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YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD.NOVEMBER 1, 2003 ENGLISH

No.6BIMONTHLY

The sky has no limitsfor the engineers of Yamaha’s Aeronautic Operationsand the RMAX unmanned helicopter. As new Yamahatechnologies expand its uses from crop dusting to aerialphotography to high-precision autonomous flight,institutions like NASA and major internationaluniversities are finding exciting new uses for the RMAX.

2 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2003

UP FRONT

eral organizations including the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure and Transport for jobslike river observation and disaster area sur-veys. And inquiries and orders for thesehelicopters are starting to pour in fromaround the world.Says Mr. Takafumi Itagaki, Market Devel-opment Group Leader, Aeronautic Opera-tions, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) “Weare getting orders from institutions whichhad been using other makes of remote-con-trol helicopters but wanted the greater relia-bility and control accuracy of the YamahaRMAX. America’s NASA is one organiza-tion presently using the RMAX, and othersinclude U.S. universities like Carnegie Mel-lon, Georgia Instituteof Technology andthe University ofCalifornia at Berke-ley. From Europe,we have receivedorders from Swe-den’s LinkopingsUniversity and

France’s aeronautics and spaceadministration ONERA. Trial ordershave also come from China, SouthKorea, Australia, New Zealand, andMalaysia. And, in June of 2003, theU.S. Air Force has also purchased anRMAX for test purposes. The uses range widely, from envi-ronmental observation to construc-tion site photography. Research isalso underway recently into the pos-sibilities of using the RMAX for

share this year. Yamaha’s control technologies have alsomade possible an autonomous flight versionof the RMAX that can fly complete flightpatterns pre-programmed on a personalcomputer with no manual remote-controloperation necessary. This “AutonomousFlight RMAX” mounts two GPS sensors

and other control equipment thatenable it to fly constantly within 20or 30 centimeters of the prescribedflight course. What’s more, whenthe flight course takes the heli-copter out of visual range of theground operator, the CCD camerasit mounts allow operators to followthe flight progress visually on thePC screen as if they were actuallyriding in the helicopter.As was featured in Yamaha Newstwo years ago, this autonomousflight RMAX has already beenused for such missions as observa-

tion of an erupting volcano in 2000. In 2002,units of this helicopter were supplied to sev-

A few kilometers north of the Yamaha Motor headquarters’ Technical Operations center in theMukasa district of Iwata City lies an open field surrounded by cedar groves that serves as the flight-test range for the engineers of Yamaha’s Aeronautic Operations. In the lingering heat of September,the engineers were there as usual putting the Yamaha RMAX Utility-use Unmanned Helicopterthrough the latest barrage of tests.

From environmental observation to aerial photography,the world is finding a sky full of uses for

Yamaha’s RMAX SeriesUnmanned Helicopters

An exciting world of uses for Yamahaunmanned helicoptersIn the spring of 2003, Yamaha released the“RMAX Type II G” as the latest develop-ment in its RMAX series utility-useunmanned helicopters that first debuted in1998. The “G” in the new model namestands for the Geographic Positioning Sys-

tem (GPS) technology it mounts and it alsoboasts major improvements in speed con-trol. Since its release, the first-year target forRMAX sales of 200 units has already beenreached. Presently about 1,600 unmannedhelicopters are in use in Japan’s farmingindustry for crop dusting and other countriesare starting to notice the potential of thesehelicopters. In this growing field, Yamaha’shelicopters now enjoy an 85% market share.What’s more, beginning this year, Yama-ha’s domestic rival Yammar, has begun sell-ing our RMAX Type II G on an OEM basis,giving the RMAX a virtual 100% market

Mr. Takafumi Itagaki

Images from the Autonomous Flight RMAX’s CCD camera appear real-time onthe PC screen so the operator feels like he is in the pilot’s seat

The RMAX is designed to be carried by two people for ease of use on the farm

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2003 3

facturers, private-sector research organiza-tions, all types of groups. The world is rapid-ly coming to recognize the value of Yama-ha’s unmanned helicopters,” adds Mr. Itaga-ki.

Developing a photography-useunmanned helicopterOne summer day in 2000, Aeronautic Oper-ations market development staff member,Masanori Shibuya, loaded his new “AerialRMAX” prototype in the back of a compactToyota van and drove to a test site in the ricecountry of Japan’s northern Akita Prefec-

ture. The cargo space of the Toyota was justlarge enough to hold the RMAX, which hadoriginally been designed to be compactenough to transport on the narrow pathsbetween rice paddies in Japan’s farm areas. The site of that day’s test was a large area ofexperimental farm land and the objectivewas not crop dusting but high-accuracy aeri-al photography using a still camera. “Thepurpose of the project was to record thegrowth of the rice in still photos for a cropgrowth study, so our task was to provide ahighly accurate and reliable mobile platformand positioning for the camera. At the time,

identification of un-detonated bombs or landmines in former war zones.”In July 2003, the outstanding performanceand technologies of the Yamaha RMAXdrew much attention when it was demon-strated at an unmanned aircraft exhibition inthe U.S. sponsored by the U.S. Navy and theAUVSI and again at other aeronauticsshows held after that in nearby cities. Thanks to attention like this, YMC’s Aero-nautic Operations presently receive about 20inquiries a month from overseas institutions.“We are getting inquiries from governmentand military officials, major aircraft manu-

About 10% of all Japan’s rice paddies arepresently being dusted by Yamaha unmannedhelicopters, on an average of two sprayings percrop season

Yamaha had already supplied the Japanesefarming industry with more than 1,000unmanned helicopters for crop dusting, andwe had also developed the technologies forthe autonomous flight RMAX, but we wereaware that the requirements for use as a pho-tography platform were different,” recallsMr. Shibuya. For crop dusting, the desired flight elevationis five meters off the ground and the desiredcruising speed about 15~20 Km/h. Whatwas required for the “Aerial RMAX,” how-ever was the capability for very precise hov-ering at heights from 50 to 100 meters. Witha host of project representatives watching,Mr. Shibuya and his staff completed theday’s itinerary and when it was over theywere confident of the new prototype’s suc-cess. Yamaha was participating in this project atthe request of BRIAN (Bio-oriented Tech-nology Research Advancement Institute), athird-sector organization working under theauspices of the Ministry of Agriculture,Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. One of theresearch themes BRIAN had undertakenwas the development of equipment for thequantitative analysis of information aboutplant growth gained from aerial observation.Using the latest ultra-red photography tech-nology, methods had already been devel-oped for measuring the growth of rice. Whatwas needed next was a method for the pre-

cise positioning and movement of the aerialcamera. It was no simple task. “For one thing therewas the problem of the mount. It turned outthat there were areas in the shutter speedranges of 1/30th to 1/200th of a secondwhere the vibration of the helicopter motorcaused resonance that interfered with thephotography,” says Mr. Shibuya.There was also the need to have the cameraperfectly horizontal when shooting, whichmeant having the helicopter hover in a per-fectly level position, which they do not do.In the case of the RMAX, the right-rotatingrotor means that the helicopter hovers with aright-hand lean of 2 or 3 degrees. Also, mea-suring crop growth over a long period oftime means that the photographs have to betaken each time from precisely the sameposition, so the helicopter must fly exactlythe same course each time. These are justsome of the problems the Yamaha team hadto deal with. The new model that emerged atthe end of this development project wasnamed the “Aerial RMAX.”The “Aerial RMAX” takes the “RMAXType II G” as its base helicopter and adds(1) long carbon fiber leaves capable ofmounting a camera, (2) changes in the GPSsystem to accommodate flight with higheraltitude hovering and a sub radiator toincrease engine cooling capacity duringhovering and (3) a down-link display systemto enable constant verification of the heli-copter’s position on the ground control PC. Many other details had to be worked out.“We used a shock-absorbing material calledαGel to eliminate the resonance betweenthe shutter speed and the engine vibration.We were also able to use sensor data aboutthe flight angle of the helicopter body to

develop a control mechanism to keep thecamera constantly in a perfectly horizontalposition facing straight down,” says one ofthe engineers involved. “Our development work with BRIAN actu-ally led us to rediscover new potential in theRMAX as a platform for aerial photographyand then refine that potential. Now we havesucceeded in setting a new standard for aeri-al photography from unmanned helicopters.

