track or on the street. Still it seems odd to hear Daytona Sportbike racer Cameron Beaubier broke his knee cap and injured his wrist crashing a 50cc scooter on the street.

Teaser: 2012 Japanese Literbike Shootout – Video

The last time we assembled the superbike offerings from the Big Four Japanese manufacturers to determine the alpha male model was 2009. The CBR won that confrontation, but a lot’s changed since then. For 2012 Honda revamped the CBR1000RR, Yamaha added traction control to the R1, the GSX-R1000 lost a muffler and last year Kawasaki introduced an all-new ZX-10R.

Yamaha TTX 115i Adventure Scooter Concept Unveiled in Thailand

The trendiest segment in the industry at the moment is the adventure touring motorcycle. Spearheaded by the top-selling BMW R1200GS, the segment has seen a flood of imitators such as the Triumph Tiger Explorer, Yamaha Super Ténéré and the Honda Crosstourer. A recent report from the Motorcycle Industry Council found that scooter sales are also on the rise in the U.S., spurred on by soaring gas prices.

Yamaha Named Strongest Motorcycle Brand of 2012 by Harris Poll

When you think of soft drinks, you picture Coca-Cola. When you think of cell phones, you picture the Apple iPhone. When you think of cookies, you picture Oreos.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Toronto Results

Ryan Villopoto moved one step closer to repeating as AMA Supercross Champion with his seventh win of the season at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. With his chief rivals not making the trip north of the border due to various injuries, Villopoto can clinch the 2012 championship as soon as next weekend’s race at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, if they continue to be out of action. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider has 271 points with five rounds remaining.

Ben Spies Video Interview on 2012 MotoGP Season [Video]

Yamaha Factory Racing today posted on its YouTube page a video interview with Ben “Elbowz” Spies, in which Spies discusses the soon to start 2012 season of MotoGP. In his usual calm, cool and under control manner Spies speaks frankly on how he prefers the 1000cc GP machine, saying it suits his style (elbows out!) better than the previous seasons’ 800cc bikes because the extra torque and horsepower of the liter-class bikes are, essentially, better matched to his physical stature. Spies also answers honestly the question of who he thinks he needs to keep an eye in 2012, including his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.