Yamaha News,ENG,No.5,2004,9月,9月,Up … News,ENG,No.5,2004,9月,9月,Up Front,Unmanned Vehicles:...

Yamaha News,ENG,No.5,2004,9月,9月,Up Front,Unmanned Vehicles: Contributing to society in new realms,Unmanned Vehicle,Tsuide Yanagihara,Kan-chan,Developing an Unmanned Marine Vehicle,Yutaka Masuda,Development of the Unmanned Ground Vehicle,Hirohisa Imai,The Outlook for Unmanned Vehicles,Seiji Kitamura,The ABCs of Yamaha Unmanned Vehicles,International Focus - Serial 45,Providing Society with Unique Quality Products,Corporate,Zhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.,Hiroyoshi Kurisaki,Li Ying,China,Hunan,Zhuzhou City,About Zhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha,Shen Junqiao,Giving priority to scooters and ongoing development of new products,Wang Zhi,The ultimate aim is customer joy and satisfaction,A Yamaha Ling Ji to circle the globe,World Topics,Grand scale European Convention 2004 launches new European brand policy plus new models,Motorcycle,MT-01,Greece,YMUS Business Meeting Report,YMUS,Steve Kato,U.S.A.,Toru Hasegawa,Truly, Yamaha theme of new brand-building campaign,Yamaha Motor India,Fazer,India,Dealer workshop builds commitment to Yamaha water purifiers,Water purifier,Yamaha Motor Nuansa Indonesia,OH-200,Indonesia,First Yamaha Flagship Shop opened,P.T. Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia,YIMM celebrates 30th anniversary,P.T. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing,First Yamaha multi-brand service shop opens in Ho Chi Minh City,Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd.,Vietnam,Yamaha Factory Service,First Yamaha marine dealer meeting held,Marine,DC Panavto,Ukraine,YMA introduces Platinum Dealer Program,amaha Motor Australia Pty. Ltd.,Australia,Platinum Dealer Program,Rossi talks track with Yamaha Europe group employees,Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. ,Valentino Rossi,YZR-M1,The Netherlands,Yamaha Motor Finance Europe,Yamaha Motor Racing,Dutch adventurers Ice Ride Lake Baikal on XT600,Rob,XT600,Russia,Lake Baikal,Dafne de Jong,Yamaha demonstrates commitment to rider education,John Holt & Company,Nigeria,Yamaha Riding Academy,Caribbean friendship crossing on FX140 WaveRunner,PWC,Francisco “Franny” Arredondo,FX140,Guatemala,Caribbean distributor meeting embraces Creation & Challenge,Yamaha Caribbean Regional Meeting 2004,Puerto Rico,Line-off of export model TT-R125 in Brazil,Yamaha Motors Sports U.S.,TT-R125,Brazil,Yamaha Motor do Brasil Ltda,Postal service likes BW's scooters for letter delivery,Yamaha Arwidson,BW's,Finland,Royal Bahamas Police Force step up to the XJ900P,Royal Bahamas Police Force,XJ900P,Bahamas,WaveRunner Riding Academy popular success in Dubai,AL YOUSUF MOTORS,UAE,WaveRunner Riding Academy,YAMAHA Summer Festival 2004 in Oschersleben,YAMAHA Summer Festival 200,Yamaha Motor Deutschland GmbH,Germany,What's New,Energy-efficient cogeneration cuts energy consumption and CO2 output at YMC facilities,Kohji Suzuki,Kiyoshi Nakazaki,Racing Express,Yamaha GMT94 team grabs World Endurance title,Racing,Oschersleben 24-hour Endurance Race,Yamaha GMT94,William Costes,YZF-R1,World Endurance Championship,David Checa,Sebastien Gimbert,Zoom In,25 ft. Flying Bridge Salon Cruiser LUXAIR,Boat,LUXAIR

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD.SEPTEMBER 1, 2004 ENGLISH

No.5BIMONTHLY

Yamaha remote control technologies began with unmanned helicopters for cropdusting and developed into sophisticated GPS-based autonomous flight systems.

Today, Yamaha engineers are putting these systems to use on the land, sea andin the air, for a wide range of uses, from environmental surveys to civil projects.

2 YAMAHA NEWS SEPTEMBER 1, 2004

UP FRONT

Developing an Unmanned MarineVehicleYamaha Motor first made a name foritself in the field of unmanned marinevehicles with the development of anautonomous navigation boat named Kan-chan that has been in service since 2001carrying observational equipment fromthe Oceanography Department of Japan’sTokai University with the mission ofgathering and transmitting back data pri-marily about aerosol content over thePacific Ocean. Since its atmospheric data-gathering mis-sion demanded remaining in one positionon the ocean, the Kan-chan’s hull was

the boat to maintain a specific speed indifferent wave and wind conditions. Inconditions where waves or wind causethe boat to slow down, you can’t rely on asingle speed command from the controlsystem, because it will react to even smallwave and wind action. So, what we didwas to develop a program capable of cre-ating accurate control adjustments basedon a sufficient accumulation of data com-piled on calculations of the differencebetween the set target speed and the actu-al traveling speed.”

Considerable development efforts alsowent into perfecting the steering charac-teristics. A jet propulsion craft experi-ences significantlymore lateralslide than ap r o p e l l e r

based on a sailboat design. However, thenew UMV-H displayed recently in theUSA is a completely different type,adopting a high-speed powerboat hull tomake it suited for mobile observationapplications. Powered by a water jet, thismodel has an overall length of 4.44 m andboasts a top speed of 40 knots. Its naviga-tion system can be programmed withmapping that enables the boat to cruiseover a prescribed course by means ofGPS (Global Positioning System) tech-nology. The UMV-H is capable of three types ofnavigation: (1) it can be manually operat-ed with a two-person crew, (2) it cancruise autonomously over a course withup to 100 navigational coordinates, or (3)it can cruise while observing and gather-ing information by means of an extend-able underwater camera and sonar. It alsohas a teaching function that enables it toprogram itself to repeatedly follow acourse that has been run once by manualnavigation.

Being a completely new type ofautonomous navigation craft, the devel-opment process was one of repeated trialand error. For example, you can’t make aboat traveling at 40 knots reach a preciselocation simply by cutting off throttlewhen it reaches that point. The momen-tum would carry the boat on another 80meters or so. According to Mr. TsuideYanagihara of Yamaha’s domestic marinedivision who worked on the develop-ment project, “Our guidancesystem consisted of GPSand gyros and we didrepeated tests to deter-mine the right decelerationtiming to get the boat to stopexactly on the desired point.” Healso recalls, “It was difficult to get

UUnnmmaannnneedd VVeehhiicclleess:: CCoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg ttoo ssoocciieettyy iinnnneeww rreeaallmmssIt was 24 years ago that Yamaha Motorfirst undertook research and developmentefforts for a remote-control unmannedhelicopter capable of performing cropdusting in the Japanese rice industry.Today, after more than two decades ofongoing development of our core tech-nologies, these industrial-use Yamahaunmanned helicopters have evolved withsophisticated autonomous-flight capabili-ties that are contributing to societythrough new applications in fields likedisaster relief, meteorological data gather-ing and environmental surveys. And, theyare winning international acclaim in theprocess. At the Yamaha Motor booth atthe August 2004 AUVSI Show in theUSA, the now proven Yamaha UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) was joinedby our recently developed UGV(Unmanned Ground Vehicle) and UMV-H (Unmanned Marine Vehicle) and acutting-edge concept of an integrated air,land and water observation system thattakes Yamaha’s core technologies intoexciting new realms. For this issue ofYamaha News we spoke to the engineersinvolved in the development of theseground-breaking new models.