There is plenty of business potential in aerialphotography and I hope people will find theRMAX an ideal tool for it,” concludes Mr.Shibuya.

A mix of unique Yamaha technologiesin engines, FRP and control systems Yamaha’s development of utility-useunmanned helicopters began with a requestin 1983 from the external branch of the Min-istry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheriesin charge of agricultural aviation. Theywanted an unmanned helicopter for cropdusting that could help reduce labor andcosts in Japan’s labor-strapped rice farmingindustry.After extensive research and developmentefforts, Yamaha completed its first utility-useunmanned helicopter, the “R-50” in 1987. It

4 YAMAHA NEWS MARCH 1, 2003

UP FRONT


Mr. Masanori Shibuya Mr. Akira Sato

The camera mount on the “Aerial RMAX”


RMAX also in use in tidal marsh observa-tionTidal marshes are the areas of marshland thatemerge at low tide and are covered with waterat high tide. The sands and mudflats of thesemarshlands are the home for many types ofcrustaceans and shellfish, and they also serveas an important stop-over point for migratingbirds. They are important natural ecosystemsand habitats for humans and animals alike.Thanks to its capability for highly precise fixed-position aerial photography, the aerial photog-raphy spec RMAX can help scientists detecteven minute changes in the marshland ecosys-tems.

One of the major factors that has contributedto the spread of utility-use unmanned heli-copters, is the fact that Yamaha has workedaggressively to spread understanding aboutthe rules necessary for their proper use andhelped organize instruction courses for opera-tors. Already some 6,000 people have gradu-ated from Yamaha’s Sky Tech Academyoperator training courses. Also, most countries still don’t have laws gov-erning the use of these unmanned aircraft.“The four Japanese makers of unmanned air-

craft are presently in the process of formulat-ing a set of standards for the use of thesecraft. In the near future a new organizationcalled the “Japan UAV Association” will belaunched to complete the Japanese stan-dards and approach international authoritieswith the aim of creating international stan-dards. I want to help spread this know-howborn of agriculture use in Japan on a world-wide scale,” says Mr. Itagaki with a convictionthat shows his confidence that the task isdoable.

was the world’s first unmanned helicopterfor crop dusting with a 20 kg payload.Adoption at agricultural schools around thecountry began in 1988, and in 1991 theMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fish-eries of Japan passed guidelines for trainingin the use of the R-50 for crop dusting ofrice paddies. With this, Yamaha Motorbegan full-scale marketing of the R-50. The RMAX was introduced in 1998 withdramatic improvements in functions andoperability. Whereas the R-50 had beenpowered by a liquid-cooled, 2-stroke, 98cc,12 hp engine, the RMAX mounted a liquid-cooled 2-stroke, 246cc, horizontally-opposed 2-cylinder, crankcase reed valveintake engine rated at 21 hp. Featuring asstandard equipment the Yamaha-exclusiveflight attitude control system YACS, thismodel is characterized by its vastlyimproved operability. In 2002, the additionof a GPS system brought the RMAX to itspresent state. Originally, the use of unmanned helicopterswas conceived as a method to reinforcemanned helicopter dusting operations inareas like tight valleys or orchards near resi-dential areas where manned helicopter usewas difficult or dangerous. But, today theuse of unmanned helicopters is about to sur-pass that of manned helicopters in terms ofarea dusted. Farmers say that with littleincrease in investment cost their workloadis greatly reduced thanks to Yamaha’s heli-copters. To learn about the unique Yamaha tech-nologies that go into the RMAX, we spoketo Mr. Akira Sato, who has worked on itsdevelopment. “Take the engine for exam-ple. In the case of a helicopter it is notenough just to turn the rotor as fast as possi-

ble. In fact, when the bladespeed at its outer perimetersurpasses the speed of soundthe lift force efficiencybegins to drop and the heli-copter slows down. What isnecessary is a stable rotationat a given rotor speed.”In normal flight, the RMAXrequires a rotor speed of 845revolutions per minute and this is achievedby an engine that runs at 6,380 rpm. “To getthe reliability we wanted, we mounted aspecially developed liquid-cooled, 2-stroke,horizontally-opposed engine. To ensureexcellent cooling characteristics we includ-ed a ceramic composite plated cylinderdesign, which is a feedback from Yamaha’smotorcycle engines,” he explains. There are also feedbacks from Yamaha’sFRP technology. “A variety of differenttypes of rotors are used for helicopters,including metal ones, wooden ones and car-bon fiber ones. But, the RMAX uses a rotormade of FRP. The two blades of a rotor,which weigh about 1,700 grams each, haveto be made with a weight difference of lessthan 5 grams and they have to be extremelywell balanced. To do all this, we turned toYamaha’s outstanding FRP technologiesgathered over decades of boat-buildingexperience.” Another important feature of the RMAX isthe YACS control technology. “With theRMAX we have built in an attitude controlfunction that controls the motion of the heli-copter in accordance with the operator’sskill level. The operator can choosebetween three levels of operating mode. Wehave achieved a level of operational easewhere the average person can learn normal

control skills with just five hours of train-ing. The remote control unit may look likethat of a normal remote control aircraft, butthe contents are completely different,” saysMr. Sato. In this way, the RMAX represents a potentmix of Yamaha’s advanced control tech-nologies developed for a wide range ofproducts, from the state-of-the-art roadracer YZR-M1 to our PAS electro-hybridbicycles.

The latest Japanese-market model “RMAX Type II G” and the development staff

“I want to help spread this agriculture-use know-how worldwide”

This “Aerial RMAX” began use at Japan’sChiba University this summer for envi-ronmental surveys concerning agricultur-al crops.

Bringing satisfaction to a widerange of customers in a vastlandWho are the Yamaha customers in Cana-da? In this country where people love toget out in the great outdoors in all sea-son, they are virtually everyone. Theyare the youngsters whose dream is aPW50 fun bike, the couples in their“Golden Years” enjoying their F150

waiting audience of bothrecreational and commer-cial consumers looking forYamaha's unique featuresand reputation for reliabili-ty. Through the late ’70sand into ’80s the marketdemographics and demandand for Yamaha productsfar exceeded our supply

capabilities, leading us to rapidly expandour dealer network.

Marketing programs for amature marketEntering the ’90s, YMCA initiatedaggressive new corporate and marketingprograms aimed at both the consumerand our dealers.We began bygoing to thecustomers witha CSI customersurvey pro-gram, YMCAsupport of pro-fessional andamateur racing teams, motorcycle andATV demo programs, snowmobile‘Yamafest’ festivals, outboard serviceclinics for fishing camp operators andsalt/fresh water fishing tournament spon-sorship. In the finance area, we initiatedour YMCF retail financing, both creditcard and unit programs. To cover ourfar-spread sales network we assignedtraveling Territory Service Managers,Yamaha Genuine Accessories Salesreps, and Dealer Training Services fordealer business training. One important YMCA corporate objec-tive has been to introduce a program thatidentifies the Yamaha dealers that arewilling to provide the best overall ser-vice to our valued customers. Thisobjective led to our YMCA “5 Star”dealer program introduced in 2002.YMCA has adapted and progressed increating the Yamaha brand as a leaderby understanding our customers wantsand needs. Advertising, Dealership Pointof Purchase programs, website develop-

outboard motor onCanada’s thousands oflakes. They are thecompetitive teenagerwith their first YZmotocrosser or the vet-eran 30-year riderenjoying the sophisti-cation of the FJR1300on Canada’s countlessget-away roads. They are the outdoors-man exploring the vast Canadian wilder-ness with his YFM660 Grizzly ATV andthe RX-1 snowmobiler on the groomedwinter trail. They are the family withtheir first fishing experience with theirF9.9, or the established urban profes-sional with his pride and joy, the XV17Silverado. They are the local dairyfarmer relying on his trusty Kodiak ATVto check on his stock and water enthusi-asts on their FX140 WaveRunner PWC.At YMCA, our job is to help all of thesecustomers find the right Yamaha productthat will make them satisfied Yamahacustomers for life.

