Yamaha News,ENG,No.１,2006,3月,3月,Africaʼs new trailblazers,Motorcycle,YBR125,Up Front,Three completely stock YBR125s cross 2,500 km of the African continent,“DABAOUA” Endurance Raid,A. Sarr,Senegal,Dakar,“DABAOUA” Endurance Raid,S. Haidara,Burkina Faso,A. Somé,L. Schroeder,E. Gyselinck,International Focus - Serial 52,Building a stronger product line and sales network for a growing market,Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd.,Takahiko Takeda,Vietnam,Hanoi,The Vietnam Market,Masahiro Imada,Opening the Yamaha Town Da Nang,YSKS Contest 2005,Racing Express,2006 Yamaha race teams set sights on world titles,Racing,MotoGP,Camel Yamaha Team,Valentino Rossi,YZR-M1,WMX MX1,Tech 3 Yamaha Team,Colin Edwards,YZ450FM,AMA SX/MX　,Yamaha Factory Team,Carlos Checa,YZ450F,WSB,Yamaha Motor Italia WSB,James Ellison,YZF-R1,Team Yamaha Motor France,Stefan Everts,Cedric Melotte,Chad Reed,Heath Voss,Noriyuki Haga,Andrew Pitt,Norick Abe,Sebastien Gimbert,Shinichi Nakatomi,Podium finishes for Haga and Pitt on YZF-R1,Curtain gets 2nd on new YZF-R6!,WSS,Yamaha Motor Germany,Kevin Curtain,YZF-R6,Bloc Parkes,World Topics,Dealer Meeting sets big sales target for new Jupiter MX,Yamaha Motor Kenkana Indonesia,Jupiter MX,Indonesia,Community contributions win widespread recognition,Yamaha Motor Vietnam,Vietnam,First Dealer Meeting for new Russian sales company,Yamaha Motor CIS,Russia,Dealer Meeting takes 50th anniversary theme: Passion, Kando, the Future,15th Dealer Convention,Yamaha Motor de Mexico,S.A. de C.V.,Mexico,Alcapulco,Large new Yamaha motorcycle factory launched in Indonesia,P.T. Yamaha Motor Manufacturing West Java,Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing,Toru Hasegawa,Distributors gather for Pan-Africa Summit and 50th anniversary celebration,Pan-Africa Summit,Malta,Yamaha booth shines at 2006 Tokyo Boat Show,Marine,Tokyo International Boat Show,Japan,Planting a “Yamaha Forest”,Yamaha Forest,Yamaha “chair skis” for IPC World Cup Alpine Skiing,IPC World Cup Alpine Skiing for the Disabled 2006,chair skis,YMCA selected as top 100 employer, again!,Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.,Canada,The Yamaha Tales - Vol. 4,Yamahaʼs new moped flagship, “T135” tours six ASEAN nations PAN-ASEAN TOURING “Itʼs EXCITING!”,PAN-ASEAN TOURING “Itʼs EXCITING!”,T135,Java,Zoom In,The Ridersʼ Dream Machine: YZF-R6,YZF-R6,An extreme supersport machine that is fastest on the circuit

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD.MARCH 1, 2006 ENGLISH

No.1BIMONTHLY

AAffrriiccaa’’ss nneeww ttrraaiillbbllaazzeerrssIn a 2,500 km endurance raid across three countries, the Yamaha YBR125 made in China has provedthat it has the quality, the toughness and the looks to make it the new bike of choice in Africa.

called Matar and they tell us it wasformed when the rivers dried up leavingwhat were formerly islands in the riverstanding like bluffs. The vistas at times reminded one of theAmerican West and the roads often hadthe kinds of winding curves seen in themountains of Europe that riders like tomaneuver at high speed. But no matterwhat they encountered, the YBR125machines took every turn with ease atcruising speed. By 4:15 in the afternoonthe raid had covered the 300 km oftoday’s course and reached our day’sdestination, the town of Diema. Sincethere is no lodging here, the plan was tocamp out for the night, but thanks to thekindness of the mayor, Mr. Makon Cis-soko, we were offered a space in thelocal radio station building to spend thenight in. We were welcomed by thetownspeople with a gift of a mutton din-ner. Afterwards we lay down by candle-light in the mosquito nets we hadbrought along and said, “Good night.”

Leg 4Before dawn at 6:00 the YBR125machines stood gleaming in the moon-light. At 6:50 the mayor came to see usoff toward our next destination. Thecourse ahead of us was some 200 km ofunpaved dirt and sand roads. It was thetoughest riding conditions we wouldface on this endurance raid. When wewere warned that sometimes banditswait for travelers on the road ahead,everyone was suddenly seized with anew kind of tension. In this area thebaobab trees had been replaced by thered earth and green trees of central

2 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

UP FRONT

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 3

A group of riders and Yamaha staff took on the challenge of crossing 2,500 km through the African countries of Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso in a combined endurance raid relay and grassroots promotional event to publicize the tough and reliable made-in-China Yamaha YBR125 now being newly introduced in these markets. “DABAOUA” is the name given to this endurance raid that started on November 24 and reached its goal on December 2. The name takes the DA from the starting point at the Senegal capital of Dakar, the BA from the mid-point city of Bamako and the OUA from the final destination of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

From Senegal into Mali

Leg 1Before dawn on November 24 in Dakar,the capital of Senegal, the DABAOUAendurance raid was ready to start from infront of the head office of the localYamaha partner, CFAO Senegal. Theriders included an experienced localcompetition rider, Sarr Alioune, CFAO’sLaurent Schroeder, who would run in

the lead, and Eddy Gyselinck fromYMC’s Liaison Office in Dakar, whohad the original idea for this event. Thepurr of the YBR125 machines softlybroke the quiet of the still sleeping townas the endurance raid got under way. As the bright morning sun rose abovethe horizon to our right and began tolight the road and heat it up, the enginesof the YBR125 machines ran smoothand strong. The baobab trees, which area unique feature of this region, passed byone by one, each with its own distinctand expressive shape. The pavement ofthe road is pot-marked with holes of 30to 50 cm of depth, so the riders had toconcentrate fully on the road in front ofthem. As the riders got farther out oftown the number of potholes increasedto the point that at times they had toslow down and ride “S” curves betweenthe holes. Still, they pressed on without

There are smiles on the faces of the vil-lagers who wave to the raid riders fromthe roadside. Haidara, Schroeder andGyselinck ride their YBR125 machineson past blocks of traditional thatched-roof houses under the wide African skyto reach the day’s goal at the town ofKayes. The total distance covered thisday was 298 km.

A 200-km run of unpavedroads!

Leg 3This day’s course is the roughly 300 kmbetween Kayes and Diema. The raidgets under way at 7:30 in the morningand soon the riders are crossing theSenegal River. It is a lively scene withpeople washing clothes and dishes, peo-ple bathing, fishermen fishing and mer-

chants crossing the river with a boatloadof goods. The riverside is a gatheringplace for the villagers here and when thechildren see the YBR125 machines theycome up to us with big, curious smiles.Soon the ferry landing is teeming withpeople. As the endurance raid team moved on tothe east, one of the riders was seen wav-ing to the giant one-meter-longlizards that watched the bikespass from the shoulder of theroad. At noon we passed thevillage of Segala and soon sawa strange-looking outcroppingoutcropping shaped shapedsomething like a spaceship. Itwas a very distinctive forma-tion with the top layer of thehill was covered with grassesand trees, while the middlelayer was dirt and the bottomlayer sand. This region is

mishap and were able to cover the 478km of the first day’s leg to the town ofTambacounda.

Leg 2On the second day, November 25, therally started out with the sunrise at 7:10in the morning. The morning tempera-ture is just over 20 degrees C. and theriders wear riding jackets. As the raidnears the Mali border, even the localrider Sarr is in new territory. FollowingRoute 1 eastward, the road cuts throughfields of the grass called paille, which isused for the thatched roofs of the housesof this region that we see more and moreof as the raid continues. The remains ofburst truck tires lying along the roadsidespeak of the harshness of the road condi-tions. Still the YRB125 machines cruiseon without problem. At 9:55 in themorning we arrive at the Mali border,having covered a total of 647 km fromDakar. Here, the first change of riderstakes place in what will be an ongoingrelay for them. “For me the 180 km of the second daywas a new territory, so it was fun to ridethrough it, said Sarr as he handed overthe key to his YBR125 to the next rider,Sidi Haidara from Mali. The first fivekm from the Mali border are unpaveddirt road, but the YBR machines takethem just as well as the paved roads.There is plenty of torque giving the rearwheels strong traction, and soon they arepulling away and leaving the escortpickup trucks in the dust.

TThhrreeee ccoommpplleetteellyy ssttoocckk YYBBRR112255ss ccrroossss 22,,550000 kkmm ooff tthhee AAffrriiccaann ccoonnttiinneenntt

““DDAABBAAOOUUAA”” EEnndduurraannccee RRaaiidd

START

GOAL

Dakar

SENEGAL

MALI

BURKINA FASO

TambacoundaKayes

Diema

Bamako

SikassoBobo-Dioulasso

Ouagadougou

Dealers and business associates were invited to aparty at the CFAO Senegal Office the night before thestart of the Raid. The Minister of regional Africanaffairs, Mr. Aziz Sow also attended

Smiling children in the town of Kayes

This outcropping near Diema in the Republic of Mali looked like a spaceship

Production of the Yamaha YBR125 began in Brazil inMarch of 2000. This was followed by the start of pro-duction in China in Nov. 2002 and India in May 2004.Despite some difference in specifications in these threecountries, total production of same basic model hasreached 800,000 units that have been supplied to 40countries worldwide

called Matar and they tell us it wasformed when the rivers dried up leavingwhat were formerly islands in the riverstanding like bluffs. The vistas at times reminded one of theAmerican West and the roads often hadthe kinds of winding curves seen in themountains of Europe that riders like tomaneuver at high speed. But no matterwhat they encountered, the YBR125machines took every turn with ease atcruising speed. By 4:15 in the afternoonthe raid had covered the 300 km oftoday’s course and reached our day’sdestination, the town of Diema. Sincethere is no lodging here, the plan was tocamp out for the night, but thanks to thekindness of the mayor, Mr. Makon Cis-soko, we were offered a space in thelocal radio station building to spend thenight in. We were welcomed by thetownspeople with a gift of a mutton din-ner. Afterwards we lay down by candle-light in the mosquito nets we hadbrought along and said, “Good night.”

