2012 Tokyo Motorcycle Show: Yamaha

Yamaha cruising: that’s the theme which the company promoted at this year’s Tokyo Motorcycle Show – probably why it had the biggest stand of all the manufacturers. And by quite a margin, too.

But I suppose when 13 of the 33 bikes on its stand were decked out with accessories – some to the absolute hilt – size does matter, and among those to get the long-haul, cruising touch included the WR250R, XG250 (or TY-S), Serow,  Tmax, Majesty, FZ1 Fazer GT (the fully faired version of the FZ1 which doesn’t come to Australia), SR400, XV1900CU, XVS1300C and Dragstar 250.

And besides, it was great to see plenty of big bikes filling the stand, in a market where scooters and small-bore bikes are the dominant players.

However, as far as new model releases and debuts were concerned, there were slim pickings, and it was also disappointing that only one of the four concepts shown at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show – the tough-looking XTW250 Ryoko – could be pulled out of storage less than four months later – especially when the motorcycle show hasn’t been held since 2010.

Those which went ‘missing’ included the belt-driven Y125 four-stroke, the EC-Miu three-wheeled scooter and the electrically-assisted bicycle dubbed PAS WITH.

But if there had to be one concept on location, the XTW250 is probably the pick – although the Y125 is a gorgeous specimen and it would have been nice to poke and prod away at the light weight roadster.

The XTW (first image) has got heavy-duty written all over it and looks like it could churn along any road or pass with ease – "unrestricted anywhere anytime mobility" Yamaha calls it – using those chunky tyres (the rear is a 140/80-14) to maximum advantage.

We prodded, but Yamaha's not giving anything away about its long-term plans for the XTW, and I guess more feedback from the show will help to sharpen its thinking.   

Yamaha is still dining on its 50th anniversary of world championship GP racing, with Jorge Lorenzo’s 2011 MotoGP bike on display, and the Cygnus scooter also has the anniversary livery.

The latest 530cc version of the Tmax scooter was also on the Yamaha stand, but we’re yet to see that in Australia as we continue with the 499cc version.

But even an extra 31cc won’t make it the most powerful maxi scooter on the market, as the all-new Aprilia SRV850 – unveiled on day one of the TMS – has that mantle, just ahead of the Gilera GP800.

The Yamaha Majesty 250 was a new model on the stand, and it produces 19hp and 22Nm, and weighs in at 188kg. Yamaha Motor Australia only imports the 400cc version.

And in Australia, the FJR1300 still shoulders most of the sports touring load for Yamaha, with the FZ1 Fazer GT not getting a look in, where it would be a direct competitor for bikes like Kawasaki’s Ninja 1000, the Suzuki GSX1250F and Triumph Sprint GT.

Finally, the Maxam “urban cruiser” still continues to fire the senses, nearly a decade after it was first released as a prototype nearly 10 feet long (3000mm)! The 249cc machine now has a low-slung competitor in the form of Suzuki’s Gemma, with their power-to-weight ratios just about identical. The Maxam’s seat height is just 655mm. The Maxam did make an appearance at the Sydney International Motor Show years ago, but that’s about as far as it got.