The history of Yamaha inCanadaOn April 12, 1973, Yamaha MotorCanada’s head office (and parts distribu-tion) was established in Toronto, thebusiness centre of Canada, to be able tomeet the rapidly growing demand forquality Yamaha motorcycles and snow-mobiles. Since that time, we have grownwith two addi-tional regionaloffices in Van-couver, BritishColumbia, andMontreal, Que-bec, and sevenunit warehous-es located across the country.In the early ’80s we brought the firstATVs to Canada and they found instantdemand among a growing demographicof young adults, families and utilityusers in Canada’s vast off-road trailareas. In 1983, the first Yamaha out-board motors and generators arrived to a

Since its inceptionin 1973, YamahaMotor Canada Ltd.(YMCA) has beenable to offer Yama-ha products thathold a special placein the hearts ofCanadians. Yama-ha’s reputation hasgrown and become established as aleader in motorized recreational prod-ucts that consistently exceed theexpectations of our customers andbring them joy for many years aftertheir initial purchase.


YMCA-“30 Years in the Making”

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS SERIAL 40

Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.(YMCA)

At the Clinton Camp young PW owners learn good riding skills

At the Grand Opening of YMCA inApril 12, 1973. Toronto Ontario.

ATV racing is a sport enjoyed by Canadians of allages, in various racing classes

Snowmobiles have long been a necessityof life as well as a fun way to enjoy thelong Canadian winter as this classic picturefrom the ’70s shows

Our reporter: Peter Swanton, National Manager, Motorsports YMCA

Location: Toronto, Ontario, CanadaPresident: Yoichiro KojimaEmployees: 172


ment, Cross promotions with fellowindustry leaders (like Toyota), all havebeen updated to boost consumer accep-tance and promote a clear and positivebrand image.

Products for every seasonOur motorcy-cle division isthe spiritualleader withover 40 yearsin Canada.Racing winshave alwayshelped the performance image and pridefor YMCA, and 2003 was a banner yearwith Pascal Picotte achieving the “dou-ble,” road racing championships in thePro 600 class with the YZFR6, and theSuperbike title with the YZF-R1. Where we have seen dramatic changerecently has been the cruiser market.First the Virago line-up and now the Starseries has created an all-new, and grow-ing customer base for YMCA. This hasdriven the XVS11 series to become thebest-selling motorcycle in Canada in2003. In 2003, we introduced an annual“STAR Appreciation Day” and look toexpand across the country regionally in2004. Meanwhile, the traditional PWand TTR first-time buyer acceptance hasseen dramatic growth with YMCA-spon-sored training schools, and now with YZcompetition schools. This has helped ourfirst-time PW, TTR customer “step-up”buying and sales of YZ, WR competi-tion models quadrupled over the lasteight years. If you have visited Canada and seen it’svast open areas, it is easier to see why

YMCA has sold over20,000 ATV units inthe 2002/2003 season,making it the numberone YMCA sales divi-sion with a 26 percentmarket share in Cana-da. We offer a fulllineup of models forentry-level Raptor 50/80 riders throughrecreational riders of the Blaster, War-rior and Raptor 660 to the competitionrider of YFZ450, and on through utilityand recreational series 4x4 models ofBruin, Big Bear, Kodiak to the No. 1selling ATV in Canada, the Grizzly 660.Utility-use customers in commercialforestry, mining and oil exploration con-sider ATVs a necessity and they rely onYamaha dependability. The growth of clubs, and in turn accep-tance and proper government legislation,has made theATV an outdoormust for thou-sands of Canadi-ans who use themfor recreationaltrail riding allyear round,including winter. Snowmobiles arein the lifeblood ofall Canadians andpart of the imageof hardiness with which they meet someof the most extreme cold-weather condi-tions seen anywhere in the world duringthe winter months. YMCA actively sup-ports snowmobile clubs, charity events,dealer demo rides and aggressively par-ticipates in select racing activities across

the country.

The competitivemarine marketFishing is both a nationalsport and an important touristindustry in Canada. In themarine market, approximately20 percent of the outboardsmotors sold in Canada go tofishing camp and resort oper-ations. Some of the largercamps have fleets of hun-

dreds of boats and they turn their enginefleets over every two years, so this is avery important market for long term sta-ble growth. Yamaha has faced veryaggressive competition from other man-ufacturers, but each year the Yamahareputation for reliability and durabilitycontinues to win more and more share ofthis market. In our “Camp Clinics” pro-gram, teams of YMCA and YMC spe-cialists visit directly with the camp own-ers to discuss their specific needs andaddress any concerns. It is one of the

most widely knownsupport programs inthe camp market andthe envy of all com-petitors. Boat builderpartnerships are anoth-er key to retail successin this market. YMCAhas forged solid rela-tionships with all keyCanadian boat buildersand we are now fur-thering our relation-

ships with USA builders who ship manyof their units to the Canadian market.The Canadian consumer is very respect-ful of the environment and always seeksways to leave a better place for futuregenerations. With this in mind Canadianpurchasing habits have now reached thelevel whereby 60 percent of all out-boards in Canada are four strokes andthe number grows every year. Hereagain, our full 4-stroke lineup and theYamaha reputation are making us themarket leader. For YMCA, 2003 isa benchmark year.With 30 years ofsuccess to celebrate,we are now plan-ning our “Next 30.”

Big cruisers are one of the growing categories in Canada. YMCA sponsors a “Star Appreci-ation Day” for its proud Star series owners

An ATV rally course. All Terrain Vehicles havebeen popular in Canada since the ’70s

YMCA 30th anniversary insignia

In Canada you are never far from a lake or theocean. Dealers test-ride the new 4-stroke F150Aoutboard

YMCA supports snowmobile racing as an important promotion.The proud Newfoundland Snocross series champion

YMCA has supported motocross racingsince the ’70s and has seen its salesgrow steadily

storms that form east of theRocky Mountains bring rainsto the fertile plains and lakecountry of the central region.The continuous permafrost incold regions north of 70 degrees latitude is a seriousobstacle to development. Most of the country’spopulation is concentrated in the southeast within300 km of the U.S. border, a region of four distinctseasons where temperatures can reach 35 degreesC. in the summer and often dip to –25 degrees C. inwinter.

Peoples and Language The Canada of today is a veritable melting pot ofpeoples and cultures from around the world, inwhich direct descendents of the Native Canadians(2%) and the original immigrants from the BritishIsles (28%) and France (23%) make up only a littlemore than half of today’s population of 32.2 mil-lion. People of other European origin make up 15%of the population and another 6% consists of morerecent immigrants from Asia, Africa and theMiddle East, with the remaining quarter of the pop-ulation being of mixed origin. Due to the country’s multicultural origins, Canadahas two official languages: English, spoken as thefirst language of 59% of the population, and French,spoken by 23%. The remaining 18% of the popula-tion are bilingual or speak as their first language awide variety of the world’s tongues, includingChinese, Italian, German, Polish, Spanish,Portuguese, Punjab, Ukrainian, Arabic, Dutch,Tagalog, Greek, Vietnamese, Cree and Inuktitut. Todeal with this diversity, the Canadian government

promotes programs to teach English orFrench to citizens who do not speak one ofthese two official languages. And, in orderto maintain the equality of these two lan-guages, translation services are available inall official government and legal offices.

Resources and IndustryCanada’s natural resources include ironore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molyb-denum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, tim-ber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas

and hydropower. As an affluent, high-tech industri-al society, Canada today closely resembles the USin its market-oriented economic system, pattern ofproduction, and high living standards. Since WorldWar II, the impressive growth of the manufactur-ing, mining, and service sectors has transformed thenation from a largely rural economy into one pri-marily industrial and urban. Canada’s main indus-tries today include manufacturing of transportationequipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessedminerals, food products, wood and paper products,fish products, petroleum and natural gas. The coun-try’s main exports include motor vehicles and parts,industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunicationsequipment, chemicals, plastics, fertilizers, woodpulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electrici-ty and aluminum. A key strength in the Canadianeconomy is the substantial trade surplus.