Leg 4Before dawn at 6:00 the YBR125machines stood gleaming in the moon-light. At 6:50 the mayor came to see usoff toward our next destination. Thecourse ahead of us was some 200 km ofunpaved dirt and sand roads. It was thetoughest riding conditions we wouldface on this endurance raid. When wewere warned that sometimes banditswait for travelers on the road ahead,everyone was suddenly seized with anew kind of tension. In this area thebaobab trees had been replaced by thered earth and green trees of central

2 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

UP FRONT

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 3

A group of riders and Yamaha staff took on the challenge of crossing 2,500 km through the African countries of Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso in a combined endurance raid relay and grassroots promotional event to publicize the tough and reliable made-in-China Yamaha YBR125 now being newly introduced in these markets. “DABAOUA” is the name given to this endurance raid that started on November 24 and reached its goal on December 2. The name takes the DA from the starting point at the Senegal capital of Dakar, the BA from the mid-point city of Bamako and the OUA from the final destination of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

From Senegal into Mali

Leg 1Before dawn on November 24 in Dakar,the capital of Senegal, the DABAOUAendurance raid was ready to start from infront of the head office of the localYamaha partner, CFAO Senegal. Theriders included an experienced localcompetition rider, Sarr Alioune, CFAO’sLaurent Schroeder, who would run in

the lead, and Eddy Gyselinck fromYMC’s Liaison Office in Dakar, whohad the original idea for this event. Thepurr of the YBR125 machines softlybroke the quiet of the still sleeping townas the endurance raid got under way. As the bright morning sun rose abovethe horizon to our right and began tolight the road and heat it up, the enginesof the YBR125 machines ran smoothand strong. The baobab trees, which area unique feature of this region, passed byone by one, each with its own distinctand expressive shape. The pavement ofthe road is pot-marked with holes of 30to 50 cm of depth, so the riders had toconcentrate fully on the road in front ofthem. As the riders got farther out oftown the number of potholes increasedto the point that at times they had toslow down and ride “S” curves betweenthe holes. Still, they pressed on without

There are smiles on the faces of the vil-lagers who wave to the raid riders fromthe roadside. Haidara, Schroeder andGyselinck ride their YBR125 machineson past blocks of traditional thatched-roof houses under the wide African skyto reach the day’s goal at the town ofKayes. The total distance covered thisday was 298 km.

A 200-km run of unpavedroads!

Leg 3This day’s course is the roughly 300 kmbetween Kayes and Diema. The raidgets under way at 7:30 in the morningand soon the riders are crossing theSenegal River. It is a lively scene withpeople washing clothes and dishes, peo-ple bathing, fishermen fishing and mer-

chants crossing the river with a boatloadof goods. The riverside is a gatheringplace for the villagers here and when thechildren see the YBR125 machines theycome up to us with big, curious smiles.Soon the ferry landing is teeming withpeople. As the endurance raid team moved on tothe east, one of the riders was seen wav-ing to the giant one-meter-longlizards that watched the bikespass from the shoulder of theroad. At noon we passed thevillage of Segala and soon sawa strange-looking outcroppingoutcropping shaped shapedsomething like a spaceship. Itwas a very distinctive forma-tion with the top layer of thehill was covered with grassesand trees, while the middlelayer was dirt and the bottomlayer sand. This region is

mishap and were able to cover the 478km of the first day’s leg to the town ofTambacounda.

Leg 2On the second day, November 25, therally started out with the sunrise at 7:10in the morning. The morning tempera-ture is just over 20 degrees C. and theriders wear riding jackets. As the raidnears the Mali border, even the localrider Sarr is in new territory. FollowingRoute 1 eastward, the road cuts throughfields of the grass called paille, which isused for the thatched roofs of the housesof this region that we see more and moreof as the raid continues. The remains ofburst truck tires lying along the roadsidespeak of the harshness of the road condi-tions. Still the YRB125 machines cruiseon without problem. At 9:55 in themorning we arrive at the Mali border,having covered a total of 647 km fromDakar. Here, the first change of riderstakes place in what will be an ongoingrelay for them. “For me the 180 km of the second daywas a new territory, so it was fun to ridethrough it, said Sarr as he handed overthe key to his YBR125 to the next rider,Sidi Haidara from Mali. The first fivekm from the Mali border are unpaveddirt road, but the YBR machines takethem just as well as the paved roads.There is plenty of torque giving the rearwheels strong traction, and soon they arepulling away and leaving the escortpickup trucks in the dust.

TThhrreeee ccoommpplleetteellyy ssttoocckk YYBBRR112255ss ccrroossss 22,,550000 kkmm ooff tthhee AAffrriiccaann ccoonnttiinneenntt

““DDAABBAAOOUUAA”” EEnndduurraannccee RRaaiidd

START

GOAL

Dakar

SENEGAL

MALI

BURKINA FASO

TambacoundaKayes

Diema

Bamako

SikassoBobo-Dioulasso

Ouagadougou

Dealers and business associates were invited to aparty at the CFAO Senegal Office the night before thestart of the Raid. The Minister of regional Africanaffairs, Mr. Aziz Sow also attended

Smiling children in the town of Kayes

This outcropping near Diema in the Republic of Mali looked like a spaceship

Production of the Yamaha YBR125 began in Brazil inMarch of 2000. This was followed by the start of pro-duction in China in Nov. 2002 and India in May 2004.Despite some difference in specifications in these threecountries, total production of same basic model hasreached 800,000 units that have been supplied to 40countries worldwide

Mali for a mid-tour report and to getwords of encouragement for the roadahead, the team started out on the 5th legof their journey at 6:50 in the morningon the 30th. The first thing on the day’sriding agenda was a side trip to the eastespecially to get some film footage ofthe YBR125s and their riders from theair. The scenery changed as the raid trav-eled south on the straight line of road.The trees we passed had a more southernflavor, with palms and papaya trees inincreasing numbers. The temperaturewhich had been 25 degrees at the start inthe morning gradually rose to a hot 36degrees. Through that heat the riderspushed on for 389 km to reach the day’s

destination, Sikasso by 4:00 inthe afternoon. The daily machineinspection once again showed noproblems with the YBR125s.

Leg 6This day’s course was a distanceof 212 km and would include aborder crossing into BurkinaFaso. The team got on the roadat 7:15 in the morning and about30 km short of the border the rid-

ers found themselves running along ariver for the first time in several days.The refreshing sight of the water madethe riders forget the sweat of the roadthey had endured in the dry interior. Rid-ing between the boulders of the riverbed,the three riders thoroughly enjoyed run-ning through patches of water that cameup to the hubs of their wheels, justsavoring the fun of maintaining machinebalance though the riverbed withoutthinking of going fast. The engine thatpowers their YBR125 machines is thesame one chosen for the trial machinesbuilt by a French constructor, and as theriders maneuvered their bikes throughthe riverbed they were able to enjoy thattorque-y performance the engine isknown for.

UP FRONT

4 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2005 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2005 5

Africa. The only other traffic on the roadwas the large trailer trucks and an occa-sional car now and then. No motorcycleswere to be seen on these roads. Just before noon Schroeder suddenlystopped his bike. He had hit a rock in theroad that bent the rim of his front wheel.He couldn’t see the rock because of dustfrom the oncoming lane. He could stillride at a slow pace, but we knew that wehad to get to our night’s destinationbefore dark. In order to keep the raid onpace we changed the wheel with a spareand started out again. The red fuel tanksof the YBR125 machines blended wellwith the red earth as the riders pressedon. Soon we arrived at the town of Didjeniand had a grilled chicken lunch at one ofthe street stalls. We had covered 198.2km of dirt roads to reach this point. “Iwas surprised at how well the YBR ranon these dirt roads,” said Haidara, clear-ly impressed by the machine’s perfor-mance. As the riders were talking somelocal people began to gather aroundthem. “Where can we buy one of thesebikes? Where can you get parts forthem?” they asked. These questions

showed how attractivethe YBR model looked tothem. After a short rest, wefound ourselves riding onpaved roads again. Fromhere the raid would beriding straight south to Bamako. Thecountry around us got steadily greener aswe went. About 80 km out of Bamakowe were once again riding through fieldsof paille grass. Finally the riders cameover the top of one small rise to see thecapital Bamako spread out in front ofthem. The sight of this city standing inthe broad expanses of red earth had awarmth to it that somehow reflected thehuman warmth of the people we had metso far along the trip.

The fun of a riverbed ride

Leg 5After stopping at the offices of CFAO

At 9:30 the team crossed the borderfrom Mali into Burkina Faso. The immi-gration and customs procedures werefinished by 11:50 and when we enteredthe country of Burkina Faso we weremet by representatives from this coun-try’s CFAO offices bearing welcomerefreshments. Here, the team changedriders once again, with Alex Somé of

Burkina Faso replacing Haidara beforethe raid headed south for Bobo-Dioulas-so. Cotton farms lined both sides of theroad and harvest trucks came and went.Having long been used as a transportroute, the road was rather bumpy. The group that came out to meet us atBobo-Dioulasso joined up with us at2:20 in the afternoon. This is the citywhere SIFA, an affiliate of CFAO, hasbeen assembling Yamaha V80 bikes forover 20 years since the 1980s. About adozen riders came out to meet us ontheir V80 machines. Together weformed a caravan and rode on into thecity, arriving at the factory at 4:00 in theafternoon. There was a lively welcomingparty waiting for us when we arrived.This day’s run was 212 km.

