2002 Yamaha V Star Classic on 2040-motos

Moto blog

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

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

Filling a void with an RD350LC

Last winter I managed to fill a void in my life when I stumbled on a very reasonably priced Yamaha RD350LC.  It was a tad scruffy, had the wrong exhausts but most importantly it was blue and white with all numbers matching.  I had the usual euphoria when the deal was done but I underestimated how much pleasure this particular purchase would continue to deliver another eight months down the line. The difference with this old bike is, instead of just taking it for the occasional ride I was talked into doing a full nut and bolt restoration.  Having never taking a bike apart completely before, initially it was quite daunting but I soon found the RD is easy to work on so it turned into a truly satisfying experience.  I’ve had some help from LC enthusiasts with the rebuild, however, the stripping, sourcing and organising was a total labour of love.  And call me sad but it has made me bond with this bike like no other which only adds to the feel good factor.  The bike cost £1800 and I’ve spent around £1000 but I reckon my mint Elsie is now worth a fair bit more.   I fancy rejuvenating a Fizzy  next time but there’s lots of other cheap 70’s and 80’s winter projects  out there so why not have a go yourself?

Charges Laid Against Suspect for 185 mph Yamaha R1 YouTube Video

Remember that video on YouTube about the rider going 185 mph on a highway in Canada? The video went viral and eventually led to the seizure of a Yamaha R1 and $1,449 (Canadian) in traffic tickets issued to its owner. In April, police in Saanich, British Columbia believed they had enough evidence to seize the R1 and issued tickets to the registered owner for speeding, operating without due care and attention, and operating without insurance.