■ Country name: Canada■ Capital city: Ottawa■ Area: 9,976,140 sq. km■ Population: 31,629,000 (As of Oct. 2003) ■ GDP: $923 billion (2002 est.)■ Currency: Canadian dollar

Canada

This Is My Country

A land rich in resources and cultural varietyCanada is a country of vast distances and rich natur-al resources that became a self-governing dominion

in 1867, while retaining ties tothe British crown. Economicallyand technologically the nationhas developed in parallel withthe United States, its neighbor tothe south across an unfortifiedborder. One of the uniqueaspects of Canada as a nation isthe presence of the French-speaking province of Quebec,which makes this a bi-culturalcountry.Geography and Climate Canada is the second largestcountry in the world after Russia,with a land mass of 9,976,140 sqkm—755,170 sq km of which islakes—occupying the northernhalf of the North American con-tinent and extending from theNorth Atlantic Ocean on the eastto the North Pacific Ocean on

the west and the Arctic Ocean on thenorth. Canada shares an 8,893 kmborder with the continental UnitedStates to the south and a 2,477 kmborder with Alaska to the west. Intotal land area it is slightly largerthan the U.S. The terrain varieswidely from the plains and moun-tains in the west to the lowlands inthe southeast and the vast expanse ofwilderness forest, lakes and tundra inthe north. The St. Lawrence has longbeen Canada’s most important river, serving as atrade route for products from the Great Lakesregion, the world’s largest freshwater lake system. The climate of Canada also varies greatly in its dif-ferent regions, from temperate in the south, to subarctic and arctic in the north. Rain from the Pacificnourishes the rich forests of the West Coast, while


Having lobster is a must onPrince Edward Island(Photograph: Tourism PEI/Camera Art)

Canada and the WorldCanada has been an activemember of the United Nationssince its founding and is the

only country to have participated in all its peace-keeping activities around the world. In fact theU.N.’s peacekeeping activities began as a proposalby the Canadian delegation. As the initiator of thisproposal, former Canadian Foreign Minister andlater Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson, receivedthe Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. Today, Canada par-ticipates proudly in the international community asa member of the British Commonwealth and theassociation of francophonie states, G8 countries,the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC),the Organization of American States (OAS) andthe North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).Canada is also a major presence in internationalsports competition. Canada’s national sport is theNative Canadian game of lacrosse and ice hockeyis the sport most Canadians identify with, both as aparticipation and spectator sport. As a people wholove the outdoors and sports of all kinds, Canadiansare also proud of their traditional strength ininternational competition in water polo, skiing(cross-country and Alpine), baseball and softball,tennis and basketball.

A nation of dynamic possibilitiesDue to factors like the sheer vastness of its territo-ry, the distances between commercial centers andthe harshness of its winters, Canada has alwaysbeen faced with difficult challenges in areas likecommunications, healthcare availability, transport,housing and food production. These challengeshave long forced its people to come up with cre-ative and often highly innovative solutions. Thiscapacity for innovation has been a driving forcethat has helped make Canada a world leader in sev-eral areas of technology. A shining example is thetelephone. Invented by Canadian AlexanderGraham Bell, the telephone was first used success-fully in Canada. Today Canada boasts the world’slargest completely cellular network, the world’sbroadest-reaching optical fiber cable systems andamong the cheapest Internet connection services tobe found anywhere. To deal with the great dis-tances separating people in the country’s northernregions, Canada has also created its highlyadvanced “SchoolNet” system that connects allschools, libraries and communities over theInternet.

Traffic lawsMinimum age for driver’s license

Minimum age for motorcycle license

Cost of livingAveragelunch

Cdn. $7.50

Average coffee

Cdn. $1.25

Bus fare

Gasoline (1 liter) 75 cents

National hero/heroine

Singers: Celine Dion, Shania Twain,Bryan Adams

Actors: Mike Meyers, Jim CarreySports: Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux

[hockey], Jacques Villeneuve [ car racing]

Products that come tomind with the name

YAMAHA

Cdn. $2.00

Yamaha snowmobiles,ATV's, motorcycles, out-boards, Yamaha Music

16

Labor force - by occupation

Service 74%

Manufacturing 15%

Construction 5%

Agriculture 3%Other 3%

2000

(Source of figures: CIA- The World Factbook - Canada)

Motorcycle license classes

Scooter, select provinces, 14 years ofage [ Quebec, New Brunswick]

Motorcycle license classes, differentrules by province, but all are graduated in

ability to get final full m/c license

16

The federal capital in Ottawa, Ontario(Photograph: 2002 Ontario Tourism)

Kluane National Park, Yukon(Photograph: Government of Yukon)

Whale watching for Belugawhales in Churchill, Manitoba(Photograph: Travel Manitoba)

The northern lights inYellowknife, NorthwestTerritories(Photographer: Donald L. Telfer)

Photos courtesy of CanadaTourism Commission

The two types of fuel cell systems now beingdeveloped for automobiles are the PolymerElectrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) that uses hydrogenas its fuel and a conversion type system thatuses methanol as its fuel and converts it intohydrogen, which is then supplied to a PEFC.The biggest problem involved in the develop-ment of a fuel cell system for motorcycles is theweight and how to fit the system into the limitedspace available for a motorcycle power unit.This is because a PEFC requires large reservesof hydrogen, while a conversion type PEFCrequires a converter unit to convert methanolinto hydrogen. Besides these types, there is also a directmethanol fuel cell (DMFC) that uses methanoldirectly as its fuel. In terms of conversion effi-ciency, the DMFC is inferior to a compressedhydrogen gas type fuel cell, but it has manyother practical advantages, such as the fact thatit can use liquefied fuel, the fact that no coolingsystem is required for the cell stack and the factthat it does not freeze easily in cold conditions. What’s more, based on the premise of achievingrunning performance equivalent to a gasolineengine 50cc scooter, which means an averageconsumption of several hundred Watts of elec-tricity, a DMFC has the potential for being alighter more compact system than a PEFC usinghydrogen as fuel. The Yamaha “FC06” takes advantage of thesemerits of the DMFC to create a 2-wheeled per-sonal electric motorcycle that has a viable run-ning performance and running distance per fuel-ing to satisfy the needs of city commuting orbusiness use.

Use Example and Merits The system comprises a fuel tank (primarytank) that holds a 50% concentrationmethanol-water solution and another water-solution tank (secondary tank) that suppliesthe cell stack with a constant supply ofmethanol-water solution maintained at aconcentration of 1 M/L. From the cell stack, water solution contain-ing bubbles of CO2 gas produced by thechemical reaction in the cell stack passesthrough the heat exchanger and is circulat-ed back to the secondary tank, where thegas component is separated out. Amethanol sensor and controller function tomaintain a constant supply of methanol atthe right concentration. The exhaust, withits steam component, passes through theheat exchanger where the water componentis condensed out, after which it is collectedand circulated out of the system. Although the methanol that serves as thefuel is a flammable liquid, it is widely usedas a non-hazardous substance when dilutedin water below a certain concentration,which means it is easier to use than gaso-line or kerosene. While there are expectedto be some issues involved in attaining asufficient distribution of this form ofmethanol as a fuel throughout the market,the fact that there would be no need to waitfor the completion of a new large-scale dis-tribution infrastructure surely makes this apractical form of fuel. Its merits include (1)the fact that it can provide the sufficientrunning distance for certain types of EVuse, (2) it enables quick refueling, (3) it iseasy to handle because it is in liquid form(50% water mixture), (4) it is a readilyavailable fuel and (5) it gives off no toxicexhaust substances.