Welcomed by Miss Burkina

Leg 7This day’s course would cover 370 km tothe capital city, Ouagadougou. Startingout at 7:10, we were amazed at the num-ber of commuter bicycles and motorcy-cles pouring into thecity as the raidheaded east. Burki-no Faso is a countrywhere underbonemotorcycles andbicycles are thepopular forms oftransportation and

the main roads have a special lane fortwo-wheelers, good evidence of the posi-tive approach the government has takentoward traffic control. At just before 9:00 a.m. we stopped at acotton transport staging area and talked tosome of the workers taking a break intheir harvest work. Cotton is one of themain products in this region and the size

of the yearly harvest has a biginfluence on the country’s econ-omy. After a 30 minute rest, it isback on the road. At 10:50 in themorning we pass a road signsaying it is 183 km to Oua-gadougou, and another at 11:20reads 145. The endurance raid isnearing its final destination. The last checkpoint we stop at is

the crocodile park at the town of Sabou.After a short rest at this natural park thatis a sanctuary where crocodiles are raised,we are back on the road to run the last 85km into Ouagadougou. When we arrivethere at 4:15 in the afternoon, there is awelcoming group waiting for us at theTotal gas station. The announcer for a liveradio program interviews the riders. Hetells his radio audience in a high-pitchedvoice that the riders have ridden all theway from Dakar on the YBR125. Afterthe interviews a group of about 20 V80owners form a caravan with us to paradeinto the city for 20 minutes led by apolice bike escort. At 5:20 the paradearrives at a park next to the home officesof CFAO. There to greet us at our finalgoal are performers of traditional ethnicdrums and music. Waiting to congratulate the riders on aspecially set up podium is the beautifulMiss Burkina. From the podium, one ofthe riders said, “We have to thank thepeople at Jianshe Yamaha for buildingsuch a great bike.” Those words referredto the other starting point of this rallyraid: the Jianshe Yamaha factory in

China. And it recognizesthe fact that the”DABAOUA Le raid del’endurance” was not just astory about endurance onthe African continent, butone that involves qualityYamaha machines designedand built to go the distance.

A. Sarr (Senegal) Sarr (25) is presentlymaking a business ofimporting Europeanbrand motorcycles. Hehas been riding motor-cycles since he was

eight years old and in recent years he hasbeen successful in off-road competition. Hisdream is to become the third person fromSenegal ever to compete on the Dakar rally.“The handling and size of the YBR125 are verygood and it was comfortable to ride. The last180 km of the 2nd leg were completely newterritory for me, so I had fun riding it,” he said.

S. Haidara (Mali)Haidara began ridingmopeds at the age of12 and the YamahaYB100 from the age of15. “I enjoyed this raidas a chance to see

what I could do. It surprised me when wewere able to run 200 km on unpaved roadson the YBR125,” he commented.

A. Somé (Burkina Faso) Somé is an employeeof CFAO who normallyenjoys riding his V80.This was his first expe-rience of long-distance

touring. “The first day of running felt long tome, but I enjoyed the powerful performanceand stability of the YBR125. I was also sur-prised at how quiet it runs. I want to use thisvaluable experience in my business,” he said.

L. Schroeder(France / CFAO)

Schroeder took on theresponsibility of leadrider and pacemakerthroughout the raid.“Besides the three

countries we toured through on this raid,CFAO supplies quality products to ten coun-tries here in Africa. This time we wanted topublicize the YBR as a new product for theregion while also spreading the Yamaha brandname to new areas. We will be happy if thisevent also serves as a good sample for othersales networks in Africa,” he commented.

E. Gyselinck (Belgium / YMCLiaison Office inDakar) Gyselinck is one of theoriginators of thisendurance raid plan

and also a bike-lover who rode the entirecourse. “It is hard to communicate what agreat bike the YBR125 is and differentiate itfrom the competition just through means likepress conferences. I thought that the bestway to get people to appreciate it is to getlocal riders to actually ride it and experienceit. By running 2,500 km with it we were ableto experience the low vibration, good mileageand great suspension performance of thismachine,” he stressed.

Portraits of the Riders

With the mayor of Diema

The riders enjoy some off-road riding along a riverbed near the Mali-Burkina Faso border

With the people at the plant where the V80 isassembled in Bobo-Dioulasso

With Miss Burkina at the goal

At the CFAO Mali office, 130 people, including invitedregional dealers turned out to hear the team’s mid-tourreport and to give them words of encouragement forthe remainder of the tour. The event also included a raf-fle drawing to win a YBR125 that excited everyone inattendance. The Minister of Travel, Mr. Bah A’Diayewas among the guests

The last checkpoint was at the Croco-dile Park

Mali for a mid-tour report and to getwords of encouragement for the roadahead, the team started out on the 5th legof their journey at 6:50 in the morningon the 30th. The first thing on the day’sriding agenda was a side trip to the eastespecially to get some film footage ofthe YBR125s and their riders from theair. The scenery changed as the raid trav-eled south on the straight line of road.The trees we passed had a more southernflavor, with palms and papaya trees inincreasing numbers. The temperaturewhich had been 25 degrees at the start inthe morning gradually rose to a hot 36degrees. Through that heat the riderspushed on for 389 km to reach the day’s

destination, Sikasso by 4:00 inthe afternoon. The daily machineinspection once again showed noproblems with the YBR125s.

Leg 6This day’s course was a distanceof 212 km and would include aborder crossing into BurkinaFaso. The team got on the roadat 7:15 in the morning and about30 km short of the border the rid-

ers found themselves running along ariver for the first time in several days.The refreshing sight of the water madethe riders forget the sweat of the roadthey had endured in the dry interior. Rid-ing between the boulders of the riverbed,the three riders thoroughly enjoyed run-ning through patches of water that cameup to the hubs of their wheels, justsavoring the fun of maintaining machinebalance though the riverbed withoutthinking of going fast. The engine thatpowers their YBR125 machines is thesame one chosen for the trial machinesbuilt by a French constructor, and as theriders maneuvered their bikes throughthe riverbed they were able to enjoy thattorque-y performance the engine isknown for.

UP FRONT

4 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2005 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2005 5

Africa. The only other traffic on the roadwas the large trailer trucks and an occa-sional car now and then. No motorcycleswere to be seen on these roads. Just before noon Schroeder suddenlystopped his bike. He had hit a rock in theroad that bent the rim of his front wheel.He couldn’t see the rock because of dustfrom the oncoming lane. He could stillride at a slow pace, but we knew that wehad to get to our night’s destinationbefore dark. In order to keep the raid onpace we changed the wheel with a spareand started out again. The red fuel tanksof the YBR125 machines blended wellwith the red earth as the riders pressedon. Soon we arrived at the town of Didjeniand had a grilled chicken lunch at one ofthe street stalls. We had covered 198.2km of dirt roads to reach this point. “Iwas surprised at how well the YBR ranon these dirt roads,” said Haidara, clear-ly impressed by the machine’s perfor-mance. As the riders were talking somelocal people began to gather aroundthem. “Where can we buy one of thesebikes? Where can you get parts forthem?” they asked. These questions

showed how attractivethe YBR model looked tothem. After a short rest, wefound ourselves riding onpaved roads again. Fromhere the raid would beriding straight south to Bamako. Thecountry around us got steadily greener aswe went. About 80 km out of Bamakowe were once again riding through fieldsof paille grass. Finally the riders cameover the top of one small rise to see thecapital Bamako spread out in front ofthem. The sight of this city standing inthe broad expanses of red earth had awarmth to it that somehow reflected thehuman warmth of the people we had metso far along the trip.

The fun of a riverbed ride

Leg 5After stopping at the offices of CFAO

At 9:30 the team crossed the borderfrom Mali into Burkina Faso. The immi-gration and customs procedures werefinished by 11:50 and when we enteredthe country of Burkina Faso we weremet by representatives from this coun-try’s CFAO offices bearing welcomerefreshments. Here, the team changedriders once again, with Alex Somé of

Burkina Faso replacing Haidara beforethe raid headed south for Bobo-Dioulas-so. Cotton farms lined both sides of theroad and harvest trucks came and went.Having long been used as a transportroute, the road was rather bumpy. The group that came out to meet us atBobo-Dioulasso joined up with us at2:20 in the afternoon. This is the citywhere SIFA, an affiliate of CFAO, hasbeen assembling Yamaha V80 bikes forover 20 years since the 1980s. About adozen riders came out to meet us ontheir V80 machines. Together weformed a caravan and rode on into thecity, arriving at the factory at 4:00 in theafternoon. There was a lively welcomingparty waiting for us when we arrived.This day’s run was 212 km.

Welcomed by Miss Burkina

Leg 7This day’s course would cover 370 km tothe capital city, Ouagadougou. Startingout at 7:10, we were amazed at the num-ber of commuter bicycles and motorcy-cles pouring into thecity as the raidheaded east. Burki-no Faso is a countrywhere underbonemotorcycles andbicycles are thepopular forms oftransportation and

the main roads have a special lane fortwo-wheelers, good evidence of the posi-tive approach the government has takentoward traffic control. At just before 9:00 a.m. we stopped at acotton transport staging area and talked tosome of the workers taking a break intheir harvest work. Cotton is one of themain products in this region and the size

of the yearly harvest has a biginfluence on the country’s econ-omy. After a 30 minute rest, it isback on the road. At 10:50 in themorning we pass a road signsaying it is 183 km to Oua-gadougou, and another at 11:20reads 145. The endurance raid isnearing its final destination. The last checkpoint we stop at is

the crocodile park at the town of Sabou.After a short rest at this natural park thatis a sanctuary where crocodiles are raised,we are back on the road to run the last 85km into Ouagadougou. When we arrivethere at 4:15 in the afternoon, there is awelcoming group waiting for us at theTotal gas station. The announcer for a liveradio program interviews the riders. Hetells his radio audience in a high-pitchedvoice that the riders have ridden all theway from Dakar on the YBR125. Afterthe interviews a group of about 20 V80owners form a caravan with us to paradeinto the city for 20 minutes led by apolice bike escort. At 5:20 the paradearrives at a park next to the home officesof CFAO. There to greet us at our finalgoal are performers of traditional ethnicdrums and music. Waiting to congratulate the riders on aspecially set up podium is the beautifulMiss Burkina. From the podium, one ofthe riders said, “We have to thank thepeople at Jianshe Yamaha for buildingsuch a great bike.” Those words referredto the other starting point of this rallyraid: the Jianshe Yamaha factory in

China. And it recognizesthe fact that the”DABAOUA Le raid del’endurance” was not just astory about endurance onthe African continent, butone that involves qualityYamaha machines designedand built to go the distance.

A. Sarr (Senegal) Sarr (25) is presentlymaking a business ofimporting Europeanbrand motorcycles. Hehas been riding motor-cycles since he was

eight years old and in recent years he hasbeen successful in off-road competition. Hisdream is to become the third person fromSenegal ever to compete on the Dakar rally.“The handling and size of the YBR125 are verygood and it was comfortable to ride. The last180 km of the 2nd leg were completely newterritory for me, so I had fun riding it,” he said.

S. Haidara (Mali)Haidara began ridingmopeds at the age of12 and the YamahaYB100 from the age of15. “I enjoyed this raidas a chance to see

what I could do. It surprised me when wewere able to run 200 km on unpaved roadson the YBR125,” he commented.

