Tokyo — Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that it will launch the Ninja 400R, a 400-cc sport-model motorcycle with full fairing, in Japan on August 1st.

In recent years, whether to enjoy sport riding, touring, etc. on a 400-cc class motorcycle or to look fashionable riding around town, there has been growing demand among ordinary motorcycle license (400cc or less) holders and returning riders for choices that are better tailored to their lifestyles.
In response to such market demand, Kawasaki will launch sale of the Ninja 400R, a general sport-model with genuine full fairing inherited from the super-sport Ninja series to give it both aggressive styling and refined functional beauty and make it ready for anything from sport riding to touring.

With its compact and highly rigid diamond-shaped steel frame chassis, the Ninja 400R combines superior riding performance with easy handling. Its lightweight and compact liquid-cooled, four-stroke, parallel twin-cylinder DOHC four-valve engine (399 cm3) delivers engine performance that is smooth and powerful at low- and mid-range speeds, while its fuel injection system and three-way catalyzer provides superior environmental performance in conformance with the 2007 Japanese national emissions regulations for motorcycles.

Key Features
Engine:

• The Ninja 400R has a liquid-cooled, four-stroke, parallel twin-cylinder DOHC four-valve engine (399 cm3). The distinctive parallel twin-cylinder engine delivers power characteristics that are powerful at low- and mid-range speeds and respond agilely at high speeds.
• In addition to fuel injection, the Ninja 400R is equipped with sub-throttle valves to optimize intake air. With excellent throttle response and smooth engine performance at normal speeds, it delivers excellent drivability under diverse conditions.
• With its short silencer located under the engine, the Ninja 400R provides a greater concentration of mass and lower center of gravity. Equipped with a built-in three-way catalyzer, it offers superior environmental performance in conformance with the 2007 Japanese national emissions regulations for motorcycles.

Chassis:

• With genuine full fairing inherited from the super-sport Ninja line, the Ninja 400R offers aggressive styling and excellent wind protection equally suited to high speeds.
• The Ninja 400R’s narrow parallel twin-cylinder engine and compact diamond-shaped steel frame result in a streamlined chassis, making it easy to keep both feet on the ground.
• With dual 300-mm petal disks in front and single 220-mm petal disk in back, the Ninja 400R has front and rear disk brakes to provide excellent braking power and heat dissipation.
• The Ninja 400R’s aluminum grab bars may be sharp looking but their shape and positioning also ease fatigue on long rides and make riding with a passenger more convenient.

Equipment:

• The Ninja 400R’s instrument panel has a multi-function LCD display with a sporty design modeled on racing machines. It is equipped with a digital speedometer, digital bar-style tachometer, fuel gauge, clock, and odometer/trip-meter.
• The Ninja 400R’s LED taillights are compact and provide excellent visibility. The rear view is sharp and stylish.

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Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announces the release of the new 1,200cc model Super Ténéré (XT1200Z) adopting the Yamaha Ténéré brand name long renowned in Europe. This model will be sold in the European and Australian markets beginning in May 2010.

The new Super Ténéré has been developed under the product concept of an “Ultimate Machine for Intercontinental Adventure.” It inherits the developmental ideals of the Ténéré that won a strong following in Europe in the ’80s and ’90s as the model that scored many victories in the Dakar Rally with its reputation as one of the world’s toughest endurance races. It achieves a high-level balance of the qualities riders desire in an intercontinental long-distance tourer, including good performance on unpaved roads and light and agile cornering performance.

The newly developed in-line 2-cylinder 1,200cc power unit features a side-mounted radiator that contributes to centralization of machine mass. It also adopts traction control based on technology fed back from Yamaha’s MotoGP racer development. What’s more, a number of technologies that support machine operation have been adopted: the YAMAHA D-MODE function that lets the rider choose between two performance modes, linear-control ABS that supports brake work for a smoother braking feeling, and a front-rear coordinated Unified Brake System.

2010 European market model Super Tenere

Source: http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/news/2010/0225/supertenere.html

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Yamaha Motorcycles

Honda will begin sales in Thailand of a new Cub-type automatic transmission (AT) scooter model, Wave110i AT, in March of this year through A. P. Honda Co., Ltd., a Honda affiliate responsible for distribution of Honda motorcycle products in Thailand. Based on the Wave110i, which is highly acclaimed for its fuel efficiency, the Wave110i AT features a new automatic transmission called CV-Matic. The starting price will be 44,900 baht, with an annual sales plan of 50,000 units. (1 baht = approximately 2.7 yen)

Wave 110i AT

CV-Matic makes the Wave110i AT a product that offers both the typical characteristics of Cub-type bikes such as longer riding range, durability and superior cost-performance as well as added characteristics such as ease of operation and comfortable ride. In addition to Thailand, Honda has plans for the sequential introduction of Wave110i AT in Vietnam and neighboring countries to meet the diversifying needs of customers in ASEAN markets.

The CV-Matic features a new cooling system which solved the issue of heat load on drive belt, and was developed based on the small-motorcycle automatic transmission technologies Honda has been fostering over the years. This new system enhances the durability of the drive belt and allows for a more compact design with a shorter distance between the drive pulley and driven pulley. Due to this advance, the engine position does not need to be significantly altered, optimizing design layout freedom.

Industry-wide motorcycle sales in Thailand in 2009 totaled approximately 1.54 million units (down 10% compared to 2008). With sales of approximately 1.01 million units, more than 60% of the industry sales total, Honda has been the best-selling motorcycle brand in Thailand for 21 consecutive years. Due to the added comfort and ease-of-operation, the overall sales of AT models has been growing in Thailand, accounting for approximately 710,000 units, or approximately half of the market size in 2009.

With the introduction of the Wave110i AT, an AT model of the already popular Wave110i, Honda will further enhance its product lineup to meet the diversifying customer needs. Moreover, Honda is planning to install Honda’s programmed fuel injection system (PGM-FI) to all models sold in Thailand by the end of 2010.

Source: http://world.honda.com/news/2010/c100218Wave-110i-AT/

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Honda Motors

On November 26, 2009, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. displayed the new 115cc moped* model “LEXAM” at the Yamaha dealer meeting in Vietnam as a new model to be launched in 2010. This model mounts the new Yamaha-exclusive compact CVT (continuously variable transmission) unit, the Y.C.A.T. (Yamaha Compact Automatic Transmission), released in October this year. The first YCAT-equipped moped enables a smoother ride, increased convenience, and sports a dynamic body design.

The current motorcycle demand for the five main ASEAN region markets is approximately 10.55 million units (2009 estimate) of which moped style models (17-inch wheels front/rear and manual transmission) comprise approximately 60%. Mopeds are popular for their ease of ride and convenience in daily use. Because they are often shared by family members, the market has been calling for models with automatic transmission. However, the length of conventional CVT units designed for scooters was a problem when applying them to mopeds, thus creating the need for a far more compact CVT unit design. Yamaha Motor answered this need by developing the Y.C.A.T. as a core technology featuring a high-elasticity, heat resistant resin drive belt with optimized sheave (pulley) design and an optimized belt-chamber cooling function to create a unit compact enough for the new model that retains the look and feel of a moped.

Lexam

Technorati Tag: Yamaha Motorcycles

Source: http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/news/2009/11/27/lexam.html