Yamaha to build new test track

Yamaha is pushing ahead with plans to construct a new motorcycle test course in Kikugawa City.

Located about 200km south west of Tokyo, the Kikugawa test course was supposed to begin construction in late 2009, but when the GFC hit the plans were put on ice.

Yamaha is now ready to begin construction, which is likely to take around three years to complete, but will give the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer a key tool in not only fine-tuning the handling dynamics of its motorcycles, but also to work on environmental improvements to its product line-up.

Originally set to be a 3km road course, the sealed part of the test track will now be a 1.9km, and has been set up to improve the performance, fuel efficiency, and safety systems of small to medium displacement motorcycles and scooters.

These vehicles are increasingly making up a large amount of many Japanese manufacturer's profits, particularly in emerging markets such as India, China, and Brazil. With competition -- and quality -- improving rapidly in these markets, and demand for higher quality motorcycles also on the rise, Yamaha expects the new test track to begin delivering results from the outset.

As the photo shows, the course is built in a hilly region and there's plenty of altitude changes as a result. The facility will include much more than just the asphalt track, with unsealed sections, dust testing areas and off-road sections.

However unlike many race tracks in Japan, there is not a ferris wheel in sight!

While the road course isn't huge, the Kikugawa will become Yamaha's biggest test facility once built, covering an area of roughly 121 acres.

Kikugawa will join the Kukuroi, Hamamatsu, Omaezaki and Shibetsu test courses already owned by Yamaha.

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