A. Somé (Burkina Faso) Somé is an employeeof CFAO who normallyenjoys riding his V80.This was his first expe-rience of long-distance

touring. “The first day of running felt long tome, but I enjoyed the powerful performanceand stability of the YBR125. I was also sur-prised at how quiet it runs. I want to use thisvaluable experience in my business,” he said.

L. Schroeder(France / CFAO)

Schroeder took on theresponsibility of leadrider and pacemakerthroughout the raid.“Besides the three

countries we toured through on this raid,CFAO supplies quality products to ten coun-tries here in Africa. This time we wanted topublicize the YBR as a new product for theregion while also spreading the Yamaha brandname to new areas. We will be happy if thisevent also serves as a good sample for othersales networks in Africa,” he commented.

E. Gyselinck (Belgium / YMCLiaison Office inDakar) Gyselinck is one of theoriginators of thisendurance raid plan

and also a bike-lover who rode the entirecourse. “It is hard to communicate what agreat bike the YBR125 is and differentiate itfrom the competition just through means likepress conferences. I thought that the bestway to get people to appreciate it is to getlocal riders to actually ride it and experienceit. By running 2,500 km with it we were ableto experience the low vibration, good mileageand great suspension performance of thismachine,” he stressed.

Portraits of the Riders

With the mayor of Diema

The riders enjoy some off-road riding along a riverbed near the Mali-Burkina Faso border

With the people at the plant where the V80 isassembled in Bobo-Dioulasso

With Miss Burkina at the goal

At the CFAO Mali office, 130 people, including invitedregional dealers turned out to hear the team’s mid-tourreport and to give them words of encouragement forthe remainder of the tour. The event also included a raf-fle drawing to win a YBR125 that excited everyone inattendance. The Minister of Travel, Mr. Bah A’Diayewas among the guests

The last checkpoint was at the Croco-dile Park

6 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

INTERNATIONAL FOCUSLocation: Hanoi, VietnamPresident: Takahiko TakedaEmployees: 2,300

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is acountry with a population of about 82 mil-lion people living in a land area of about325,000 sq km, and it is said that one per-son in every seven rides a motorcycle, mak-ing this one of the biggest motorcycle-usingmarkets in the world. Supplying Yamahabrand motorcycles to this important marketis the mission of Yamaha Motor VietnamCo., Ltd. (YMVN), a company founded inOct. 1999 with 300 employees that has nowgrown to employ 2,300.

The Vietnam Market At the time YMVN began operations, themarket was so completely dominated by asingle competitor brand that its brand namewas used by the Vietnamese to mean“motorcycle.” Not only that, the vast major-ity of the people in Vietnam had never evenheard of the Yamaha brand at the timeYMVN began business. Yamaha entered the Vietnam market firstwith a sporty model of the underbonemoped type for which there is the largestdemand in this country. Since then, YMVNhas worked to differentiate itself from thecompetition and establish a clear Yamahabrand identity through strategic moves likeintroducing automatic transmission (AT)models and opening a first directly runshowroom and retail outlet named “Yama-ha Town” in Ho Chi Min City. Meanwhile, there have been obstacles likethe influx of cheap copy bikes from Chinaand a government policy to limit motorcy-

cle demand, but the company has overcomethese hurdles and continued its growth, tothe point where the Yamaha now enjoys a20% market share of the roughly one mil-lion motorcycles sold by the four foreign-investment makers in Vietnam in 2004.With the coming relaxation of regulationsregarding motorcycles, it is fairly certainthat we will see healthy growth again in theVietnam motorcycle market from 2006, andall the employees at YMVN are workingtogether toward the day when the Yamahaname will be synonymous with qualitymotorcycles here in Vietnam.

Opening the Yamaha Town Da NangAs the motorcycle market in Vietnam con-tinues to grow, it has been vital for YMVNto find ways to promote the spread of theYamaha brand in Vietnam and grow thesales of our motorcycles. As one of thesemeasures, YMVN opened the fourth of itsgrowing nationwide chain of “YamahaTown” directly run retail outlets and show-rooms in the central town of Da Nang onOctober 27, 2005. Da Nang is the thirdlargest city in Vietnam after the capitalHanoi and Ho Chi Min City and it has beendeveloping in recent years as an industrialcenter where numerous Japanese and otherforeign invested companies have set upbases. This growth is expected to continuein the future. At the new Yamaha Town Da Nang, cus-tomers can see displays of some 40 units ofthe Yamaha models “Jupiter MX,”“Nouvo,” “New Sirius” and “Mio” soldhere in Vietnam. Also on display are race

machines and ATVs that express the largerYamaha world. And, there are alwaystwelve store staff members on duty to greetand deal with customers, not only for salesbut also for promoting greater recognitionof the Yamaha brand among the YamahaTown’s many visitors. At the same time,the staff is working to make this YamahaTown an important business base for thisarea of the rapidly growing Vietnam motor-cycle market capable of serving as a hub forbuilding the dealer network and making astrong appeal for the Yamaha brand.

YSKS Contest 2005In addition to the ongoing efforts to build its

line of quality products and strengthen thebases in its sales network, YMVN is direct-ing efforts to training the sales personnelwho deal directly with the customers. The

1st YSKS Contest (YamahaSales Knowledge & Skill Con-test) that was inaugurated on thesame day, Oct. 27, in Da Nang,will be one of the main vehiclesfor this training program forsales people. This is a contest in which out-standing sales people fromaround Vietnam compete withtheir sales knowledge and skills.The purposes of the contest are

to motivate sales personnel to deepen theirknowledge about Yamaha products andthose of the competitors as well as Yama-ha’s sales strategies, while also polishingtheir sales and customer handling skills.Competing in this first contest were salesrepresentatives selected from 249 dealer-ships nationwide, including 2-person teamsfrom each of the four Yamaha Town storesand eleven dealerships that are scheduled tobe given Yamaha Town status this year ornext, making for a total of 30 competitors.The contents of the contest includedexplaining the sales points of different mod-els and having the team leader answer ques-tions put forth by the judges on a one ques-tion-one answer basis. The competitionconsisted of two preliminary rounds andtwo final rounds. The resulting winnerswere the team from Yamaha Town Hanoi.It proved to be a very meaningful contest in

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 7

Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd.(YMVN)

Building a stronge r product line and sales network fora growing market

terms of improving sales skills and motivat-ing the contestants. Some of the commentsheard from the contestants included: “Ienjoyed it very much. I want to improve myskills for the next contest.” “Having a con-test like this is encouraging. It was a goodopportunity to re-evaluate my skills.” “Toprepare for this contest I did a lot of study-ing. It was a good opportunity to review theknowledge I have.” In these ways, YMVN is taking the lead inthe job of building and strengthening thesales network of Yamaha Town stores andlocal dealerships in the growing Vietnammarket. And, through the development ofboth hardware and software aspects of thesetasks, like training of sales personnel,YMVN is working to raise the level of cus-tomer satisfaction, spread recognition of theYamaha brand and grow our sales.

YMVNOur reporter: Masahiro Imada, YMVN

Yamaha Town Da Nang

YMVN’s PresidentTakeda hands outprizes to the contestparticipants

SERIAL 53

The Yamaha Town Danang showroom

At the opening ceremony on Oct. 27

At final round of the YSKS contest

The participants of the YSKS contest

YMVN’s President Takeda (center) with the winning team from Yama-ha Town Hanoi and the other finalists

6 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

INTERNATIONAL FOCUSLocation: Hanoi, VietnamPresident: Takahiko TakedaEmployees: 2,300

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is acountry with a population of about 82 mil-lion people living in a land area of about325,000 sq km, and it is said that one per-son in every seven rides a motorcycle, mak-ing this one of the biggest motorcycle-usingmarkets in the world. Supplying Yamahabrand motorcycles to this important marketis the mission of Yamaha Motor VietnamCo., Ltd. (YMVN), a company founded inOct. 1999 with 300 employees that has nowgrown to employ 2,300.

The Vietnam Market At the time YMVN began operations, themarket was so completely dominated by asingle competitor brand that its brand namewas used by the Vietnamese to mean“motorcycle.” Not only that, the vast major-ity of the people in Vietnam had never evenheard of the Yamaha brand at the timeYMVN began business. Yamaha entered the Vietnam market firstwith a sporty model of the underbonemoped type for which there is the largestdemand in this country. Since then, YMVNhas worked to differentiate itself from thecompetition and establish a clear Yamahabrand identity through strategic moves likeintroducing automatic transmission (AT)models and opening a first directly runshowroom and retail outlet named “Yama-ha Town” in Ho Chi Min City. Meanwhile, there have been obstacles likethe influx of cheap copy bikes from Chinaand a government policy to limit motorcy-

cle demand, but the company has overcomethese hurdles and continued its growth, tothe point where the Yamaha now enjoys a20% market share of the roughly one mil-lion motorcycles sold by the four foreign-investment makers in Vietnam in 2004.With the coming relaxation of regulationsregarding motorcycles, it is fairly certainthat we will see healthy growth again in theVietnam motorcycle market from 2006, andall the employees at YMVN are workingtogether toward the day when the Yamahaname will be synonymous with qualitymotorcycles here in Vietnam.

Opening the Yamaha Town Da NangAs the motorcycle market in Vietnam con-tinues to grow, it has been vital for YMVNto find ways to promote the spread of theYamaha brand in Vietnam and grow thesales of our motorcycles. As one of thesemeasures, YMVN opened the fourth of itsgrowing nationwide chain of “YamahaTown” directly run retail outlets and show-rooms in the central town of Da Nang onOctober 27, 2005. Da Nang is the thirdlargest city in Vietnam after the capitalHanoi and Ho Chi Min City and it has beendeveloping in recent years as an industrialcenter where numerous Japanese and otherforeign invested companies have set upbases. This growth is expected to continuein the future. At the new Yamaha Town Da Nang, cus-tomers can see displays of some 40 units ofthe Yamaha models “Jupiter MX,”“Nouvo,” “New Sirius” and “Mio” soldhere in Vietnam. Also on display are race

machines and ATVs that express the largerYamaha world. And, there are alwaystwelve store staff members on duty to greetand deal with customers, not only for salesbut also for promoting greater recognitionof the Yamaha brand among the YamahaTown’s many visitors. At the same time,the staff is working to make this YamahaTown an important business base for thisarea of the rapidly growing Vietnam motor-cycle market capable of serving as a hub forbuilding the dealer network and making astrong appeal for the Yamaha brand.