Tsuide Yanagihara: “These vehicles we have developedrepresent a proposal from Yamaha to the market. To makevehicles that will truly be useful will require a dialogue withthe customers from now on.”

YAMAHA NEWS SEPTEMBER 1, 2004 3

driven craft when the boat is steered.“There is an over-steering tendency inthis kind of craft. When the actual angleof turn of the boat is different from thetarget direction, the system tries to correctfor it and this leads to a weaving phenom-enon,” adds Mr. Yanagihara. “This issomething that occurs in all autonomousnavigation systems, but we found wecould keep this tendency to a minimumby attaching a separate fin beside the jetpropulsion outlet.” He goes on to explain about the addition-al development efforts that went into get-ting the right running characteristics.“When a craft is weighted down with lotsof equipment, it changes the boat’s run-ning characteristics. The stern can get too

heavy, causing longitudinal rocking thatmakes the boat unstable. In our tests wealso experienced a bobbing phenomenonin the bow. But we were able to solve thisproblem by outfitting the boat with a sta-bilizer.” In all, the UMV was developed in a shortand quite intense period of just over ayear. The project leader, Mr. YutakaMasuda, describes the UMV project as atypically Yamaha one for a number ofreasons. “We made direct use of tech-nologies developed for our Yamahaunmanned helicopters in the intelligencesystems in the control unit dealing withfunctions like attitude control, the naviga-tion system and gyros, the accelerationsensor and the directional sensor system,”

he notes. “Also, the actuator units adoptservo functions developed for our Yama-ha industrial robots. Even though they areused at different voltages, the units are thesame. In other words, we used originalYamaha technologies for everything fromthe microcomputer intelligence functionsto the sensors and actuators. This helpedreduce development time and made theproject go much more smoothly.”

Yutaka Masuda: “These technologies we are developing canalso be used eventually in other products like snowmobiles,wheelchairs and motorcycles, I believe. Although this is stilla dream of the future, imagine the potential of anautonomous-navigation motorcycle. It could get through nar-row places no other vehicle could negotiate.”

At the 2004 AUVSI Show in the USA

km/h. This was developed into a UGVfeaturing (1) autonomous running withobstacle avoidance function incorporat-ing two laser scanners, (2) long-distanceremote control operation based on for-ward and rear cameras and 360-degreerevolving camera images and (3) a teach-ing function that enables self-program-ming to follow a course that has been runonce by manual navigation. Developing an unmanned land vehiclehad its own unique challenges. “Devel-oping an unmanned vehicle to run onland is probably the most difficult task ofall,” says Mr. Hirohisa Imai, who workedon the UGV project. “There are no obsta-cles in the air, which makes the task easi-er in that sense. And a boat is nearly thesame. In the case of an aircraft or a boat,all you need to do is basically run astraight line from point A to point B. Buton land you have obstacles, bumps andpotholes in the road and all kinds ofthings to avoid, from people to buildings.In short, the “eye” function is a criticalelement. For example, you won’t getGPS reception when you are in betweenbuildings. The weather is also a factor.”

The problems that needed to be over-come soon became apparent with the

early prototypes.

UP FRONT


“The first problem we encountered wasachieving a good running speed,” contin-ues Mr. Imai. “One of the reasons was amatter of dimensions, things like the cen-ter of gravity and the limits of the physi-cal size of the vehicle itself. The secondreason had to do with the visual recogni-tion function, the vehicle’s eyes and thespeed with which they can recognizeobstacles. You cannot duplicate thehuman eye function, where instantaneousdecisions can be made on the basis of theimages that we receive on our retina.Even using lasers it takes time to cover abroad area, and then it takes more time togenerate decisions based on that data.”Even running the vehicle slowly had itsproblems. “ATVs are originally built tobe run at a certain amount of speed, so itwas difficult to get the vehicle to run atspeeds of less than one km/h. It took a lotof trial and error to set appropriate para-meters that we could work with to workout and refine the operating systems.”Still, the UGV team was able to completethe development project in just a year anda few months.

We asked Mr. Seiji Kitamura of YMC’sUV Marketing Dept. how it was possibleto develop such sophisticated vehicles insuch a short period. “In fact, we wereable to make use of technologies devel-oped for our electromagnetic guidancesystem golf cars. Because these golf carscarry passengers, they need to have a

very comfortable ride. A lot of know-how has been gained from makingthese vehicles turn smoothly andcontrolling their speed on downhills,for instance.”

The Outlook for Unmanned Vehi-clesSo, what kind of future does Yamahaenvision for unmanned vehicles likethese? Mr. Yanagihara states it clearly,“It is possible to imagine a wide rangeof uses. For example, inspecting the

Yamaha industrial-use unmanned heli-coptersAbout 2,000 units of these helicopters are used forcrop dusting in Japan. They have also been used forobservation over erupting volcanoes and for environ-mental observation in places like tidal marshlands.They are also being used in various research projectsin Europe, North America and some Asian countries.

Development of the UnmannedGround VehicleMeanwhile, Yamaha’s UnmannedGround Vehicle (UGV) developmentwas based on the concept of a security-use vehicle. A 4WD type ATV body of

the Yamaha YFM660“Grizzly” was used as

the base vehicle. ThisATV has a top speedof 20 km/h and on a

flat surface it canmake a 4-meter

radius turn at 10

The ABCs of Yamaha Unmanned Vehicles

Hirohisa Imai: “The UGV is especially well suited for reach-ing one point and staying there, which is exactly what isneeded in jobs like meteorological data gathering. So thereshould be a lot of uses for it.”

Kan-chanThis boat has a sailboat hull with an overall length of7.99 meters. It has a diesel engine that drives aDC24V generator and an AC100V generator. It has afuel capacity of 1,400 liters which gives the boat acontinuous cruising capability of 700 hours. It is usedfor gathering data about atmospheric conditions andwater qualities on the ocean.


underwater structures of bridges. Inplaces like the U.S. this is usually doneby divers with cameras, and it can bevery hazardous work if the current isstrong. With our underwater camera-fit-ted UMV this work can be done safelyby remote control.” Both the navigationto the observation position and the move-ment of the underwater camera can bedone by remote control. The UMV can also be used for inspect-ing ship bottoms. “The inspection ofhulls of large ships for damage is usuallydone by divers with underwater cameras.This process leaves the filming judg-ments up to one diver. If the sameprocess is done by remote control usingthe UMV’s underwater camera, a num-ber of people can examine the monitor atthe same time for a surer inspection,”adds Mr. Yanagihara. Another possible use is monitoring siltbuild-up in dam reservoirs. According toMr. Masuda, “Silt build-up is a veryimportant factor in dams. As siltinevitably builds up behind the dam itdeceases the dam’s function as a waterreservoir. Some of the newer dams haveautomated systems for removing siltbuild-up but the older ones don’t. Thecommon practice today in Japan for mea-suring silt build-up is to use a plumb lineto measure the depth at various points.However, if you used the UMV with asonar system it would immediately give

Autonomous navigation/flight systemsThese systems use communications signals from theland base to the vehicle and have the capability toguide the vehicle autonomously through the points of aprogrammed course. The cameras fitted on the vehi-cles also make it possible for the land base operator tofollow the progress of the vehicle visually or view theobservation object on a computer monitor.

