Bikesrepublic

yamaha europe

Yamaha’s European President has sought to clarify the recent collaborative venture between Yamaha and CFMoto, emphasizing that any motorcycles resulting from this partnership will be exclusively intended for the domestic Chinese market.

In September 2023, Yamaha had announced a strategic manufacturing joint venture with CFMoto in China. This announcement sparked speculation that some Yamaha models intended for the European market might be produced by CFMoto, given the latter’s existing collaboration with Austrian brand KTM. Notably, CFMoto is responsible for manufacturing KTM’s 790 Adventure and Duke parallel twins in China.

To dispel any misconceptions, Yamaha Japan issued a statement explicitly outlining that the collaboration was focused solely on industrial cooperation for manufacturing vehicles in China, catering specifically to the Chinese market.

Seeking additional clarification, Motorcycle News (MCN) engaged in a conversation with Yamaha Europe’s President, Eric de Seynes (above). According to Seynes, the joint venture with CFMoto is designed to support the immense Chinese market by producing specific Yamaha models.

Seynes addressed comparisons with CFMoto’s collaboration with KTM, highlighting the distinct nature of Yamaha’s partnership. He emphasized that the arrangement with CFMoto is not comparable to the level of integration observed in the CFMoto-KTM collaboration.

Seynes characterized the deal as opportunistic, driven by the desire to effectively serve the growing Chinese market. Furthermore, he underscored the differences in scale, organizational structure, and communication practices between CFMoto and Yamaha, asserting that the collaboration is not intended as a challenge to KTM’s position in the market.

In essence, Yamaha’s collaboration with CFMoto is portrayed as a strategic move tailored to address the unique demands of the Chinese market, with a clear distinction drawn between this partnership and CFMoto’s collaboration with KTM.

Yamaha officially introduced the retro kit for the XSR900 allowing owners to create their version of a retro cafe racer. 

  • the retro kit consist of two major elements including headlight cowl and a seat cowl. 
  • powering the XSR900 is Yamaha’s CP3 engine producing 117hp and 93Nm. 

The standard XSR900 already pays homage to the brand’s iconic models but the introduction of the retro kit allows fans to take their bike on step further. 

According to Yamaha, the kit consist of several elements including a front headlight cowl – created from reinforced fiberglass plastic – that surrounds the headlight. Next is the boxy seat cowl which is heavily inspired by classic GP race bike. 

Also, the kits are available in Legend Blue and Midnight Black matching the colour schemes of the new XSR9000. Yamaha will begin selling the racer kit from June 2023 via official Yamaha dealerships in Europe. 

Yamaha is working on a factory bolt-on rally-raiding kit for the Tenere 700 range as part of Yamaha Europe’s Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing (GYTR) programme.

  • Yamaha Tenere 700 will soon receive GYTR’s specially-built riding aids.
  • The Tenere 700 is Yamaha’s most popular adventure-capable motorcycle. 

 

For those who are unaware, GYTR is Yamaha’s racing division that offers authentic Yamaha performance-oriented components, including bodywork and electronic package for track and motocross riders.

Yamaha’s Leon Oosterhof disclosed the new project to MCN.

“It could be interesting. We are looking into if that could be an option,” he said.

Apparently, the all-new Tenere 700 World Raid played a significant role in spawning the idea of introducing GYTR’s parts for the Tenere 700. 

“That bike had a lot of interest, so that was very motivational for us.

“Sometimes you make a concept and then show it and see how the market reacts and if there’s enough curiosity and interest. We are looking into whether that could be an option.

“In off-road, we are also active with the GYTR programme. 

“So, in motocross, we are almost as active as we are in our R series. We have chassis parts and engine parts – both used by the factory teams. Products derived from those teams are then brought to customers,” Oosterhof added.

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube