Yamaha YZF-R15 coming soon

As the excitement builds ahead of this weekend's Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, one very special bike has been shipped in for the event, a Yamaha YZF-R15 that commemorates Jorge Lorenzo's 2010 world championship.

On show from Friday October 15 at the Australian MotoGP, the specially airbrushed machine will be previewed ahead of its official launch at the Australian Motorcycle Expo Melbourne on November 26 to 28.

The big difference between the standard YZF-R15 - an affordable 150cc version of the YZF series road bike on sale in December - and this one is it's "incredibly detailed paint scheme" that has been created by airbrush artist Mark Brown, of Brown's Grafix.

It took more than 100 hours of design and painting to perfect, and is said to appropriately capture Lorenzo's love of unorthodox victory celebrations.

Yamaha Australia told the Bikesales Network that the preview of Yamaha's "custom" YZF-R15 is designed to generate a bit of excitement ahead of the production bike's showroom arrival in December -- ahead of its 'official' launch in late November at the Melbourne Motorcycle Expo.

Rest assured we'll bring you detailed analysis of the new Australian-spec R15 later in November.

The specially painted Yamaha YZF-R15 will be revealed from 12.00pm noon, on Friday October 15 at the Australian Motorcycle Expo stand at the GP Expo, during the 2010 Phillip Island MotoGP.

"Being able to make my mark on bike such as the Yamaha YZF-R15 that hasn't even been released has been a great thrill," said airbrush artist Mark Brown.
Brown has created a variety of custom airbrushed bikes in the past, including celebratory custom paint schemes for riders such as Valentino Rossi (pictured), Casey Stoner, Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner.

"Our goal was to create a design that paid homage to Lorenzo and his colourful traits. This bike has been an incredible canvas to work with and we hope he can find the time to come by at the Grand Prix this weekend and sign his name as a stamp of approval," enthused Brown.

However if you can't make it to the 2010 Australian MotoGP this weekend, you can still catch the new Yamaha YZF-R15 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in late November.

"Over the past few years the tribute bikes we have displayed have attracted a lot of attention and we believe this airbrushed YZF-R15 will again be a focal point at this year's event," said Event Manager Mark Petersen.

"The Expo will play host to a number of new motorcycles not yet seen in Australia and will be one not to miss for any two-wheel fans."

If you can't get to the Island for the MotoGP, the Australian Motorcycle Expo Melbourne runs from November 26 to 28 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Ticket prices will be $18 for adults, $13 concession, children five to 15 years $13 and kids under five get free entry. There are also family tickets available (two adults and two children) for $46. Check out Motorcycleshow.com.au for more details or to pre-purchase tickets.

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