YSKS Contest 2005In addition to the ongoing efforts to build its

line of quality products and strengthen thebases in its sales network, YMVN is direct-ing efforts to training the sales personnelwho deal directly with the customers. The

1st YSKS Contest (YamahaSales Knowledge & Skill Con-test) that was inaugurated on thesame day, Oct. 27, in Da Nang,will be one of the main vehiclesfor this training program forsales people. This is a contest in which out-standing sales people fromaround Vietnam compete withtheir sales knowledge and skills.The purposes of the contest are

to motivate sales personnel to deepen theirknowledge about Yamaha products andthose of the competitors as well as Yama-ha’s sales strategies, while also polishingtheir sales and customer handling skills.Competing in this first contest were salesrepresentatives selected from 249 dealer-ships nationwide, including 2-person teamsfrom each of the four Yamaha Town storesand eleven dealerships that are scheduled tobe given Yamaha Town status this year ornext, making for a total of 30 competitors.The contents of the contest includedexplaining the sales points of different mod-els and having the team leader answer ques-tions put forth by the judges on a one ques-tion-one answer basis. The competitionconsisted of two preliminary rounds andtwo final rounds. The resulting winnerswere the team from Yamaha Town Hanoi.It proved to be a very meaningful contest in

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 7

Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd.(YMVN)

Building a stronge r product line and sales network fora growing market

terms of improving sales skills and motivat-ing the contestants. Some of the commentsheard from the contestants included: “Ienjoyed it very much. I want to improve myskills for the next contest.” “Having a con-test like this is encouraging. It was a goodopportunity to re-evaluate my skills.” “Toprepare for this contest I did a lot of study-ing. It was a good opportunity to review theknowledge I have.” In these ways, YMVN is taking the lead inthe job of building and strengthening thesales network of Yamaha Town stores andlocal dealerships in the growing Vietnammarket. And, through the development ofboth hardware and software aspects of thesetasks, like training of sales personnel,YMVN is working to raise the level of cus-tomer satisfaction, spread recognition of theYamaha brand and grow our sales.

YMVNOur reporter: Masahiro Imada, YMVN

Yamaha Town Da Nang

YMVN’s PresidentTakeda hands outprizes to the contestparticipants

SERIAL 53

The Yamaha Town Danang showroom

At the opening ceremony on Oct. 27

At final round of the YSKS contest

The participants of the YSKS contest

YMVN’s President Takeda (center) with the winning team from Yama-ha Town Hanoi and the other finalists

2006 Yamaha race teamsset sights on world titles

EXPRESSRA

CIN

GEXPRESS

RA

CIN

G

2006 Yamaha Race ProgramMotoGP　Machine: YZR-M1

Camel Yamaha Team Tech 3 Yamaha Team

Valentino Rossi Colin Edwards Carlos Checa James Ellison

WSB　Machine: YZF-R1Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team Yamaha Motor France

Noriyuki Haga Andrew Pitt Norick Abe Sebastien Gimbert Shinichi Nakatomi

WMX MX1　Machine: YZ450FM AMA SX/MX　Machine: YZ450FYamaha Motocross Team Yamaha Factory Team

Stefan Everts Cedric Melotte Chad Reed Heath Voss

In 2005, Yamaha was able to celebrate its 50th anniversary by not only winning the “triple crown” of rider, manufacturer and teamtitles in MotoGP, the pinnacle of road racing, but also the championship titles of both the MX1 and MX2 classes of the WorldMotocross Championships. Led by these champions, Valentino Rossi (MotoGP), Stefan Everts (MX1) and Antonio Cairoli (MX2),Yamaha riders in many race categories around the world gave Yamaha a year to remember.Now the Yamaha race program for 2006 has been announced, and it is one that will certainly have Yamaha in position to defendthese titles and go after even more in competitions like the World Superbike and World Supersport championships and AMASupercross and Motocross in the USA. The 2006 season has already started for some of these competitions and Yamaha teams areshowing promising results that point to hopes for another title rush in 2006.

2006 Yamaha race teamsset sights on world titles

The 2006 World Superbike champi-onship series got off to a roaringstart on February 25 with the open-ing round in Qatar. The YamahaMotor Italia team got off to a goodseason start with its two riders,Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitteach grabbing a 3rd-place podiumfinish in the two heats. In the first heat, Haga was runningin 2nd position when he was forcedto retire from the race on the lastlap. In the second heat he led therace from the early stages and even-tually finished 3rd. It was a hopefulstart for the YZF-R1 now enteringits second season.The three Yamaha Motor Franceriders Norick Abe, SebastienGimbert and Shinichi Nakatomiwere unable to finish among thewinners but they still scored valu-able series points. Abe had to startfrom last position on the grid with aspare machine the first heat but stillran a strong race, working up to11th at the finish. He finished 11thin the second heat as well. Gimbertfinished 16th and 17th andNakatomi finished 14th and 15th.

In the World Supersport (WSS)championship opener held the sameday, the Yamaha Motor Germanyteam entered Kevin Curtain andBloc Parkes on the new YZF-R6.Curtain proved the competitivenessof the new R6 from the openinground by riding steadily on the tailof last year’s champ, SebastianCharpentier (Honda), to take thecheckered in 2nd.

Haga started the new season with a podium finish in the opener

Big things are expected from Abe in his second WSB season Pitt captured his first WSB podium finish

Curtain rode the new YZF-R6 to 2nd in the first race of the season. This is a good start toward a season title

WSB Podium finishes forHaga and Pitt on YZF-R1

WSB Podium finishes forHaga and Pitt on YZF-R1

WSS Curtain gets 2nd onnew YZF-R6!

WSS Curtain gets 2nd onnew YZF-R6!

2006 Yamaha race teamsset sights on world titles

EXPRESS

RA

CIN

G

EXPRESSRA

CIN

G

2006 Yamaha Race ProgramMotoGP　Machine: YZR-M1

Camel Yamaha Team Tech 3 Yamaha Team

Valentino Rossi Colin Edwards Carlos Checa James Ellison

WSB　Machine: YZF-R1Yamaha Motor Italia WSB Team Yamaha Motor France

Noriyuki Haga Andrew Pitt Norick Abe Sebastien Gimbert Shinichi Nakatomi

WMX MX1　Machine: YZ450FM AMA SX/MX　Machine: YZ450FYamaha Motocross Team Yamaha Factory Team

Stefan Everts Cedric Melotte Chad Reed Heath Voss

In 2005, Yamaha was able to celebrate its 50th anniversary by not only winning the “triple crown” of rider, manufacturer and teamtitles in MotoGP, the pinnacle of road racing, but also the championship titles of both the MX1 and MX2 classes of the WorldMotocross Championships. Led by these champions, Valentino Rossi (MotoGP), Stefan Everts (MX1) and Antonio Cairoli (MX2),Yamaha riders in many race categories around the world gave Yamaha a year to remember.Now the Yamaha race program for 2006 has been announced, and it is one that will certainly have Yamaha in position to defendthese titles and go after even more in competitions like the World Superbike and World Supersport championships and AMASupercross and Motocross in the USA. The 2006 season has already started for some of these competitions and Yamaha teams areshowing promising results that point to hopes for another title rush in 2006.

2006 Yamaha race teamsset sights on world titles

The 2006 World Superbike champi-onship series got off to a roaringstart on February 25 with the open-ing round in Qatar. The YamahaMotor Italia team got off to a goodseason start with its two riders,Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitteach grabbing a 3rd-place podiumfinish in the two heats. In the first heat, Haga was runningin 2nd position when he was forcedto retire from the race on the lastlap. In the second heat he led therace from the early stages and even-tually finished 3rd. It was a hopefulstart for the YZF-R1 now enteringits second season.The three Yamaha Motor Franceriders Norick Abe, SebastienGimbert and Shinichi Nakatomiwere unable to finish among thewinners but they still scored valu-able series points. Abe had to startfrom last position on the grid with aspare machine the first heat but stillran a strong race, working up to11th at the finish. He finished 11thin the second heat as well. Gimbertfinished 16th and 17th andNakatomi finished 14th and 15th.

In the World Supersport (WSS)championship opener held the sameday, the Yamaha Motor Germanyteam entered Kevin Curtain andBloc Parkes on the new YZF-R6.Curtain proved the competitivenessof the new R6 from the openinground by riding steadily on the tailof last year’s champ, SebastianCharpentier (Honda), to take thecheckered in 2nd.

Haga started the new season with a podium finish in the opener

Big things are expected from Abe in his second WSB season Pitt captured his first WSB podium finish

Curtain rode the new YZF-R6 to 2nd in the first race of the season. This is a good start toward a season title

WSB Podium finishes forHaga and Pitt on YZF-R1

WSB Podium finishes forHaga and Pitt on YZF-R1

WSS Curtain gets 2nd onnew YZF-R6!

WSS Curtain gets 2nd onnew YZF-R6!

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 1110 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

Russia

On November 28, the new Yamahasales company in Russia, YamahaMotor C IS (YMCIS) * held its first deal-er meeting. The venue was the Meridi-an Hotel on the outskirts of Moscowand attending as a special guest wasYMC’s President Kajikawa. The participants in the meeting included representatives from84 officially appointed Yamaha dealerships across the country and the agenda includedpresentations of next year’s policies and reconfirmation of the business approach underthe new company as it begins its inaugural year. In the evening after the meeting, all thedealers deepened friendships in an enjoyable party atmosphere. (*CIS = Commonwealthof Independent States) From Motoki Watanabe

First DealerMeeting for newRussian salescompany

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to Chief Editor Rika Niwa of the Corporate Communication Dept.,

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp>

A keg of Japanese sake (rice wine) was opened at the post-meeting party

Indonesia

To meet growing demand in one of theworld’s largest motorcycle markets, YamahaMotor Co., Ltd. (YMC) has now establishedthe new company P.T. Yamaha Motor Manu-facturing West Java. This new companybecomes Yamaha’s second motorcycle fac-tory in Indonesia, joining Yamaha IndonesiaMotor Manufacturing (YIMM), a companythat already boasts the largest unit produc-tion of Yamaha brand motorcycles in theworld and exports to 26 foreign countries. On Jan. 27, an event was held to celebratethe founding of the new company andamong the 300 honored guests wereIndonesia’s President, Dr. Susilo BambangYudhoyono, and YMC’s Chairman, Mr. ToruHasegawa. The new factory will mainly pro-duce the 105cc 4-stroke moped “VEGA-R”with an annual production capacity of300,000 units. Plans call for the combinedproduction capacity of YIMM and YMMWJ toreach 1.8 million units by 2007, whilestrengthened R&D functions will also makethem more fully independent business enti-ties.