Teaching functionWith this system the vehicle has the capacity tostore data about a course it is takenthrough once either manually or byremote control so that the second timethe vehicle can travel the same courseautonomously.

Yamaha electromagnetic guidance golf cars These are products sold mainly for the Japanese market.

They are capable of automated operationusing guidance signals from electromag-netic wires buried in the lawns of golfcourses. This system also enables thegolfers to move the car ahead indepen-dently when they must follow a ball hit intothe rough or a neighboring fairway.

Seiji Kitamura: “Yamaha is a manufacturer of vehicles.There are plenty of system manufacturers around the worldthat are making unmanned vehicles, but Yamaha is theonly vehicle manufacturer in this field. That will be Yama-ha’s strength.”

A Yamaha UMV sticker

you a 3-D mapof the reservoirbottom and you canuse that data fordetermining when andhow much silt needs to beremoved.” At times like thesewhen the necessity of buildingdams is being debated for environ-mental reasons, it is being said that thebest policy for electric companies is totry to get the longest possible use of theirpresently existing hydroelectric damfacilities. This is another area wherethere is a possible role for the UMV.

What about the UGV? Mr. Imai says, “Itcould surely be used for observation ofwildlife in large wildlife preserves. Itcould also be used for patrolling alongnational borders. If a UGV is fitted witha camera and an audio system withmicrophone it could be used for commu-nicating with people by long-distanceremote control.” He goes on to stress thatsuch a capacity would make it useful inrelief operations during natural disasters. Another unique type of use might be formeasuring the flatness of large areas ofland. “When an airport is being built onlandfill, it is very important that the landbe flat. Presently a system is in use wherepeople ride for long hours over a plot ofland on a GPS-fitted ATV to create a 3-Dmap of the topography. This is the typeof menial labor that could easily be auto-mated with a UGV,” insists Mr. Imai.

What is unique about Yamaha’s tech-nologies in this field? Again, Mr. Imaiexplains: “Yamaha is the only singlecompany worldwide in the field ofautonomous-navigation vehicles withprototypes now operating on the land, thesea and in the air. This fact makes it easyfor Yamaha to put together programswhere land, water and air craft could

function together in mutual-supportteams. For example, a person could manone craft and be supported by anotherautomated one or, you could imaginescenarios like an unmanned helicopterbeing used to scout ahead in the surveyarea and send back information thatwould enable an unmanned land vehicleto find a route around the danger points.” He goes on to say, “At this point we arestill at the prototype level, and we do notplan to market these vehicles in their pre-sent state. We have only just made sug-gestions to potential customers aboutwhat kinds of UVs are possible. Fromnow on we will be listening to the voicesof the customers and identifying the realmarket needs so that we can begin todefine our directions and develop prod-ucts with the features they will want.”Unmanned vehicles are a field with greatpotential to contribute to society. In thissense, and also from the standpoint ofour core technologies, probably no com-pany is more motivated or betterequipped than Yamaha to take the lead inthis exciting new field.


INTERNATIONAL FOCUSLocation: Zhuzhou City, Hunan, ChinaPresident: Hiroyoshi KurisakiEmployees: 1,300 approx.

About Zhuzhou Jianshe YamahaZhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.(former Zhuzhou Nanfang Yamaha MotorCo., Ltd.) was born on December 25,1993 as a manufacturing base for supply-ing motorcycles to the Chinese market.Located in Hunan Province of the Peo-ple’s Republic of China, the company wasjointly capitalized by Japan’s YamahaMotor Co., Ltd. (YMC) and China’s Jian-she Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. Throughongoing efforts to achieve constantlyhigher levels of manufacturing and man-agerial quality, the company won certifi-cation under the ISO 9001 Quality Man-agement System on April 26, 2002, andon May 27, 2003 we acquired China’scompulsory “sales passport” certification.

Our products have also passed the Nation-al Production Permit Regulation. We nowhave about 1,300 employees, amongwhich 9 are specialized resident represen-tatives from YMC in Japan.In the 11 years since the company wasborn, it has made great contributions tolocal economic development. The compa-ny has won official recognition as an“Excellent Tri-venture Enterprise” and“Excellent Foreign Capital Enterprise”from the People’s Government ofZhuzhou City. We also develop publicwelfare activities to contribute to the localcommunity and society at large. In August1998, for example, the company donated700,000 yuan to areas suffering disastrousflooding at the time. The YMC staff atZhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha also make greatcontributions to the development of thecompany. The first Japanese President,Mr. Ikuo Murai, has won the 1998 Chi-nese government “Friendship Prize” andthe “Aviation Friendship Prize” awardedby the Chinese aviation industry parentcompany. Also, our first Japanese VicePresident, Mr. Noboru Nagata, has wonthe title of Honorary Citizen of ZhuzhouCity.

Giving priority to scooters andongoing development of newproducts To provide products that truly satisfy theneeds of the Chinese market, ZhuzhouJianshe Yamaha dedicates itself to the

continuous development of new products.Today, the company manufactures fourmain motorcycle model types in over 20variations. Since the first “Ling Ying”(Future) model came off our productionline on December 28, 1995, over 400,000customers have purchased “Ling Ying”scooters. In China’s motorcycle industrytoday, Yamaha ”Ling Ying” scooters havebecome synonymous with the very high-est quality and most advanced level oftechnology.Zhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha makes scootersits leading products, and in recent years ithas worked incessantly to develop newmodels that meet the needs of the Chinesepeople. The 100cc “Qiao Ge” (JOG) and“Fu Xi” (FORCE), which appeared on thestage in September 2003, are becomingmore and more popular in the market; andin May 2004, Zhuzhou Jianshe Yamahalaunched the brand new “Li Ying” (Mag-nificent Eagle) on the Chinese market.The brand new look and design of itsengine as well as its motorcycle-type

Our reporters: Mr. Shen Junqiao (left), Vice Division Man-ager, Corporate Planning Division, Mrs. Wang Zhi (right),chief editor of the company magazine Ling Feng.

SERIAL 45

Zhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

Providing Society with

Every April cherry trees bloom in the company’s “Sakura Garden”

The “Li Ying” is becoming a part of new Chinese lifestyles

The company headquarters building

styling express Yamaha’s innovative con-cepts in small displacement motorcycledesign.

The ultimate aim is customerjoy and satisfactionZhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha dedicates itselfto efforts aimed at providing customerswith products of high quality, and at a rea-sonable price. In our current three-yearplan, we are taking “Full of dreams andexperience of Kando, based on standardsand practices thatreflect who our cus-tomers are” as ourcorporate principle.By the year 2006, thecompany is deter-mined to reach a pro-duction goal of200,000 units peryear, while joiningthe wisdom andpotential of both theJapanese and Chinese sides to extend prod-uct life and quality so that we can “Providesociety with outstanding and unique prod-ucts manufactured by Zhuzhou JiansheYamaha.” In this way, the company willcontinue to pursue its mission of bringing

the people of China lifestyles that are fullof new joys and true satisfaction.