Spotlight on Yamaha fuel cellmotorcycle at Tokyo Motor ShowSpotlight on Yamaha fuel cellmotorcycle at Tokyo Motor Show

The annual autumn Tokyo Motor Show is oneof the world’s premiere events for automotiveindustry watchers and the general pub-lic to get a preview of thethings to come from bothautomobile and motorcyclemakers, and at this year’sTokyo Motor Show, whichopened on October 25, arevolutionary fuel cell-pow-ered motorcycle prototypenamed the “FC06” dis-played by Yamaha Motorwas one of the biggest atten-tion-getters of all. Expectations have been high forthe use of fuel cells as a clean-running,efficient power source for automobiles, andthe major makers are now in a race to getviable fuel cell models on the streets. Now,research is also under way into the use of fuelcells to power small motorcycles and theunveiling of the “FC06” shows that Yamaha ispioneering this new field.


Hydrogen

DMFC

Power output (W)

Sys

tem

wei

ght

Fuel cell system

Power generation mechanism

Fuel tank

Surge tank

Air Pump

Secondary battery

Water Solution Filter

Exhaust Pipe

Condenser Tank

Air Filter

Fuel Pump

Condenser Lower Tank

Water Solution Tank

Heat Exchanger

Cell Stack

Heat ExchangerWater Solution Tank

Methanol Concentration

Sensor

Methanol flow

Air flow

Electricity generation

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to Chief Editor Shigeharu Maruhashi of the PR Division,

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<[email protected]>


The Gokuraku Tombo flew impressively despite thebad wind conditions

Chasing the Dream

On a cloudy day in August, a rather unusual look-ing aircraft took flight from a beach in ShigaPrefecture for a record-breaking flight. The air-

craft, called the “Gokuraku Tombo” (Happy Dragonfly)is a human powered aircraft designed, built and operatedby “Team Aeroscepsy,” a team of 15 Yamaha engineerswith a passion for aircraft and innovation. The 100%handmade aircraft has a wingspan of 32 meters (105 feet)and a total weight of just 32 kilograms due to its con-struction of high-strength carbon fiber and transparentpolypropylene film just 12 microns thick to cover thewings. On this day, witnessed by an official from theJapan Aeronautic Association, the Gokuraku Tomboflew for a total of 10.9 kilometers, breaking the officialJapanese distance record already held by the Yamahateam. After takeoff on a makeshift runway laid down on

Japan

A Birdman’s Eye ViewHironori Nakayama,Gokuraku Tombo pilotChecking the airspeed gauge,I brought the craft up and flewpast the first checkpoint. Eightmeters per second, just as inthe test flights. But the craft

just didn’t seem to be floating well. The windmust be from behind, the worst scenario forhuman powered flight. I knew I would have topush myself harder to maintain altitude. Soon mypulse was racing at over 185 beats per minute.This has never happened before. I’ve got tocatch a headwind,” I was thinking. In spite of allthe cheers of encouragement, my legs felt likelead. I tried to squeeze out even one extra meterof distance, but the wind eventually caused theTombo to lose speed and land in the water. I did-n’t reach our goal, but the support from the staffand the spectators was wonderful and made it allworthwhile. The friendships I made and the timespent with these great people are even more of atreasure for me than the new Japanese record.

Team Aeroscepsy members and volunteer staff

Spain

European Policy Conference

The “European Policy Conference,” held from July 9to 11 in Spain, was attended by around 200 Yamaharepresentatives from across Europe with a special

appearance by YMC President Toru Hasegawa. Hosted byYamaha Motor España (YMES), in Sitges, located in thesouthern part of Barcelona, the conference was held to dis-cuss business operation policies for all of Europe. The nextday, July 10, saw several events such as a tour of the YMES

factory and an unveiling ceremony for the DT125, whichwill go into production next year. These events gave theEuropean group partners a chance to show off the greatthings happening at their companies and strengthen com-munication with each other. Later, an informal discussionsession was held around a paella lunch. This friendly settingprovided a perfect opportunity for deepening relationshipsbetween YMES and YMC and all the companies of theEuropean Yamaha group. From Susumu Komatsubara, YMES, Spain

South Korea

Yamaha Team Cogito Dazzles on the Water

T eam Cogito, a Yamaha employee club that builds and raceshuman-powered boats, was invited to participate in a festivalheld at the Expo Science Park in Daejong, South Korea, on

August 9 and 10. This event was organized to give students and cor-porate engineers a chance to show off their skills in human-poweredboat design. Competing were 15 teams of university students andtwo company employee teams. As several-time Japanese champi-ons, Team Cogito received a special invitation to compete against ateam from S. Korea’s HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES Co., Ltd.Out on the water, the outstanding hydrofoil function and propulsion

mechanism of the Team Cogitoboat pedaled by two riders enabledit to skim across the water atspeeds that amazed the gallery andoverwhelmed the competition. Thetechnology and fervor of theYamaha employee team clearly inspired the young Korean engi-neers to further explore the possibilities of human power. From Tokuzo Fukamachi, Pool Operations Manufacturing Div.,YMC

YMES President Lasheras makes a point with Presi-dent Hasegawa

Team Cogito after their inspiring display ofspeed in S. Korea

a beach of Lake Biwa in central Japan, the flight of 25minutes and 27 seconds tested the limits of the machineand the pilot Hironori Nakayama (Moric Co., Ltd.) tobring this distinction to the team.This level of excellence is not new to Team Aeroscepsy.The team members are from different departments, butare all in engineering related jobs in Yamaha Motor Co.,Ltd. (YMC) divisions. The venue which has led to muchof their fame is the Birdman Contest, an annual human-powered flight competition which the club has won threetimes since they first joined the competition in 1983. In1998, at the 22nd running of this contest, the team tookfirst place with an unofficial flight of an amazing 23.6kilometers, smashing the event record of 9.7 kilometers.Team Aeroscepsy is a collection of engineers with a pas-sion for excellence, for creation and above all, for chas-ing the ancient dream of human-powered flight.


France and Italy

Yamaha Motor Europe’s annual new-model press event was movedforward to the week before the big Milano Show to give the presstime to stoke up interest for the unveiling of the major new Yamaha

models for 2004. And what a lineup it is for 2004! This annual gathering at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France hasbecome a big event that European Yamaha dealers and the press look for-

ward to. Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.(YMENV) also looks forward to it asan opportunity to build enthusiasm forthe new models among its main deal-ers from across Europe and to makeeveryone in the Yamaha family betterambassadors for the brand.Unveiled at this year’s event on Sept.8, 9 were the major remakes of thesupersport flagship YZF-R1, the popu-

lar European market all-round sports bike, the Fazer, which now comes in twoversions (faired and naked) called the Fazer and FZ6, plus the powered-upand restyled XT660R and XT660X, which is the supermotard version.About 250 dealers and 220 press people also saw track demonstrations andappearances by Yamaha riders, including the recently crowned motocrossworld champion Stefan Everts and MotoGP riders Carlos Checa and AlexBarros, plus a wide range of other attractions including vintage racer demons-trations.