Large new Yamaha motorcycle factory launched in Indonesia

The new YMMWJ factory will have an annual productioncapacity of 600,000 motorcycles by 2007

The new factory specializes inmoped type motorcycles andoperates on a mass-productionsystem that boosts productivity

Indonesia’s President Yudhoyono welcomed the new YMMWJ factory investment as a big contribution to the economy

YMC’s President Kajikawa addressed the dealers

Indonesia

Dealer Meeting setsbig sales target for newJupiter MX

On Sunday, September 18th, some 2,800 Yamahadealers and sales representatives from acrossIndonesia gathered at the Jakarta Convention Centerin the nation’s capital for a grand-scale Dealer Meet-ing to launch the new model Jupiter MX with an ambi-tious sales plan of 300,000 units in annual sales.After speeches by YMC’s Senior Managing DirectorTogami and Yamaha Motor Kenkana Indonesia’s(YMKI) President Takahashi, the launch program andnext year’s marketing strategy were introduced. Itwas a highly motivating meeting for the dealers, whohave now set their sights high for sales of the newmodel. From Eiji Tada, CV Div., YMC

YMC’s Senior Managing Director Togami and YMKI’s President Taka-hashi (3rd and 5th from right) on stage at the Dealer Meeting finale

Mexico

Over the two days of November 3 and 4, Yamaha Motor de Mexico,S.A. de C.V.(YMMEX) held its 15th Dealer Convention at the internationally famous resort city ofAlcapulco. Despite a sudden change in venue due to Hurricane Wilma, the 84 nation-wide dealers, YMMEX staff and guests attending heard presentations on the accom-plishments of YMC and YMMEX over the past 50 years, as well as reports on the 2005season business results and goals for each division in 2006. New programs like the “5Star Project” to strengthen the dealer network and new models like the Nouvo andYS250 were also introduced. Guests from YMC, including Deputy Director of MotorcycleOperations, Mr. Naoki Omura, and Chief of Central and South American Operations, Mr.Masaki Asano, as well as YMUS’ president, Mr. Tak Watanabe, stressed the importanceof this market and surely con-tributed to dealer motivation. From Paula Ospina V., Mar-keting, YMMEX

Dealer Meeting takes 50th anniversarytheme: Passion, Kando, the Future

Conventioners heard reviews of 2005 results and plans for 2006 andbeyond for the growing Mexican market

Vietnam

Community contribu-tions win widespreadrecognition

Students show the school supplies they receivethrough YMVN’s contribution program

Three years ago Yamaha Motor Vietnam (YMVN)began a program of community service that con-tributes school supplies for elementaryschool children. In the past year alonethe program has supplied notebooks andother supplies for some 352,511 stu-dents, including over 25,000 students inSocson and 145,700 in Haiphong inAugust and more than 88,000 in Canthoand 29,000 in Nhatrang in September.This program has won YMVN raise fromthese communities and a very significantstrengthening of its brand image. From Akihiro Maruo, CV Division, YMC

Malta

On 16-18 November, 2005, the Mediterranean island country of Malta was the site for a Yama-ha 50th anniversary ceremony and the 4th Pan-Africa Summit, gathering 105 people from 40African countries, including OMDO staff. The presence of YMC’s President Kajikawa and hiswife also enriched the ceremony and inspired the distributors. Hosted by Gasan Enterprises,Yamaha’s importer in Malta, the event consisted of a one-day conference with comprehensivepresentations by OMDO staff and five selected distributors to provide ideas to increase sales,half-day test-rides of CT models and a one-day excursion around the island. The distributorsand OMDO staff exchanged opinions and information to counteract the current tough marketconditions and prepare for new challenges. From Masayoshi Toyama, OMDO

Distributors gather for Pan-Africa Summitand 50th anniversary celebration

Over 100 people from 40 nations attended the 4th Pan-Africa Summit inMalta

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 1110 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

Russia

On November 28, the new Yamahasales company in Russia, YamahaMotor C IS (YMCIS) * held its first deal-er meeting. The venue was the Meridi-an Hotel on the outskirts of Moscowand attending as a special guest wasYMC’s President Kajikawa. The participants in the meeting included representatives from84 officially appointed Yamaha dealerships across the country and the agenda includedpresentations of next year’s policies and reconfirmation of the business approach underthe new company as it begins its inaugural year. In the evening after the meeting, all thedealers deepened friendships in an enjoyable party atmosphere. (*CIS = Commonwealthof Independent States) From Motoki Watanabe

First DealerMeeting for newRussian salescompany

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to Chief Editor Rika Niwa of the Corporate Communication Dept.,

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp>

A keg of Japanese sake (rice wine) was opened at the post-meeting party

Indonesia

To meet growing demand in one of theworld’s largest motorcycle markets, YamahaMotor Co., Ltd. (YMC) has now establishedthe new company P.T. Yamaha Motor Manu-facturing West Java. This new companybecomes Yamaha’s second motorcycle fac-tory in Indonesia, joining Yamaha IndonesiaMotor Manufacturing (YIMM), a companythat already boasts the largest unit produc-tion of Yamaha brand motorcycles in theworld and exports to 26 foreign countries. On Jan. 27, an event was held to celebratethe founding of the new company andamong the 300 honored guests wereIndonesia’s President, Dr. Susilo BambangYudhoyono, and YMC’s Chairman, Mr. ToruHasegawa. The new factory will mainly pro-duce the 105cc 4-stroke moped “VEGA-R”with an annual production capacity of300,000 units. Plans call for the combinedproduction capacity of YIMM and YMMWJ toreach 1.8 million units by 2007, whilestrengthened R&D functions will also makethem more fully independent business enti-ties.

Large new Yamaha motorcycle factory launched in Indonesia

The new YMMWJ factory will have an annual productioncapacity of 600,000 motorcycles by 2007

The new factory specializes inmoped type motorcycles andoperates on a mass-productionsystem that boosts productivity

Indonesia’s President Yudhoyono welcomed the new YMMWJ factory investment as a big contribution to the economy

YMC’s President Kajikawa addressed the dealers

Indonesia

Dealer Meeting setsbig sales target for newJupiter MX

On Sunday, September 18th, some 2,800 Yamahadealers and sales representatives from acrossIndonesia gathered at the Jakarta Convention Centerin the nation’s capital for a grand-scale Dealer Meet-ing to launch the new model Jupiter MX with an ambi-tious sales plan of 300,000 units in annual sales.After speeches by YMC’s Senior Managing DirectorTogami and Yamaha Motor Kenkana Indonesia’s(YMKI) President Takahashi, the launch program andnext year’s marketing strategy were introduced. Itwas a highly motivating meeting for the dealers, whohave now set their sights high for sales of the newmodel. From Eiji Tada, CV Div., YMC

YMC’s Senior Managing Director Togami and YMKI’s President Taka-hashi (3rd and 5th from right) on stage at the Dealer Meeting finale

Mexico

Over the two days of November 3 and 4, Yamaha Motor de Mexico,S.A. de C.V.(YMMEX) held its 15th Dealer Convention at the internationally famous resort city ofAlcapulco. Despite a sudden change in venue due to Hurricane Wilma, the 84 nation-wide dealers, YMMEX staff and guests attending heard presentations on the accom-plishments of YMC and YMMEX over the past 50 years, as well as reports on the 2005season business results and goals for each division in 2006. New programs like the “5Star Project” to strengthen the dealer network and new models like the Nouvo andYS250 were also introduced. Guests from YMC, including Deputy Director of MotorcycleOperations, Mr. Naoki Omura, and Chief of Central and South American Operations, Mr.Masaki Asano, as well as YMUS’ president, Mr. Tak Watanabe, stressed the importanceof this market and surely con-tributed to dealer motivation. From Paula Ospina V., Mar-keting, YMMEX

Dealer Meeting takes 50th anniversarytheme: Passion, Kando, the Future

Conventioners heard reviews of 2005 results and plans for 2006 andbeyond for the growing Mexican market

Vietnam

Community contribu-tions win widespreadrecognition

Students show the school supplies they receivethrough YMVN’s contribution program

Three years ago Yamaha Motor Vietnam (YMVN)began a program of community service that con-tributes school supplies for elementaryschool children. In the past year alonethe program has supplied notebooks andother supplies for some 352,511 stu-dents, including over 25,000 students inSocson and 145,700 in Haiphong inAugust and more than 88,000 in Canthoand 29,000 in Nhatrang in September.This program has won YMVN raise fromthese communities and a very significantstrengthening of its brand image. From Akihiro Maruo, CV Division, YMC

Malta

On 16-18 November, 2005, the Mediterranean island country of Malta was the site for a Yama-ha 50th anniversary ceremony and the 4th Pan-Africa Summit, gathering 105 people from 40African countries, including OMDO staff. The presence of YMC’s President Kajikawa and hiswife also enriched the ceremony and inspired the distributors. Hosted by Gasan Enterprises,Yamaha’s importer in Malta, the event consisted of a one-day conference with comprehensivepresentations by OMDO staff and five selected distributors to provide ideas to increase sales,half-day test-rides of CT models and a one-day excursion around the island. The distributorsand OMDO staff exchanged opinions and information to counteract the current tough marketconditions and prepare for new challenges. From Masayoshi Toyama, OMDO

Distributors gather for Pan-Africa Summitand 50th anniversary celebration

Over 100 people from 40 nations attended the 4th Pan-Africa Summit inMalta

12 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 13

To have your topic included in Yamaha NewsWorld Topics:

1) Send us your text or an outline of the contents, making sure to specify who, what, when, where, why and how details.

2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution photos with explanations.

3) Submissions received in Japan by the 20th of odd-numbered months will be considered for the next issue.