The Yamaha brand isa symbol of “highquality” in the con-sumers’ hearts, but theprice of Yamahaproducts haveremained relativelyhigh compared withother brands. There-fore, Yamaha prod-ucts carry an impres-sion that might be

likened to “highbrow art and literature.” Inorder to enable more consumers to experi-ence the convenience and pleasure Yamahaproducts can bring to their lives, ZhuzhouJianshe Yamaha has develop large-scalepromotional activities that travel around the

Hunan (China)

Geography: Hunan lies along the middlereaches of the Changjiang River, with Dongt-ing Lake in the north and the Central XiangHills in the central region (Xiang is the short-ened form of Hunan province), with the rest ofthe province being mostly mountainous.Typical Cuisine: Hunan cuisine is one of theeight famous cuisines of China. It is charac-terized by abundant use of oils, dark colorand sour and peppery seasonings. Thefamous dishes are Dong An chicken (DongAn is a placename), La Jiao Zi Ji (pepperychicken), Niu Zhong San Jie (a dish consist-ing of beef tripes, soy sauced beef tendonsand brain), Cha Shao Gui Yu (barbecuedpork and Gui fish) and Yi Ya Si Chi (one duckeaten in four different ways), etc. Specialtyrestaurants are famous for Chou Doufu (friedbean curd with fragrance) in Changsha.Regional literature: Drum drama with itsharmonious melodies, lively forms and con-versational speech has become popularthroughout the province. And because drumdrama reflects the realities of everyday life, itis deeply loved by the people.Hunan celebrities: There is a saying that tal-ents flourish in Hunan, and indeed many ofmodern China’s leaders, from Mao Zedong,Liu Shaoqi and Hu Yaobang to Zhu Rongjiare all from Hunan.


■ Hunan Province, China■ Capital city: Changsha■ Area: 210,000 km2

■ Population: 65.02 million

Unique Quality Products

country. Since October 2002, we have heldour “Yamaha new-product traveling show”in more than 20 provinces and citiesaround China. Such large-scale activitiesbring the world-famous brand Yamaha intoordinary people’s family life and boostsales of Yamaha products. At the sametime, they have served to build the Yamahabrand image in more customers’ hearts.Another aspect of promotional activities atZhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha are our rich andcolorful annual programs of recreationaland sports activities, such as soccer, basket-ball and volleyball matches, Chinese chesscompetitions, performance, outings, artworks shows and more. Such activitiesenhance the sense of team unity, improveemployees’ motivation and cul-tivate their devotion to the com-pany through active and pas-sionate participation. All ofthese activities are helping usbuild a corporate culture that isuniquely local but also in linewith the worldwide YamahaMotor group’s philosophyexpressed by YMC’s corporatemission of “We Create Kando –Touching Your Heart.”

A Yamaha “Ling Ji” to circle theglobeOn August 7, 2003, Mr. Chen Liangquan, a citi-zen of Suzhou city, set off from the central Chi-nese city of Suzhou on a journey around theworld. He is riding the “Ling Ji” cruising motor-cycle produced by Zhuzhou Jianshe Yamaha.Since then he has passed through Nepal, Pak-istan, Afghanistan, Iran and the UAE. ChenLiangquan said before his departure that whenhe was choosing what vehicle to use, friends inSuzhou recommended the “Ling Ji” cruiser. Sofar his trip is going well. When the road condi-tions are smooth, he travels 1,000km per dayand when the conditions are not so kind, hestill travels 500km daily. 41-year-old Chen Liangquan has had thedream of traveling around the world by motor-cycle since he was a child. In 2003, after the

Red Cross in Suzhou employed him as their“Humanitarian and Peace Emissary,” the ideaof spreading humanism and peace throughoutthe world by motorcycle came to his mind. Heplans to spend 10 years completing this greatjourney through 160 countries. The startingpoint and the end point of his trip are Suzhou,China and Chinese Taipei respectively. Inaddition to his humanitarian mission, this trip isalso sure to show the quality and durability ofthe Yamaha “Ling Ji.”

Product quality is ensured by skilled, professional workmanship on theassembly line

The “Yamaha new-product traveling show” has visited over 20provinces and cities around China

Employees participate avidlyin company-sponsoredsports activities like basket-ball

Mr. Chen Liangquan inAfghanistan on hisworld tour on a Yamaha“Ling Ji”

Zhangjiajie, famous for its rare mountains and beautifulrivers, is one of the most popular scenic spots in Hunan


T his year’s annual YamahaEuropean distributor meeting washeld on the Greek island of Rhodes

over three days from July 12 to 14. Theevent was held on a completely differentscale from previous years, as 505 repre-

sentatives from 475 key dealerships across Europe joined 165 reps fromdistributors in 30 European countries. The drive behind the joint distribu-tor-dealer convention was the induction of a new marketing program inEurope that seeks to make every dealer a “Yamaha Brand Ambassador.”This first pan-European dealer incentive meeting aimed at communicat-ing vital program information and the shared goals for the coming seasonat an early stage. Last September’s meetingand new model launch for key Europeandealers at the Paul Ricard circuit in Francewas a big success, but thanks to the coopera-tion of the host nation’s distributor,Motodynamics, as well as the other distribu-tors from each European country and theYamaha Motor Europe N. V. (YMENV)staff, this year’s convention surpassed expec-tations, reaching a larger scale and with aneven more extensive agenda. For the distrib-utors the agenda included introductions of

Grand scale “European Convention 2004” launches new European brand policy plus new models

the new business vision and long-term goals, marketing seminars foreach model and the spectacular launch of the new MT-01 model. For thedealers it covered dealer education, early information transfer, prior evento any information transfer to the European press, and the introduction ofthe new Yamaha brand strategy and marketing vision in which they willnow play a key role. A magnificent launch was held for this year’s anx-iously awaited new model, the MT-01, beating to the rhythm of aJapanese drum performance that stressed the “Kodo” (pulse) conceptbehind its big V-twin engine. “This event is a tangible result of YMENV’s new marketing directionsfor enhancing Yamaha’s brand values and strengthening relationshipswith our key European dealers, who are the true ambassadors of our

brand with regards to our customers. Its con-cept proved to be successful and gave us theconfidence to further develop the overallPTW marketing strategy” said Mr. RobertLandman, Div. Manager, Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) Marketing & Sales atYMENVFrom Catherine Hauet, PTW MKTCommunication,YMENV

Greece

The MT-01 with its big V-twin engine is the hot new model for 2005

A Japanese drum performance accompa-nied the MT-01 introduction, accentuatingits “Kodo” (pulse) concept

YMC President Hasegawa addresses theEuropean distributors and dealers

The “European Convention 2004”gathered 505 dealers and 165 distrib-utor reps from 30 European countries

From left: YMUS PresidentKato, Chad Reed, PresidentHasegawa

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to Chief Editor Rika Niwa of the PR Division,

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<[email protected]>


India

“Truly, Yamaha” theme of new brand-building campaign

The attending dealers with YMI's President Yanagi (forth from right)

