2003 Yamaha Road Star Silverado on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Yamaha to Cut Motorcycle Production in 2009

With mounting inventories coupled with a drop in demand, Yamaha will be cutting its motorcycle production in Japan by 24 percent this year or to about 260,000 total units; one newspaper reported this would be a 40-year low for the manufacture. Yamaha plans to cut production for motorcycles and other products by 30 percent in the Americas, 20 percent in Europe but will maintain production levels in Asia where demand has not dropped off. The company is forecasting its group sales to fall 22 percent with an operating loss of about $300 million.

New Photos and Video of Yamaha PES1 Electric Concept

Yamaha has released additional images and a video of its new PES1 electric motorcycle for the concept’s debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. The new photographs, shot at Yamaha’s display at the Tokyo show, show more details about the PES1 concept, which Yamaha first announced earlier this month. The PES1 shares the same electric DC brushless motor, lithium-ion battery and monocoque frame as the PED1 concept which also took its bow in Tokyo.

And in my front room this evening...

NO IT'S NOT an illusion: you're looking at the 1981 Yamaha OW53, ridden by double World Champion Barry Sheene in the first three rounds of the '81 500GP championship. The bike's owner, aircraft engineering entrepreneur Chris Wilson, has lent the £100,000 GP machine to Visordown for our stand at this year's NEC Motorcycle Show - 27th November to 6th December 2009. Sheene raced the bike in the 1981 championship, where he finished fourth at Salzburgring, sixth at Hockenheim and third at Monza.