Notice of when your article will appear in YN will be made after the editing process.Send your articles to me by e-mail, (Ms.) Rika Niwa, at the address below. E-mail: yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp

Yamaha “chair skis” for IPC World Cup Alpine Skiing Yamaha has proudly served as official sponsor supporting the IPC WorldCup Alpine Skiing for the Disabled 2006 that was held at Shigakogen fromJan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2006. This sponsorship is a natural extension not only ofYamaha’s broad-ranging support of sports in all fields but also of YMC’sleadership since 1996 in a project with other Japanese organizations andcorporations to develop the “chair skis” used in Alpine skiing for the disabled.

Canada

YMCA selected as top 100employer, again!Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.(YMCA) has once againbeen selected as one of thetop 100 employers in Cana-da for 2006! This marks thethird consecutive yearYMCA has received thisaward from Maclean's Mag-azine, Canada’s most popu-lar weekly news magazine.The prestigious “Top 100”designation is based on astudy of 7,500 companiesand evaluates employment practices, work environment, communicationprograms, benefit programs, commitment to employees and the communi-ty. YMCA is extremely proud of this award. From Peter Hastings, YMCA, Canada

Japan

Over its 4-day run from February 9 to 12 the 2006 Tokyo InternationalBoat Show attracted about 37,000 visitors, and the center of attentionwas the Yamaha booth, as Japan’s largest comprehensive marinemaker. Yamaha boats ranging from a 38 ft. cruiser to popular-sizefishing boats were the highlight for many, while others had their eyeson the full lineup of Yamaha’s world-renowned 4-stroke outboardmotors, ranging from 2 to 250 hp. A lot of attention also focused on adisplay of Yamaha’s new “Digital Network Gauge” that links the out-board’s ECM to a digital dashboard meter panel to display everythingfrom engine rpm, running fuel efficiency and trim angle to enginetemp. and even water depth. Yamaha also introduced its new nation-wide “Sea-Style” marine leisure club system offering boat rentals andother marine recreation to more users.

Yamaha booth shines at 2006 Tokyo Boat Show

Chair skis designed by Yamaha have won numerous medals in international competition

Chair skis designed and built by Yamaha have been used in the Paralympicsthat followed the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the 2002 Salt Lake CityWinter Olympics. For the IPC World Cup Shigakogen competition, Yamahadeveloped a next-generation “Torino Model” chair ski that was supplied tofour members of the Japanese team.

Indonesia

On Dec. 11th, the Yamaha Motor group and the Yamaha Corporation group organized a tree-planti-ng project that attracted around 1,400 people to plant some 5,000 saplings with the cooperation oflocal government staff in Sukabumi, West Java. This event was part of the “Yamaha Forest” inIndonesia project, which will plant 120 Ha with 150-200 thousand trees over five years, and is asocial activity aimed at environmental preservation under Yamaha’s “40,000 Peoples’ V (volunteer)Campaign.” A total of 59 people from the Yamaha Motor group, including Yamaha Indonesian MotorManufacturing (YIMM), the YIMM rider club and the Yamaha marine distributors KG MARINE andPT. HASJRAT ABATI and YMC joined in the planting. Indonesia is one of Yamaha’s biggest motor-cycle markets and home of the world’s largest Yamaha motorcycle factory. That is why the plantingof CO2-absorbing forests through this “Yamaha Forest” project is considered an important part of ourCSR in Indonesia, along with seminars about environmental preservation and planned communityand school support programs with the Japanese NPO OISCA - International.From: Tomoko KAKEHI, Corporate Communication Division, YMC

Planting a “Yamaha Forest”

Director Otsubo from YMC, DirectorHanamoto from Yamaha Corp. and thegovernor of Sukabumi (center) dedicate amonument commemorating the “YamahaForest” at the project’s opening ceremony

YIMM touring club members leaveafter the volunteer tree planting

A bird’s eye view of the popular Yamaha booth at the Tokyo Boat Show

This 32 ft. Yamaha “convertible” cruiser was a special display model that drew big attention from visitors.Yamaha boats stand for unmatched quality in Japan

Japan

V.P. Corporate Services, Peter Hastings (right) andNational Manager Human Resources, Dealer Trainingand Services, Dawn Williams with YMCA’s three top100 employer plaques

Yamaha Motor was title sponsor for the IPC World Cup Alpine Skiing for the Disabled atShigakogen

12 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 13

To have your topic included in Yamaha NewsWorld Topics:

1) Send us your text or an outline of the contents, making sure to specify who, what, when, where, why and how details.

2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution photos with explanations.

3) Submissions received in Japan by the 20th of odd-numbered months will be considered for the next issue.

Notice of when your article will appear in YN will be made after the editing process.Send your articles to me by e-mail, (Ms.) Rika Niwa, at the address below. E-mail: yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp

Yamaha “chair skis” for IPC World Cup Alpine Skiing Yamaha has proudly served as official sponsor supporting the IPC WorldCup Alpine Skiing for the Disabled 2006 that was held at Shigakogen fromJan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2006. This sponsorship is a natural extension not only ofYamaha’s broad-ranging support of sports in all fields but also of YMC’sleadership since 1996 in a project with other Japanese organizations andcorporations to develop the “chair skis” used in Alpine skiing for the disabled.

Canada

YMCA selected as top 100employer, again!Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.(YMCA) has once againbeen selected as one of thetop 100 employers in Cana-da for 2006! This marks thethird consecutive yearYMCA has received thisaward from Maclean's Mag-azine, Canada’s most popu-lar weekly news magazine.The prestigious “Top 100”designation is based on astudy of 7,500 companiesand evaluates employment practices, work environment, communicationprograms, benefit programs, commitment to employees and the communi-ty. YMCA is extremely proud of this award. From Peter Hastings, YMCA, Canada

Japan

Over its 4-day run from February 9 to 12 the 2006 Tokyo InternationalBoat Show attracted about 37,000 visitors, and the center of attentionwas the Yamaha booth, as Japan’s largest comprehensive marinemaker. Yamaha boats ranging from a 38 ft. cruiser to popular-sizefishing boats were the highlight for many, while others had their eyeson the full lineup of Yamaha’s world-renowned 4-stroke outboardmotors, ranging from 2 to 250 hp. A lot of attention also focused on adisplay of Yamaha’s new “Digital Network Gauge” that links the out-board’s ECM to a digital dashboard meter panel to display everythingfrom engine rpm, running fuel efficiency and trim angle to enginetemp. and even water depth. Yamaha also introduced its new nation-wide “Sea-Style” marine leisure club system offering boat rentals andother marine recreation to more users.

Yamaha booth shines at 2006 Tokyo Boat Show

Chair skis designed by Yamaha have won numerous medals in international competition

Chair skis designed and built by Yamaha have been used in the Paralympicsthat followed the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and the 2002 Salt Lake CityWinter Olympics. For the IPC World Cup Shigakogen competition, Yamahadeveloped a next-generation “Torino Model” chair ski that was supplied tofour members of the Japanese team.

Indonesia

On Dec. 11th, the Yamaha Motor group and the Yamaha Corporation group organized a tree-planti-ng project that attracted around 1,400 people to plant some 5,000 saplings with the cooperation oflocal government staff in Sukabumi, West Java. This event was part of the “Yamaha Forest” inIndonesia project, which will plant 120 Ha with 150-200 thousand trees over five years, and is asocial activity aimed at environmental preservation under Yamaha’s “40,000 Peoples’ V (volunteer)Campaign.” A total of 59 people from the Yamaha Motor group, including Yamaha Indonesian MotorManufacturing (YIMM), the YIMM rider club and the Yamaha marine distributors KG MARINE andPT. HASJRAT ABATI and YMC joined in the planting. Indonesia is one of Yamaha’s biggest motor-cycle markets and home of the world’s largest Yamaha motorcycle factory. That is why the plantingof CO2-absorbing forests through this “Yamaha Forest” project is considered an important part of ourCSR in Indonesia, along with seminars about environmental preservation and planned communityand school support programs with the Japanese NPO OISCA - International.From: Tomoko KAKEHI, Corporate Communication Division, YMC

Planting a “Yamaha Forest”

Director Otsubo from YMC, DirectorHanamoto from Yamaha Corp. and thegovernor of Sukabumi (center) dedicate amonument commemorating the “YamahaForest” at the project’s opening ceremony

YIMM touring club members leaveafter the volunteer tree planting

A bird’s eye view of the popular Yamaha booth at the Tokyo Boat Show

This 32 ft. Yamaha “convertible” cruiser was a special display model that drew big attention from visitors.Yamaha boats stand for unmatched quality in Japan

Japan

V.P. Corporate Services, Peter Hastings (right) andNational Manager Human Resources, Dealer Trainingand Services, Dawn Williams with YMCA’s three top100 employer plaques

Yamaha Motor was title sponsor for the IPC World Cup Alpine Skiing for the Disabled atShigakogen

ing innovative Yamaha technologies bear-ing comparison to sports models of othercategories, including Yamaha’s DiASilcylinder and forged piston. Sales began inIndonesia in October 2005 and are beingfollowed by releases in five other ASEANcountries. At the core of the sales promo-tion efforts for this T135 is the PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!”project.By touring with the new T135, PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!”aims to increase product visibility while

The T135 is a sporty moped that wasdeveloped as Yamaha’s new flagshipmodel for the ASEAN market, and is amodel that sets a new standard by featur-

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 1514 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

November 28th. The next day, the tourentered the capital city, Jakarta, and on the30th they crossed the Selat Sunda straightby ferry to the island of Sumatra for anoth-er nine days of touring, often on demandingsections of winding, hilly roads. But thesturdy T135 always ran trouble-free thewhole way. One Filipino journalist accom-panying the tour said, “I’ve ridden manymopeds, but the T135 in particular has ataste of the future.”On January 15 the Thailand leg of thePAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCIT-ING!” began from the northern city of Chi-ang Rai with a new group of riders repre-senting the six ASEAN countries for a two-week tour to the southern tip of Thailand. As with the “Green Campaign” projectsconducted as part of the tour in Indonesia,