W ith a population of over a billion peopleand a steadily growing economy, India isone of the world’s largest potential motor-

cycle markets, with annual demand already exceed-ing five million units. In order to win a larger sharein this market, Yamaha Motor India (YMI) hasrecently launched an ambitious campaign aimed atuniting everyone from the factory workers whobuild the Yamaha brand motorcycles at YMI’s fac-tories to the dealers and service people, who sell andservice them, under the same brand philosophy andgoals. Adopting the slogan “Truly, Yamaha,” thecampaign stresses the unique quality that theYamaha brand can offer the people of India. Thecampaign’s start corresponds with the launch of YMI’s new “Fazer,” a stylish 125cc 4-strokemodel conceived and developed specifically to answer the needs of the Indian customers who areready to move up to a higher quality machine. This model joins the already popular Indian mar-ket models “Libero” and “Crux” to give YMI a strong lineup for its nationwide dealers to rallyaround. Following the company-wide launch of the “Truly, Yamaha” campaign at the end ofMay, YMI organized national dealer and press meetings on July 4 and 5, followed immediatelyby the Fazer release on July 7. Expectations are high that these efforts and a stronger conscious-ness of the Yamaha corporate mission of “We Create Kando – Touching Your Heart” will differ-entiate Yamaha from the competition and raise its brand image in this competitive market. From Noriaki Miyaji, Sales and Marketing Operations, YMI

The stylishness of the new“Fazer” was accentuated witha post-meeting fashion show

USA

The kick-off for the 2005 model year was held on June 15 as nearly 3,000people representing over 1,000 Yamaha U.S. dealerships, filled an image-enriched ballroom. The audience was welcomed with dramatic, 2-story

high images projected around the room and a video presentation featuringYamaha customers enjoying the “lifestyles” our wide range of motorcycles andATV’s provide.YMC President Toru Hasegawa expressed his heartfelt appreciation for anothersuccessful year, and stressed the overall importance and impact of the U.S. busi-ness contribution to Yamaha worldwide. President Hasegawa thanked each deal-ership for their “brand building” efforts and the resulting impact on so many cus-tomers’ lives.

Following Mr. Hasegawa’s welcome, YMUS President Steve Kato introducedYMUS’s new business directions and welcomed the new team operationalleader, Mr. Dennis McNeal for the motorcycle group, and Mr. Mike Martinezfor the ATV group.Dennis and Mike then presented a variety of new models and product improve-ments throughout each segment. As the presentation concluded, dealers entereda dramatic new display area featuring giant murals depicting customers’ favoriteplaces to ride, bringing each product to life.The following day, dealers attended Star Marketing seminars, determined togrow their cruiser business. From YMUS Motorsport Group

President Yanagi introduces “Fazer” at the press conference

At the Dealer Meeting

YMI Deputy General Manager, Mr.Rajiv Pruthi

YMUS Business Meeting Report

Indonesia

Dealer workshop builds commitment toYamaha water purifiers

F rom June 27 to 29, Yamaha Motor Nuansa Indonesia (YMNI), a company spe-cializing in the manufacture and marketing of water purifiers, held its 2004 deal-er workshop meeting at Jogjakarta, a famous ancient city in Borbodule. Eleven

dealers and twenty-five staff participated in this workshop, where YMNI explained itsYamaha water purifier sales promotion plan for the second half of 2004 and introduceda new model, the OH-200. As part of the promotions for this new model, it is featured on a huge billboard in cen-tral Jakarta along with Yamaha’s corporate slogan for Indonesia, “Selau Terdepan”(Always One Step Ahead). All in all the workshop was a great success in terms of pro-moting mutual understanding and ensuring stronger dealer commitment to these impor-tant water purification systems that can bring clean and healthy water where it is need-ed in Indonesia. From Satoshi Hoshino, Water Purifier Division, YMC

Indonesia

First Yamaha Flagship Shopopened

P .T. Yamaha Motor KencanaIndonesia (YMKI), the mar-keter of Yamaha motorcy-

cles in Indonesia, held a grandopening for the first of a series ofYamaha Flagship Shops beingbuilt across Indonesia. Located inthe central Java city of Semarang,this shop will be a prominent and

functional symbol of YMKI’s efforts to further strengthen its motorcyclesales network based on Yamaha’s “3S” (Sales, Service and Spare Parts)policy. Some 400 guests including the mayor of Semarang, representa-tives of the police and a large number of Yamaha dealers gathered onJuly 8 to celebrate the opening. The shop boasts a large 800 sq. m show-room to display all the Indonesian market models in all their color varia-tions, as well as import models like the YZF-R1 and customized bikes.The same facility also features a large-capacity service center and aregional office of YMKI. Besides the showroom function, this facilitywill also be used as a center for dealer education and CCS activities. In2005 two more flagship shops will open in Jakarta and Bandung. From Toshifumi Kubota, Regional Affairs Center, YMC

Indonesia

YIMM celebrates 30th anniversary

On July 17, a grand ceremony washeld to celebrate the 30th anniver-sary of the founding of P.T.

Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing(YIMM) as a manufacturer and distributorof Yamaha motorcycles in Indonesia. Thevenue was the Shangri la Hotel in the capi-tal, Jakarta, and in attendance were some 350 guests, including YMC’sPresident Hasegawa, YMAC’s President Iio, YMAP’s PresidentYokota, President Quisumbing of the Philippine distributor Norkis andDivision Manager Hoe Boon Meng of Hong Leong Singapore. Joiningthem were main dealers and suppliers from around Indonesia, relatedbank representatives, members of the press and managers from YIMMand YMKI.In his congratulatory address, President Hasegawa stressed the impor-tance of Indonesia for the Yamaha Motor group and promised YMC’sfull support toward further development of business. This was followedby a speech in which YIMM’s President Takahashi explainedYamaha’s middle term directions for the Indonesian market andpromised to work together with the dealers and vendors to make theYamaha family in Indonesia an outstanding business group that willachieve new growth moving forward. After this, the participants enjoyed a video tracing the three decades ofYIMM with many nostalgic scenes of the company’s growth over theyears. From Eiji Tada, Sales & Marketing Division 2, YMC


All the dealers made a commitment to expand water purifier sales

The new OH-200 model is featured on a big billboard in central Jakarta

YIMM’s President Takahashi pledged togrow Yamaha business in Indonesia

At the finale of YIMM’s gala 30th anniversary celebration

The new Flagship Shop opened in Semarang willbe a model of Yamaha “3S” and CCS activities inIndonesia


the factory where their Yamaha mopeds are originally built. The shops them-selves will have a quality image with high-quality furnishings and profession-al staff trained not only in the theoretical and practical skills required for top-level service but also in proper customer handling, so they are ready to givequick reliably service at a reasonable price and in a friendly atmosphere thatinspires trust. This program is already attracting a lot of attention in the industry and amongthe customers because Yamaha is the first motorcycle manufacturer to openspecialized service outlets like these in Vietnam. This fact will surely helpdifferentiate Yamaha and its brand image from the other makers. Also, theshops will accept motorcycles of other manufacturers for repair work, inorder to further build the integrity of Yamaha as the professional servicechoice. Of course, all this fits in with YMVN’s policy of promoting CCS(Customer and Community Satisfaction). At the same time it will serve to

increase consciousness ofYamaha V.I. (Visual Identity)both among the sales and ser-vice network in Vietnam andamong the customers. Plans call for a network of tenmore YFS shops to be openedacross the country by the endof the year. From Amane Kojima,Marketing Division, YMVN,Vietnam

Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd. (YMVN) has launched a new ser-vice program aimed at winning customer trust in Yamaha as No. 1in reliable service and quick parts supply in the competitive