Big ’04 models debut at Paul Ricard Circuit, Milan, Paris

Canada

30 years in the making, YMCA 30th AnniversaryDealer Meeting

For Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. (YMCA),2003 is a benchmark year. With 30 years ofpast success to celebrate, we are planning our

“Next 30” YMCA has a goal of reaching net sales of$500 million (CD$) by 2005. From September 20 to23 this year, YMCA had its 30th Anniversary Deal-er Show at the Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville,Ontario. This special event set an attendance recordwith 730 guests, made up of dealers, YMC corpo-rate guests, YMCA business partners and YMCAstaff. The event opened with a speech by YMCPresident Hasegawa, after which YMCA PresidentRoy Kojima presented a report that the company’ssales and profits had reached an all-time high andexpressed his appreciation for the great commitmentthe dealers nationwide had shown. He went on tointroduce the company’s new “Next 30” mid-termplan and pledged to work together with the dealersto further expand sales. This 2004 dealer product introduction event wasmeant to offer the main reason for Yamaha’s suc-cess, the use of our products in the real world envi-ronment. Demonstration areas were in place for alldealers to participate, regardless of the productgroups they presently retail. YMCA introduced spe-cial “30th Anniversary” edition 2004 models of theRoad Star Silverado, V Star 1100 Silverado and theGrizzly 660 to very positive dealer approval. Thetest ride area that drew some of the greatest overall

The Yamaha booth at the Milano Show with its TouchingYour Heart logo drew a constant stream of visitors

The Milano Show opened the followingweek on Sept. 16 with an exciting array ofYamaha models including not only thesethree but also the new Majesty 400 andMT03 show concept model, and even afashion show-style presentation of new rid-ing wear that Yamaha Europe will be push-

ing this coming season. On Sept. 25, still more models such as the WR450 2-Trac and the WR450 2-Trac Supermotard two-wheel drive concept motorcy-cles, and the new BW’s 50cc scooter were unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.From YMENV, the Netherlands

Attractive displays highlighted Yamahamodels at the Paris Show

Dealers and press listen to Carlos Checa’s inter-view at the Paul Ricard event

China

New company to produce Yamaha multi-purpose engines

O n August 1, a three-company agreementwas reached and officially signed inwhich YMC, Jiangsu Linhai PowerMachinery Group Co., the local motorcycleengine maker in China, and Jiangsu LinhaiYamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (LYM), Yamaha’s Chi-nese joint-venture manufacturing company, willestablish a new company to produce multipur-pose engines. The new company will be knownas Yamaha Motor Taizhou O.P.E. Co., Ltd. Planscall for the company to produce six models ofmultipurpose 4-stroke engines under 12 horse-power from the autumn of 2004. Production esti-mates for the first year are around 30,000 unitswith plans to reach a production level of 400,000units within five years. The establishment of thisnew company is a clear statement of Yamaha’scommitment to the Chinese market.

Celebration after the official signing

YMC President Hasegawa(left) presented a com-memorative 30th anniver-sary gif t , received byYMCA President Kojima(right) and Vice PresidentHastings (center)

The dealers and YMCA pledged to strive for further business growth

interest was that of a brand new product, the all-newRhino 660 side-by-side offroad vehicle, that lookslike an instant success. At this Dealer Show intro-duction we had displays by 39 YMCA businesspartners that we work together with professionally toenhance our brand and grow our businesses. TheYMCA dealers’ enthusiasm and comments con-firmed that this was the best YMCA Dealer Meetingever. The commitment by Yamaha to offer the best prod-uct and business programs to our dealers, and in turnour end retail customers, certainly guarantees thesuccess of our goal to create “Customers for life.”From Peter Swanton, YMCA, Canada


Australia

Y amaha Motor Australia Pty., Ltd. (YMA)scored a first when it invited Oceania’s jour-nalists to sample the latest F150A four-stroke

outboard motor on four different boats. Marine jour-nalists were flown to Stradbroke Island, off theQueensland coast, to test this ground-breaking fourcylinder, 16-valve DOHC motor mounted on popularboat models from four different brands. In addition, YMA provided the HPDI 2-stroke modelZ300A VMAX for tests on another boat. TwoWaveRunners, the FX140 Cruiser and GP1300R, werealso available for the journalists to test ride. The Couran Cove marine product launch coincidedwith the announcement of Ally Craft, Sea Jay andHaines Hunter boat manufacturers as new Yamahapackaging partners.Ideal weather meant that testers could put all the boatsand motors through their paces in a sheltered stretch ofwater and all came away impressed with the quietness,smoothness and across-the-range performance of theF150A and the raw power of the Z300A VMAX.Oceania is the only market that has chosen to brand allthe HPDI motors, including offshore Bluewater mod-els under the VMAX name. These exciting new out-boards will further consolidate Yamaha’s position asnumber one brand in the region.From Sean Hawker, YMA, Australia

YMA makes big splashwith marine product

launch

Test riding the F150A on a Cruise Craft 55

A New Zealand journalist tests the FX140Yamaha F150A four-stroke

YMA marine product launch at Couran Cove, Queensland

Tunisia

Next-generation Yamaha mopedsget a big launch

I n late July and early August, Tunisiandealers became the first in Africa to beintroduced to the new generation of

Yamaha 50cc mopeds, the GALAXY andSOLARIS. In order to ensure the successof these new products, SAMI company,distributor of the MBK and YAMAHAbrands in Tunisia, launched an original andgrand-scale marketing program. The dealermeetings were the start of this campaignand gave a full introduction to the powerfuland comfortable SOLARIS and the quickand passionately sporty GALAXY. Held inHammamet for northern Tunisia on the28th of July and Sfax for the south on the3rd of August, the meetings were led bytop Yamaha representatives and includedtest-ride sessions, after which the dealerswere clearly impressed by the design andthe performance of the new models.The launched campaign continued with apromotional “Caravane” that is travelling

to local towns all over the country, settingup product exhibits and test-rides andshowing a promotional film about theYamaha mopeds at locations outside theprominent cafes, restaurants, etc., whereTunisian young people gather. SAMI ispouring all its available personnel andresources into this important launch tomake sure it is a total success. From Sami Damergi, SAMI, Tunisia

The distributor staff who organized the meeting with theYamaha staff

Expectations are high for thenew Yamaha mopeds

China

Two new 100cc 4-stroke scooters unveiled

Beginning on September 2, ZhuzhouNanfang Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.(NYM) gave its dealers the first

look at the two exciting new 100cc 4-stroke Yamaha scooter models “Jog” and“Force.” A total of 540 representativesfrom about 400 dealerships and sub-deal-ers turned out for the introduction events inthree cities to see and test ride the first100cc scooters ever introduced by Yamaha

in the Chinese market. The 4-stroke enginemounted on both of these models is builtby Jiangsu Linhai Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.(LYM) and features trademark Yamahacompactness and lightness that helps thesemodels achieve a lightweight body andagile handling like nothing ever seenbefore in the 100 ~ 125cc scooter class.Needless to say, the dealers were excited atthe prospect of selling these models in

Burkina Faso

Big launch for three new 50cc mopeds

O n September 29, agrand launch cer-emony was held

in the West African coun-try of Burkina Faso withsome 200 industry andgovernment representa-tives, dealers and membersof the press in attendance. Unveiled werethree new Yamaha brand 50cc mopedsmanufactured in Turkey and named the“Galaxy,” “Solaris” and “Zoom.” WhileYamaha has been well represented inBurkina Faso’s 80cc market until now withthe Yamaha V80, YMC’s Overseas MarketDevelopment Operations (OMDO) has

introduced these new models toestablish a strong position in theimportant 50cc category. In hisspeech at the launch ceremony,YMC’s Senior General Manager(OMDO) Mr. Shibata said, “Wewant to see the Yamaha technolo-gy and quality in these models

contribute to greater customer satisfaction,and with the efforts of our distributorsCFAO Burkina and SIFA, I know we willsucceed.” After the product introductionsand test rides, the lively ceremony went oninto the night with dancing, a mini-concertand fashion show. From Kyoko Shimoishi, OMDO, YMC

The new Galaxy makes its debut atthe launch ceremony amid dramaticlighting


Yamaha is increasing its presence in Russia in many different areas. A new base for market expansion inRussia was established with the opening of the Yamaha Moscow representative office on September 6.Yamaha was one of the first Japanese companies to do business in the Soviet Union, supplying bike

technology and later outboard motors, generators and snowmobiles. This relationship expanded after the estab-lishment of the Russian Republic in 96, and by 2002 Yamaha had six importers in Russia. This new office willhelp Yamaha take advantage of new trends in Russia, especially cosmopolitan Moscow, in which bikes andscooters are an emerging leisure and fashion trend. The office, starting with five employees, will gather marketdata and coordinate communication with the local importers.In addition, Yamaha outboard motors once again showed their quali-ty with a superior finish in a grueling 24-hour race in St. Petersburgcompeted by inflatable boats equipped with outboard motors. It wasthe fourth running of the race, and was held as part of celebrations tomark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city of St. Peters-burg. A total of 39 boats in four classes by engine size participated inthe event, and capturing the honor of overall champion while win-ning the 2000cc class using a Z200P was the team from Petrosetcompany, a local Yamaha importer. These events will serve to fur-ther boost Yamaha brand recognition in Russia.