EXCITING!” start-ed out from the oldcapital, Yogyakartaon November 20th,it toured throughthe island of Java ina counter-clock-wise fashion travel-ing around 300 kmeach day. Passingthrough Surabaya,Indonesia’s second

largest city; Semarang, where the YamahaCup (moped race) to decide the ASEANCup contestants was held; Sumedang,where a commemorative ceremony washeld for Yamaha’s tree-planting “GreenCampaign;” and the summer resort townof Puncak, where the tour arrived on

the Thai leg also involved a number of spe-cial events to promote exchanges with peo-ple in each city and contribute to the localcommunities, like releasing seed fish atlake Bueng Kaen Nakhon and donatingtrash recycling bins for the tourist are ofPhuket hit by the Dec. 2004 tsunami. Therewere also daily exchanges with localYamaha rider clubs and welcoming cere-monies in every city the tour stopped in. Then the tour moved to Malaysia, startingin the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Feb. 27and circling north with stops at the resortisland of Penang and the northern city ofAlor Setar and then south through the his-torical city of Malacca and on to the south-ernmost city of Johor Bahru. On theMalaysian leg of the tour a new “helmetexchange” program was added to the pro-gram in cooperation with Malaysian trafficsafety officials. In this program, 50 brandnew motorcycle helmets are handed outfree of charge to users who bring old, dam-aged helmets that are no longer fully safe asprotective gear. This adds another positiveaspect to the welcoming ceremonies thatgreet the ASEAN tour riders in each city. From Malaysia and Singapore the tour willproceed on through Vietnam and thePhilippines, boosting the Yamaha image,promoting the T135 and spreading good-will.

strengthening existing Yamaha relation-ships with the customers, dealerships andthe media. Yamaha employees and mem-bers of the press from the various ASEANcountries are acting as the riders on thisgrand tour.Indonesia, the first country to host the tour,is a market that is said to have an annualdemand of 5.3 million vehicles, with mope-ds being used as commuter bikes essentialto the daily life and livelihood of their own-ers not only in urban centers but also inrural households. In this country, mopedmanufacturers are more familiar to the pop-ulace than carmakers, with each new modelrelease drawing big attention from peopleof all age groups. The T135 used for thePAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCIT-ING!” was no exception: in a press confer-ence held at Yogyakarta before the start ofthe tour, reporters thronged to learn aboutthe T135 and its sales plans within theASEAN region, demonstrating the highlevel of public interest moped makersenjoy. After the PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s

On Nov. 20, 2005, at a special starting gate set up onMalioboro Street in the center of the city of Yogyakarta on thesouthern coast of Indonesia’s island of Java, a line of 16 iden-tically colored sporty mopeds were lined up and waiting forthe signal to begin a great undertaking. It was the start of anevent called PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!” that wasset to tour some 10,000 km through six ASEAN countries over

the coming months to promote Yamaha’s new flagship moped model and prove itsperformance and durability in actual ASEAN market riding conditions. When President Iio of Yamaha Motor Asian Center waved the starting flag, the cara-van passed through the gate and out onto the street to begin the first 20-day tourthrough Indonesia. Now the tour has completed its Thailand, Malaysia and Singaporelegs and is headed on through Vietnam and the Philippines.

Vol.4

The Yamaha

Tales

YMAC's President Iio raised the flag tostart the sixteen T135s off on the Indone-sian leg of the PAN-ASEAN TOURING

Dirt roads such as these are scattered along Sumatra (Indonesia)

The PAN-ASEAN TOURING caravan cruises throught the Indonesian countryside

The 16 ASEAN riders pose with YIMM staffers (Indonesia)

Local crowds greeted the ASEAN TOURING riders waving flags of the six ASEAN countries (Thailand)

The ASEAN riders toured the famous temple ruins at Ayutthayaon elephant-back (Thailand)

Yamaha donated trash recycling bins for the beach area ofPhuket that was struck by the Dec. 2004 tsunami (Thailand)

Yamaha’s new moped flagship, “T135” tours six ASEAN nationsPAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!”

ing innovative Yamaha technologies bear-ing comparison to sports models of othercategories, including Yamaha’s DiASilcylinder and forged piston. Sales began inIndonesia in October 2005 and are beingfollowed by releases in five other ASEANcountries. At the core of the sales promo-tion efforts for this T135 is the PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!”project.By touring with the new T135, PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!”aims to increase product visibility while

The T135 is a sporty moped that wasdeveloped as Yamaha’s new flagshipmodel for the ASEAN market, and is amodel that sets a new standard by featur-

YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006 1514 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2006

November 28th. The next day, the tourentered the capital city, Jakarta, and on the30th they crossed the Selat Sunda straightby ferry to the island of Sumatra for anoth-er nine days of touring, often on demandingsections of winding, hilly roads. But thesturdy T135 always ran trouble-free thewhole way. One Filipino journalist accom-panying the tour said, “I’ve ridden manymopeds, but the T135 in particular has ataste of the future.”On January 15 the Thailand leg of thePAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCIT-ING!” began from the northern city of Chi-ang Rai with a new group of riders repre-senting the six ASEAN countries for a two-week tour to the southern tip of Thailand. As with the “Green Campaign” projectsconducted as part of the tour in Indonesia,

EXCITING!” start-ed out from the oldcapital, Yogyakartaon November 20th,it toured throughthe island of Java ina counter-clock-wise fashion travel-ing around 300 kmeach day. Passingthrough Surabaya,Indonesia’s second

largest city; Semarang, where the YamahaCup (moped race) to decide the ASEANCup contestants was held; Sumedang,where a commemorative ceremony washeld for Yamaha’s tree-planting “GreenCampaign;” and the summer resort townof Puncak, where the tour arrived on

the Thai leg also involved a number of spe-cial events to promote exchanges with peo-ple in each city and contribute to the localcommunities, like releasing seed fish atlake Bueng Kaen Nakhon and donatingtrash recycling bins for the tourist are ofPhuket hit by the Dec. 2004 tsunami. Therewere also daily exchanges with localYamaha rider clubs and welcoming cere-monies in every city the tour stopped in. Then the tour moved to Malaysia, startingin the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Feb. 27and circling north with stops at the resortisland of Penang and the northern city ofAlor Setar and then south through the his-torical city of Malacca and on to the south-ernmost city of Johor Bahru. On theMalaysian leg of the tour a new “helmetexchange” program was added to the pro-gram in cooperation with Malaysian trafficsafety officials. In this program, 50 brandnew motorcycle helmets are handed outfree of charge to users who bring old, dam-aged helmets that are no longer fully safe asprotective gear. This adds another positiveaspect to the welcoming ceremonies thatgreet the ASEAN tour riders in each city. From Malaysia and Singapore the tour willproceed on through Vietnam and thePhilippines, boosting the Yamaha image,promoting the T135 and spreading good-will.

strengthening existing Yamaha relation-ships with the customers, dealerships andthe media. Yamaha employees and mem-bers of the press from the various ASEANcountries are acting as the riders on thisgrand tour.Indonesia, the first country to host the tour,is a market that is said to have an annualdemand of 5.3 million vehicles, with mope-ds being used as commuter bikes essentialto the daily life and livelihood of their own-ers not only in urban centers but also inrural households. In this country, mopedmanufacturers are more familiar to the pop-ulace than carmakers, with each new modelrelease drawing big attention from peopleof all age groups. The T135 used for thePAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCIT-ING!” was no exception: in a press confer-ence held at Yogyakarta before the start ofthe tour, reporters thronged to learn aboutthe T135 and its sales plans within theASEAN region, demonstrating the highlevel of public interest moped makersenjoy. After the PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s

On Nov. 20, 2005, at a special starting gate set up onMalioboro Street in the center of the city of Yogyakarta on thesouthern coast of Indonesia’s island of Java, a line of 16 iden-tically colored sporty mopeds were lined up and waiting forthe signal to begin a great undertaking. It was the start of anevent called PAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!” that wasset to tour some 10,000 km through six ASEAN countries over

the coming months to promote Yamaha’s new flagship moped model and prove itsperformance and durability in actual ASEAN market riding conditions. When President Iio of Yamaha Motor Asian Center waved the starting flag, the cara-van passed through the gate and out onto the street to begin the first 20-day tourthrough Indonesia. Now the tour has completed its Thailand, Malaysia and Singaporelegs and is headed on through Vietnam and the Philippines.

Vol.4

The Yamaha

Tales

YMAC's President Iio raised the flag tostart the sixteen T135s off on the Indone-sian leg of the PAN-ASEAN TOURING

Dirt roads such as these are scattered along Sumatra (Indonesia)

The PAN-ASEAN TOURING caravan cruises throught the Indonesian countryside

The 16 ASEAN riders pose with YIMM staffers (Indonesia)

Local crowds greeted the ASEAN TOURING riders waving flags of the six ASEAN countries (Thailand)

The ASEAN riders toured the famous temple ruins at Ayutthayaon elephant-back (Thailand)

Yamaha donated trash recycling bins for the beach area ofPhuket that was struck by the Dec. 2004 tsunami (Thailand)

Yamaha’s new moped flagship, “T135” tours six ASEAN nationsPAN-ASEAN TOURING “It’s EXCITING!”

Printed in Japanhttp://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Corporate Communication Dept. 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan Tel: 81-538-32-1145, Fax: 81-538-37-4250

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

electronic control throttle (YCC-T) on amass-production motorcycle, titaniumintake/exhaust valves, a twin-injectorfuel injection system and more, this newmodel is designed to provide top-flightperformance in everything from circuitruns to winding roads.When you look at motorcycles from thestandpoint of “speed” the ultimatemachines are of course the racemachines. The racing machine holds aspecial place in the mind of many motor-cyclists, and they dream of the day theycan sit astride one of these machines andtake off. The supersport bike is amachine built just for this kind of rider.And now, with the arrival of the awe-some new YZF-R6, these riders canclimb aboard their dream machine andset out for the circuit or their favoritewinding roads. And as they ride they willfeel the race scene that once seemed adistant realm is now within their reach.

When the YZF-R6 debuted in1998 as an “Exciting 600ccmachine that is fastest on

winding roads,” it was immediately rec-ognized as the ultimate 600 supersportmodel that the other makers had nothingto compare with. After that, the R6 con-tinued to evolve, not only as a track per-former but also as a machine thatanswered the needs of the users in practi-cal, everyday riding. As time went by and voices from themarkets called for cutting-edge technolo-

gies that would bring even higher levelsof performance potential in circuit riding,Yamaha sought to create a machine thatnot only made full use of the latestMotoGP race machine technologies butalso sported an original look that wascompletely new. The model concept theyarrived at in the process was “Anextreme supersport machine that isfastest on the circuit.” Featuring a newly developed super high-revving engine and adopting state-of-the-art technologies like the world’s first

An extreme supersport machine that is fastest on the circuit

The Riders’ Dream Machine:YZF-R6 The Riders’ Dream Machine:YZF-R6