Vietnamese market. Called “Yamaha Factory Service” (YFS), this directYMVN-managed service shop program is designed to convince customersthat if they visit a Yamaha authorized service shop like the new YMVN-managed Yamaha Factory Service shop opened on June 3 in Ho Chi MinhCity, they will get the same competent service and technical expertise as at

First Yamaha multi-brand service shop opens in Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam

On June 30, the Yamaha distributor for Ukraine, DC Panavto, organizedthe country’s first Yamaha marine dealer meeting ever. Held in thecapital, Kiev, the meeting was attended by representatives of 30 deal-

erships from around the country. The enthusiasm of the dealers to get the lat-est Yamaha outboard motor and WaveRunner models to their customers wasclear from the start. The meeting offered an opportunity for representativesfrom Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. (YMENV) to introduce the Yamaha “3S”policy that is the foundation of the marine sales network policy and promo-tional efforts. It was also the chance for the distributor DC Panavto to explainits market strategy. With extensive river systems like the Dnepr and a longcoastline along the Black Sea, Ukraine is a market with large potentialdemand, and the dealers showed their desire to expand Yamaha product sales. From Yuichi Oshige, Marine Marketing & Sales Division, YMENV

First Yamaha marine dealer meeting held Ukraine

The first Yamaha Factory Service shop opened in Ho Chi Minh City in June

Australia

Y amaha Motor Australia Pty.Ltd. (YMA) has recentlylaunched an initiative toraise the level of customer ser-vice in the Australian marine andmotorcycle industries. Called thePlatinum Dealer Program, this initia-tive has been developed to highlightdealers who show exceptional levelsof customer service for sales and service. Wherever customers see the

Platinum Dealer logo, they will be sure they are receiving the highest

level of service offered within the marine and motorcycle industries.

To qualify for Platinum Dealer status, YMA dealers must undergo

extensive scrutiny. This includes being rated by both Yamaha and the

customers alike. The applying dealership must also have available the

required number of special tools for the Yamaha product range, staff

must attend all training courses and will be tested for knowledge of

the Yamaha product, technical service and spare parts operations.

Dealers that meet all the requirements receive Platinum status, but this

status can be removed should dealer standards drop. In which case the

dealer has three months to rectify all shortcomings or face losing

Platinum status. Says YMA spokesman Sean Hawker: “Many customers feel appre-

hensive when they enter dealerships. The Platinum program has been

developed to ease those concerns.” Customers will know a Platinum

dealer by its outdoor sign, promotional activity and website listings.

Technicians are also supplied with special Platinum dealer caps and

badges to further reinforce elite status.From Sean Hawker, Advertising and PR co-ordinator, YMA

Dealerships winning PlatinumDealer status will post this signoutside their shop to show theyoffer the best service available

YMA introduces Platinum DealerProgram

Besides outboard motors and WaveRunners, Yamaha motorcycles and ATVs were also displayed atthe meeting venue in Kiev

Netherlands

Rossi talks track with YamahaEurope group employees

I n the Netherlands for the June 23 Dutch GP, Yamaha’s MotoGPace Valentino Rossi stopped in for a visit at the Yamaha MotorEurope N.V. (YMENV) headquarters. Some 300 employees

from YMENV, Yamaha Motor Distribution, Yamaha MotorNederlands, Yamaha Motor Finance Europe and Yamaha MotorRacing turned out to hear Rossi talk about the 2004 MotoGP. Tenpeople had been chosen from among applicants to put questions toValentino at the meeting, and everyone was delighted in his infor-mative and often humorous answers to their queries about thethings everyone at Yamaha headquarters were anxious to know:what is it like riding for Yamaha and on the YZR-M1 machine,why Rossi chose the number 46 for his race machine, and what hisexpectations are for the remainder of the season. The event alsoincluded a sweepstakes where the winner received a signed Rossihelmet and commemorative photosof Valentino with the differentYamaha group divisions groupedaround the M1 in the NV headquar-ters lobby. And plenty of happyemployees got personal autographsand photos with the Yamaha ace. From Kazuhiro Nonaka, YMENV,Netherlands

Russia

Dutch adventurers “Ice Ride” LakeBaikal on XT600

In past issues of Yamaha News we have followed the adventures ofDutch couple Rob and Dafne de Jong on their five year long around-the-world tour on a sidecar-fitted XJ900. Passing by Siberia’s great

Lake Baikal on that trip, they were told that winter was the season totravel in Siberia because you could drive right across the frozen riversand lakes. Those words inspired Rob and Dafne to enlist the help ofYamaha Motor Netherlands to prepare a pair of XT600s for a wintercrossing of Baikal. The modifications included a heating system for thecarburetors to prevent fuel system freeze-up at temperatures that fall to40 degrees below zero, spiked tires for riding on ice and a sidecar for oneof the bikes to carry their gear. They also fitted larger windshields andheated handgrips and obtained helmets with heated visors, heated glovesand socks. Boarding a train in Moscow, Rob and Dafne traveled 5,000km to Irkutsk on the shores of Baikal. From there, they traversed the riverChita before venturing onto Baikal, which local rangers had determinedhad a strong enough ice cover to cross. Camping on the frozen lake wasan unforgettable experience for the couple with the constant “singing” ofcracking in the shifting ice. Greeted by local television in the town ofSeverobaikalks, Rob and Dafne were told that they were the first knowncrossers of the lake on solo motorcycle. From Dyonne van Es, YMENV, Netherlands


Participants listen intently to the instructor

Rossi delighted the employees with hiswit at the question session

Rossi astride the M1 with Yamaha group staff

On thin ice? The de Jongs' "Ice Ride" was the first single-bike crossing of Lake Baikal

The Yamaha motorcycle distributor for the West African nation of Nigeria, JohnHolt & Company, recently held six days of Yamaha Riding Academy (YRA)rider instruction courses in which a total of 130 users were educated in proper

riding technique and daily bike inspection and maintenance practices. Most of the par-ticipants in the city of Enugu were licensed taxi bike operators of the local Mototaxifederation. The city is presently involved in a campaign to reduce traffic accidents andthe YRA training courses were very well received. In addition to prominent coverageon local television and newspapers, the state governor presented John Holt with a spe-cial certificate of appreciation for its contribution to traffic safety. Equally well-received YRA courses were taught in the capital Lagos by YMC’s instructors, Mr. Tohand former race rider, Mr. Kato. In addition to boosting the Yamaha brand in Nigeria,John Holt is also confident that these educational activities will lead to favorable con-sideration for the Yamaha motorcycle for public sector procurement. From Ryosuke Nishijima, OMDO, YMC

Yamaha demonstrates commitment to rider educationNigeria


Over an adventure-filledeight days in May,Guatemalan national

Francisco “Franny” Arredondomade a successful crossing of theCaribbean Sea from Guatemalato Cuba on a Yamaha FX140WaveRunner. At times bravingbad weather and high seas,Franny completed the cross onhis FX140 flying a Guatemalan flag from his flag pole to present as afriendship gesture to authorities who greeted him on arrival at the MarinaHemingway of the Cuban capital, Havana. At the same time, Franny wasundertaking an athletic feat of endurance that his supporters hope will beregistered in the Guinness Book of Records. Starting by motorcycle onMay 15 from the Guatemalan capital, Guatemala City, Franny first traveledto the city of Coban, where he ran the 30th Coban International HalfMarathon before continuing on to the Dulce River to mount hisWaveRunner and head out to sea. With an air mattress strapped to hisFX140 and shark-deterring sonar, his plan was to eat and sleep on the 2.5 x1 meter watercraft all the way up the coast to Mexico and across theYucatan Straits to Cuba without setting foot on land once. In fact, badweather and high seas caused several delays in his start across the YucatanStraits. Still, the dauntless Franny reached Cuba on May 25. Mission com-plete! Francisco “Franny” Arredondo also competed in the last Dakar Rallyand he completed the race! From Eddy Bregni, Canella, S. A., Guatemala