Russia

Big events spread Yamaha brand recognition

Dealers gathered to get a look at the new models

Fifty-four people participated in the opening event

An address by Special Ambassador to Russia, Mr. Nomura (right)

The president of Petroset, Dmitry R. Sandler drove a Z200Ppowered Yamaran inflatable to victory at St. Petersburg

Portugal

YMC Corporate Advisor Hasegawa visits YMPL

YMC’s Corporate Advisor, Mr. Takehiko Hasegawa paid a call at the home offices of YamahaMotor Portugal Ltda. (YMPL) on August 18. Besides meeting with YMPL executives andemployees, Mr. Hasegawa joined with YMPL’s Managing Director, Mr. Joao Pissarra, to unveil

a new monument plaque in the company’s entrance hall.Engraved on the plaque are the Chinese characters Ju AnSi Wei, which also grace a monument outside the Com-munication Plaza of the YMC headquarters in Japan.These four characters are an old Chinese expression thatcan be roughly translated as “Be Prepared for Any-thing,” and were favorite words of wisdom for YamahaMotor’s founder and first president, Mr. GenichiKawakami. As a corporate leader, Mr. Kawakamibelieved that times of success were also times to bepreparing for the next changes in the marketplace. Inhonor of the late Mr. Kawakami, YMPL will display thisplaque permanently. From YMPL, Portugal

Mr. Hasegawa and Mr. Pissarra talked about corporate plansfor the future

what will be an entirely new category. Despite rainy weather, most of the dealersanxiously tried out the performance ofthese two new models and came away withfirst-hand confidence that this is perfor-mance that will sell big in the Chinese mar-ket.From Yoshikazu Nishida, NYM, China

Senegal & Uganda

African distributors attend regional distributor meetings

Atotal of 34 Yamaha distributors and dealers gathered for two regionalmeetings in Africa recently, the “West & Central Africa RegionalMeeting 2003” held in Dakar, Senegal, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, and

the “Southeast Africa Regional Meeting 2003” held in Entebbe, Uganda onOct. 6 and 7. The meetings focused on plans for the smooth introduction ofnew low-end motorcycle models and presentations on the unified brand strate-gy and the importance of VI adherence. In response to the influx of extremely low-priced models from makers inChina and other countries into the African market, Yamaha announced itsplans for increased cross-trade supply of low-end products in line with YMC’s“Next 50” mid-tern management plan at a meeting in Istanbul in October2002. At that time Yamaha introduced the YAM100S, a model developed byYMC’s OMDO in cooperation with a Chinese maker, and these meetingsincluded a follow-up report on the success of launches of this model in theAfrican markets. Both meetings began with speeches by YMC’s Senior General Manager(OMDO) Shibata, followed by presentations of marketing policy, introduc-

tions of other cross trade models and a run-through of pre-delivery productinspections (PDI). The Uganda meeting also included a study tour of themotorcycle market in the capital, Kampala, including visits to the used-bikemarket, construction product dealers and interviews of bike-taxi riders and cus-tomers on the street. Later, a dinner cruise on Lake Victoria and a dance servedas an opportunity for bonding between members of the Yamaha family inAfrica. From Emi Ishii and Kazunori Sasaki, OMDO , YMC

The participants of the “West & Central Africa Regional Meeting 2003” (left) and the “Southeast AfricaRegional Meeting 2003” (right)


Australia

YMA unveils 2004 R1 at Melbourne show

Yamaha Motor Australia Pty., Ltd.(YMA) was the first distributor toshow the 2004 model YZF-R1 to the

public when it unveiled the new model at theM e l b o u r n eM o t o r c y c l eShow on 12September.45,000 peopleflocked to thei m p r e s s i v eRoyal Exhibi-tion Hall to

witness the latest version of Australia’s bestselling sports bike unveiled by YMA Manag-ing Director, Masayoshi Toyama. The MadMax themed Yamaha stand was the busiestarea for the whole weekend as enthusiastsclamoured for a view of the new R1.“The R1 was easily the highlight of the show.

People were coming back two or three timesto see the display model and were amazed thatthe bike is new from the ground up,” said Vic-torian sales and marketing manager LloydFletcher.“You know a model is special when all theother distributors visit the Yamaha stand to geta look,” he added.“One guy rode 150km just to see the R1 andanother paid his $15 entry fee with 40 minutesof the show left when he heard the new modelwas on display,” explained Fletcher.Another first for Yamaha at the show was the‘Ultimate Yamaha Ride Experience’ capsule.This is a ride simulator featuring Team NikonYamaha Australian Formula Xtreme champi-on Kevin Curtain racing an R1 at EasternCreek and Ballards Yamaha Australian endurochampion Glenn Kearney riding a WR250Fthrough the bush.

R1 on the Mad Max inspired stand

Managing DirectorToyama receives a giftfrom Melbourne showorganizers

USA

Yamaha YZF-R6 and Jamie Hacking winAMA 600 Supersport title!

The 600cc Supersport category is fiercely competitive both on thetrack and the showroom floor. For the U.S. market, factory raceteams strive to develop a 600cc sport bike that wins on Sunday – and

sells on Monday. And that’s what the winning combination of Team Yama-ha, Jamie Hacking and the all-new Yamaha YZF-R6 did this year. Months before the YZF-R6 was released, motorcyclists were already salivat-ing over early press reports. When it posted the fastest lap times during anearly tire test, dealers reported an unusually high number of eager customersmaking deposits!

Team Yamaha’s four ridersdominated professional AMA(American MotorcyclistAssociation) Supersport races.Yamaha racing blue andwhite was a common sight onthe podium and one memo-rable weekend, the resultswere 1-2-3-4! Not only didthe Yamaha YZF-R6 win theAMA 600 Supersport Cham-pionship but it also topped thecompetition on the sales floor

to become the best-selling 600cc supersport motorcycle in the U.S. Salesincreased by nearly 50 percent and dealer inventory is nearly zero!Yamaha USA and the 2004 YZF-R6 are ready for the 2004 racing and salesseasons. Yamaha National Communications Manager Bob Starr explains,“Our racing plans are set … and on the marketing side, we will highlight thechampionship in our advertising materials and continue building momentumfor the winning Yamaha brand.” From Brad Banister, Public Relations Manager, YMUS

Team Yamaha and the YZF-R6 dominate the field

Australia

Safari success for first official Yamaha team

As you read in the last issue of Yamaha News, Yamaha Motor Australia(YMA) entered its first official team in one of Australia’s biggest andtoughest off-road events, the Australian Safari. The 30 person Yamaha

Safari Team (YST) fielded six riders in this grueling eight-day 4,600km raceacross some of the country’s roughest outback terrain. The YST led the Safarioutright for the first three days over the tighter sections of the course. From sevenof the moto division classes YST captured a deserved three class wins. What’smore, Japanese rider Makoto Morimoto won an additional class making a totalof four from seven for Yamaha. The riders reported that the performance andhandling of their WR450F and WR250F machines across varied terrain wassuperb and that they were also a lot of fun to ride! The YST WRs were fittedwith specially designed 30-liter long-range fueltanks to provide a range of over 300km for thelonger sections of the course. YMA aims tosoon make these tanks available to the worldmarket as an aftermarket accessory. The winners were Stuart Morgan (WR450F) inthe M2 over 250cc to 500cc class, Alison Park-er (WR250F) in the M1 up to 250cc class, AlanCunynghame (WR450F) in the M1 over 250ccto 500cc class and Morimoto (WR250F) in theM2 Production up to 250cc class. Says YST Manager Cheryl Muldoon: “For ourfirst attempt at one of Australia’s harshest andmost demanding long distance events, we threwourselves in at the deep end by entering a six-bike team. But we were confident of proving thereliability of our championship-winning modelsby completing the course. We were overwhelmed by the outcome; not only did theentire team finish, but we won an incredible three classes.” From Cheryl Muldoon, Team Manager, YST, Australia