Caribbean friendship crossing onFX140 WaveRunner

Guatemala

Franny and his Yamaha FX 140 WaveRunner

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on June 3, 2004, for the exportmodel Yamaha TT-R125 produced in Brazil and destined for mar-kets in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Oceania and

South Africa. Attending the ceremony in Manaus were State Secretary ofFinance Isper Abrahim, the superintendent of planning for Manaus, Mr.Oldemar Lanck, President Jim Gentz of Yamaha Motors Sports U.S., aswell as journalists, business associates, employees and guests. The currentpercentage of local part supply for the TT-R125 is 47 to 55 percent andwill rise to 76 to 80 percent in 2006. Some 21 thousand units will be mar-keted by the end of this year. The managing president of Yamaha Motor do Brasil Ltda (YMDB), Mr.Tetsuo Uchiyama, gave a speech at the ceremony in which he thankedYamaha Motor Corp., USA for the opportunity it gave them the mainexport market for the model. “With this release we are moving another steptoward increasing the manufacturing capacity of Yamaha and inside of alittle time, Brazil will be a production and supply center of motorcycles forthe world market. The quality and cost are in agreement with internationalstandards of competitiveness,” said Mr. Uchiyama. YMDB has ISO 9001: 2000 certification and plans to be ISO 14001 certi-fied by the end of 2004. From Marcel Mano, Brazilian Yamaha Motor Group, Brazil

Line-off of export model TT-R125in Brazil

Brazil

A Yamaha TT-R 125 goes through the final linetest before being created

Presidents Gentz and Uchiyama toast the newYamaha TT-R 125

On May 24 and 25, representatives from 36 Yamaha distributorsacross the Caribbean region gathered in the Puerto Rican capital,San Juan, for the Yamaha Caribbean Regional Meeting 2004. The

market conditions have changed a lot in the eight years since the lastregional meeting had taken place, which meant plenty to discuss and anumber of new programs to be introduced.The Yamaha representatives came with measures to tackle the new chal-lenges of recent years, like the influx of low-priced products from Chinaand other countries, and the growing range of Yamaha products now beingmanufactured at overseas bases with the potential for more competitivepricing. Mid-term sales strategies and goals for outboard motors, motorcy-cles, ATVs and generators were also discussed. The second day of the conference included test rides for the overseas-man-ufactured motorcycles and boats with Yamaha outboard engines, enablingthe distributors to experience their uncompromising Yamaha quality.Everyone left the meeting withrenewed confidence thatYamaha is ready to meet thechallenges of the new marketconditions and maintain its posi-tion as the quality brand it hasalways been in the Caribbean. From Harumi Yamashita,OMDO, YMC

Caribbean distributor meetingembraces “Creation & Challenge”

Puerto Rico

The Caribbean distributors showed their satisfaction after a pro-ductive meeting

Yamaha distributor for Finland,Yamaha Arwidson(Konekesko Oy) has found a

happy new customer in the FinnishPostal Service. The postal service hadused scooters since the beginning ofthe sixties, but gradually their usedeclined with the introduction of carsas mail service vehicles. Later, enter-ing the 90s, scooters were introducedagain to see how they would bereceived by the letter carriers. Recentlythey chose to use a specially equippedversion of the Yamaha BW’s NextGeneration with new plastic body additions injection molded by a localcompany to carry front and side postal bags. The original BW’s blue colorfits the Postal Service perfectly, and the exact same color was used with thenew plastic moldings as well. For winter use the scooters are also equippedwith studded tires to ensure good traction. The scooter is perfect for subur-ban neighborhoods. From the moment of delivery the Finnish postal ser-vices is very satisfied with the BW’s. A promise has been made already topurchase more units in the near future.From Melvin Weel, Powered Two Wheeler Marketing & Sales, YMENV

Postal service likes BW’s scooters for letter delivery

Finland

Finnish mail carriers are pleased with theirnew BW’s scooters


Bahamas

The Royal Bahamas PoliceForce have taken delivery of40 XJ900P police bikes on

June 2, 2004, and it was the first timeto introduce Yamaha police bikes inthe Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The credit goes to aggressive market-ing efforts of Harbourside MarineLimited located in Nassau on theisland of New Providence. The prima-ry business focus of this Yamaha dis-tributorship, which was established in2001 by the current president, Mr. IanRademaker, has been the outboardmotor market. They sell over 600units annually in a full range of mod-els–such as the Enduro seriesdesigned for commercial applicationsand all the way up to high-perfor-mance motors for pleasure use.

In addition to marketing, they have put a great deal of effort into after-sales service and strengthened their parts supply capabilities, movesthat have firmly established the high quality of Yamaha’s brandimage in the Bahamas and have helped it achieve No. 1 position inmarket share for outboard motors. The police in the Bahamas had purchased police bikes from aYamaha competitor, but decided to switch over to the XJ900P policebike in consideration of Harbourside Marine’s attention to detail intheir after-sales service and their all-around system of customer sup-port. These acclaimed service and parts supply activities have also ledother government agencies to Yamaha products as well. From Harumi Yamashita, OMDO, YMC

Royal Bahamas Police Forcestep up to the XJ900P

UAE

O ver the two days of May 30 and 31,DIMC (Dubai International MarineClub) in Dubai, UAE, was the venue

for WaveRunner Riding Academy courseswith two important purposes that impressedon local authorities and marina staff the seriousness of Yamaha’sdedication to educating customers in the proper use of personalwatercraft. On the first day, representatives of the press were invitedto participate as instructors from YMC, Mr. Shibata and Mr. Itakuratrained staff of the local Yamaha distributor, AL YOUSUFMOTORS (ALY), to become certified YRA instructors. On the sec-ond day, the ALY staff instructed beginner and experienced users inthe fundamentals of safe riding, proper use and maintenance of thePWC and proper manners and precautions for responsible PWC rid-ing. The curriculum included two hours of classroom instruction andtwo hours of actual practice on the water. Timed trial runs on aslalom course also added to the fun and interest of the event. The importance of CSR activities like this will be further stressed atthe upcoming regional dealer meeting in August. From Hirotaka Itakura, ME Company, Japan

WaveRunner Riding Academypopular success in Dubai

Royal Bahamas Police Inspector Laroda andthe new fleet

Police representatives accepting delivery ofthe XJ900P fleet. ( left to right) OfficerFerguson, Inspector Laroda, HBS Vice-presi-dent Nick Rademaker, Sergeant Pinder

The WaveRunnerRiding Academy par-t icipants with theircourse completioncertificates

available on the circuit, while all other Yamaha models were available fortest rides on public roads. In addition, YMG had a test parcourse for theXT660X, scooters, ATVs and a special PW50 area for the kids. All in all,YMG prepared about 100 test machines and the visitors made around3,000 test rides. These rides were arranged in groups of a maximum of 10riders headed by professional guide riders. Another focus of the Summer Festival, of course, isthe entertaining of the guests. On the paddock therewas a stunt rider who made a impressive show on aR1 and on a Slider, while another R1 rider made aneven more exciting show on the track. There was alsoa free-style MX and Quad show. On Saturday nightthere was a live concert with the cover band