Both rides proved very popular with the show-going public and a great introduction to theYamaha brand.With a huge array of bikes, ATVs, accessoriesand with training schools and owners club dis-plays, the Yamaha stand was voted best inshow by a panel of judges.From Sean Hawker, YMA, Australia

Yamaha ride simulator at the Mel-bourne Show

YST riders and crew

Stuart Morgan (WR450F), the M2-2 Class Winner


USA

In September, a grand opening ceremonywas held for the newly opened Midwestheadquarters of Yamaha Motor Corp.,

USA (YMUS) in Lakeview, Wisconsin. Inattendance for this big event were some 100Yamaha representatives, including YMC’sPresident Hasegawa and YMUS’s PresidentKato, and another 140 regional dealers,industry affiliates and community guests,including representatives of the local Cham-ber of Commerce who presented YMUS their“Golden Key” of welcome. Until now YMUS has run its motorcycle andother land product operations out of its homeoffices in Cypress, California, and its Marineoperations out of offices in Kenesaw, Geor-gia. The new Midwest headquarters in Wis-consin consolidates business, parts, serviceand snowmobile R&D centers that had exist-ed separately in Wisconsin and Minnesota inone new facility including some 1,900 sq.m.of office space and about 16,000 sq.m. ofparts warehouse space. Operations havealready begun at the new facility and expecta-tions are high that boosted marketing, partsand service functions will strengthen theYamaha presence in the important Midwestmarket which is the center of the US snow-mobile market in particular.

YMUS Opens NewMidwest Headquarters

The new Midwest headquarters facility

The local Chamber of Com-merce present YMUS PresidentKato with the “Golden Key”

The 16,000 sq.m. parts warehouseis ready to supply the big Midwestmarket

Japan

Yamaha Outboard Motors Promotedin Marine Magazine Editors Visit

Japan

World ChampionNamed in Yamaha

Technician GP

The finals of the “Yamaha WorldTechnician GP 2003” were held onOctober 3 at the Yamaha Motor head-

quarters in Iwata City, Japan, and the newworld grand prix winner, runner up and twothird place finishers were named. This Yamahatechnician grand prix program is part ofYMC’s “Global Service Education” programbegun in 2000, and the first contests werelaunched in 2001. Its aim is to realize increasedcustomer satisfaction by providing a uniformlyhigh level of quality service that goes beyondborders and areas, while at the same timeincreasing the consciousness of individual ser-vice people as members of the Yamaha group. This second holding of the World TechnicianGP bore the slogan “Challenge 21 – Aim to BeNo. 1 in Service,” and was competed by 20

finalists chosenfrom regional

preliminary competitions who came to Japanaccompanied by 18 Yamaha distributor repre-sentatives to vie for the world title. In all, 19countries were represented and the contestantscompeted in the four areas of motorcycle engi-neering knowledge, technical skills, measure-ment skills and customer reception skills.When the scores were totaled from these tests,the overall champion was Mr. Richard Hair ofInskip Motorcycles in Australia, while secondplace went to Mr. Liu Shih- Jung of Hon GuoMotors in Taiwan and third place honors wereshared by Mr. Jean Claude Durand of MotoParushions (France) and Mr. Pharuehat Singtoof Pairo Sales & Service (Thailand).

The 2003 winner, Mr.Richard Hair. The nextWorld Tech GP will beheld in 2005, YMC's50th Anniversary

Austria

Reborn Fazer excitesjournalists in press debut

This year’s full remake of Europe’s best-selling all-rounder motorcycle, the Yama-ha FZ600 Fazer, is one of the hottest top-

ics for the 2004 season. And that excitement wasclearly reflected in the turnout for the big presstest ride event held in Austria from August 22 toSeptember 4. In all, 113 journalists from 23countries gathered at a beautiful location in thetown of Seafeld on the outskirts of Innsbruck inthe green foothills of the Austria’s Tirolean Alpsto put the reborn FZ6-S “Fazer” and the nakedversion FZ6-N “FZ6” through their paces on thewinding mountain roads. What they discoveredwas powered up performance coming from thenew engine, which is a direct evolution of thepower unit on the YZF-R6, and sleek styling

built around the new CF aluminum die-castframe. The journalists came off the rides withcomments like: “This is a model with a true feel-ing of quality, in the styling and the perfor-mance,” or “Very good stability and handlingacross the entire speed range. I never felt uncer-tain even when pushing it hard like a supersportbike.” Seeing the press reactions, the Yamahadevelopment staff was confident that these mod-els will be a hit across Europe.

New Fazers lined up for test rides

F rom July 19 to 25, editors from NAUTICA and PESCA compa-nies, producers of Brazil’s leading marine magazines, visitedJapan as part of their coverage of Yamaha’s significant contribu-

tions to the outboard motor business. Their schedule was intensely busy, but the editors took time outto share their impressions of their visits. The editors, experts in the industry, commented on the highlevel of technical sophistication, manufacturing capability and quality control level they observed atYamaha. They also expressed their confidence that this visit would lead to an increase of productawareness in Brazil of Yamaha outboard motors and further boost sales in the future.From: Takuya Nagatani, Latin America Group, ME Company, YMC

(from right) ME Company President Sato,PESCA’s Claro, NAUTICA’s Martins,YMBD’s Giarolla and Yamaha Marine Co.,Ltd., Technical Development DepartmentChief, Nishimura

Printed in Japanhttp://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Public Relations Division 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan Telephone: 81-538-32-1145, Facsimile: 81-538-37-4250

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

The development team started by designingan all-new liquid-cooled 4-stroke, SOHCsingle-cylinder, 4-valve engine. Besidesboring it out to 660cc to give that extrahigh-speed power, they also added the firstfuel injection system ever on a Yamaha bigsingle to ensure optimum fuel economy,cleaner emissions and linear, easy to-usepower development across the entire speedrange. Other state-of-the-art featuresinclude a forged piston, direct plated cylin-der and the first roller type rocker armvalve lift ever on a Yamaha sport bike. Toaccommodate this high-performance powerunit, the XT660R boasts a new diamondtype frame built with high-tension steel andtwin tank rails for greater rigidity and run-ning stability at higher speeds, plus upgrad-ed suspension and brake specs.The XT660R will be manufactured atYamaha’s French base, MBK, and cus-tomers will surely find it a model that is justas at home on the cobblestone streets ofEurope’s southern capitals or cruisingdown the highways as it is bounding up amountain trail, and will look good wherev-er it goes.

The XT Legend Reborn withStreet-Smart StylingThe XT Legend Reborn withStreet-Smart Styling

Yamaha has just redefined the beau-ty of performance. One look at thenew 2004 model XT660R that hits

the streets and trails of Europe and othermarkets late this year is enough to makeyou want to jump on and go for a ride, on amachine build to take you anywhere. When Yamaha engineers set out to buildthe next generation XT, they were out to domore than just make a good thing better.Besides boosting the engine performanceand suspension specs, they were deter-mined to make a machine with killer looksthat no on-off bike lover could resist. “We call it the ‘The New Legend CrossoverTrail 660,’ says one of the designers. “The“crossover” concept in the body design canbe seen in the way it combines an off-roadmodel’s silhouette with the kind of designspice you associate with a street bike. Ourdesign concept combined three elements:the kind of sculptured beauty that fits theEuropean urban scene, a sense of off-roader

versatility and the exciting sense of stimula-tion that comes from truly original forms,”he adds.Ever since their days of dominance in theearly years of the Paris-Dakar Rally, the“big-single” models of Yamaha’s XTseries have led a category of trail modelsbuilt for on- and off-road riding that havebeen especially popular among adventur-ous European motorcycle lovers. Con-ceived as the successor to the popularXT600E that has led the 600cc on-offmodel category in Europe for ten years, thisnew model answers the needs of today’sriders, who want not just a trail model butan easy to use city bike that can also handlehigh-speed expressway cruising with nosweat, and looks good doing it.

Documents

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