“Fishermen’s Friends,” whichended up with a 15-minute longfireworks display.On Sunday there were more test-ride sessions, with thefestival ending in the afternoon. Although the weatherwas not always nice, the event was a great success withmany happy smiles on the faces of the visitors andprospective Yamaha owners. For YMG, however, thebottom line is that this kind of event is very importantfor customer relations. From Karlheinz Vetter, YMG, Germany

Over the weekend of July 3and 4, almost 10,000 motor-cycle enthusiasts gathered at

the Oschersleben circuit in the east-ern part of Germany for the YAMA-HA Summer Festival 2004. Thissummer festival is a big customer

event as well as a big promotional event for Yamaha Motor DeutschlandGmbH (YMG) where the visitors are given the chance to test the full lineof Yamaha 2-wheelers and also the ATVs. Also, many dealers fromaround the country participate in order to get closer to their customers.The test ride sessions began on Saturday morning in the different test sec-tions: the R series models, the FJRs, TDMs, Fazers, FZs and XJRs were

1) Send us your text or an outline of the contents, making sure to specify who, what, when, where, why and how details.2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution photos with explanations. 3) Submissions received in Japan by the 20th of odd-numbered months will be considered for the next issue. Notice of when your article will appear in YN will be made after the editing process. Send your articles to me, (Ms.) Rika Niwa, at the address below. Address: 2500 Shingai Iwata Shizuoka Japan E-mail: [email protected]

To have your topic included in Yamaha NewsWorld Topics:

YAMAHA Summer Festival 2004 in Oschersleben

In addition to test rides for theadults, there was a special PW50area for the kids

Almost 10,000 bike enthusiasts gathered for YAMA-HA Summer Festival 2004 in Germany

Germany

Under its “Keep Minimum” campaign slo-gan, Yamaha Motor is committed to con-serving energy and reducing the company’soverall output of carbon dioxide (CO2) as agreenhouse gas. Now, with the adoption ofenergy-saving cogeneration systems at itsNakaze factory in April, the office buildingsat the corporate headquarters in Iwata inJuly and the headquarters factories in Octo-ber of this year, it has been possible toachieve big reductions in energy consump-tion and CO2 emissions. The combinedenergy savings from these three sites will bethe equivalent of a roughly 6% reductioncompared to their 2002 consumption, andin terms of CO2 output this will result in anapproximately 10% reduction. Cogeneration systems reclaim the heat pro-duced from generating electricity by burn-ing natural gas, fuel oil or other fuels anduse that heat effectively for other purposessuch as building air-conditioning and heat-ing or water boilers. The new cogenerationinstallations employ three diesel-burninggenerators (each 515 kW) at YMC’sNakaze factory, a single 800 kW dieselgenerator at the headquarters office build-ings and two 5,820 kW gas-engine genera-tors at the headquarters factories. Thereclaimed heat energy from these genera-

tors is used for air-conditioning and heatingat the factories and office buildings and forthe cleaning equipment at the painting fac-tory. YN: How is use made of the heatproduced by generators? Besides using it directly in the buildings’air-conditioning and heating, it can also beused in various manufacturing processes inthe factories. At nuclear power plants, forexample, sea or river water is used to coolthe reactors and generators and that heatenergy is lost. But with cogeneration wemake use of that heat energy. YN: Are there cost advantages tocogeneration as well? Because the tax rates on electricity and gasare different in each country, it is hard tomake generalizations about cost advan-tages, but it is important to consider the factthat only about 35% of the initial energycontained in the fuel burned at a conven-tional power plant is converted into usefulelectricity by the time it reaches the user,including the loss that occurs in the electric-ity supply grid. However, if you generatethe electricity at the place where it is beingused you can achieve a much higher energyconversion rate of 70 to 80%. By makingeffective use of the heat from the generatorsat our three new cogeneration sites we havegotten a clear cost benefit. YN: This year three cogenerationsystems have been installed. Howwere they chosen?In order for these systems to be beneficialyou have to have uses for the heat pro-duced. We chose these three sites because

there were immediate uses, like in the paint-ing and pre-painting processes at the Nakazefactory and air-conditioning and heating atthe headquarters office buildings. YN: Are there any unique Yamahaqualities to these systems? The generators we have installed are amongthe world’s most energy-efficient. And thegenerators for the headquarters factorieshave been installed next to our Ace Plantincineration facility to enable an integratedenergy management system. YN: What are your plans goingforward? In the future we definitely want to installcogeneration systems at our other facilities,so we have to find ways for the reclaimedheat to be used effectively in the differentmanufacturing processes. For example, tomelt aluminum for the casting process, the400 C heat that you can get from a cogener-ation system isnot really useful.But we are goingto try to find solu-tions. Our missionis to find ways toreduce energyconsumption andCO2 emissionsthroughout ourcorporate activi-ties, and we arealso asking all ouremployees to findways to do thesame at home intheir daily lives.

The generator installed at the headquartersfactories is run by a V-18 engine with adisplacement of 360 liters and cylinderbores of 30 cm. This generator suppliesroughly half of the factories’ electricity

To find out more about these systems we spoke to Mr. KohjiSuzuki (left) and Mr. Kiyoshi Nakazaki of the EnvironmentalFacilitiy Office of YMC’s Motorcycle Operations Headquarters

Energy-efficient cogeneration cuts energy consumption and CO2 output at YMC facilitiesEnergy-efficient cogeneration cuts energy consumption and CO2 output at YMC facilities

EXPRESS

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Yamaha GMT94 team grabs World Endurance title

This was the first World Endurance series title for the YZF-R1(From left) the Yamaha GMT94 team riders: William Costes,David Checa and Sebastien Gimbert (from the Suzuka 8-hour)

At the Oschersleben 24-hour Endurance Race, 5th round of theWorld Endurance Championship series held in Germany onAug. 14 to 15, the Yamaha GMT94 team completed 883 lapson their YZF-R1 to win the race and clinch the season title. Therace was a head-to-head battle with the Suzuki EnduranceTeam that saw the lead change hands time and again until theSuzuki team was forced to drop out with mechanical problemsaround midnight. From there GMT94 coasted home to victoryand a double helping of series points due to the fact that this isthe only 24-hour race in the series. That was enough to givethem the season title with one round remaining.

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

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Public Relations Division 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan Telephone: 81-538-32-1115, Facsimile: 81-538-37-4250

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

The new “LUXAIR” launched onthe Japanese market in April2004 was developed by Yamaha

as the only 25 ft. Japanese market modelsalon cruiser to feature a flying bridge.Usually a prestigious feature of largeryachts, the flying bridge lets the captainoperate the boat from a bridge above thecabin. But on a boat of the 25 ft. class, aflying bridge is rarely seen because itraises the boat’s center of gravity and canthus decrease running stability. With theLUXAIR, however, long years of accu-mulated boat design data and the latestanalysis technologies were used to createthe widest hull in the 25 ft. class. In addi-tion, the position of the cabin and flyingbridge were lowered to produce a lowercenter of gravity and thereby further con-tribute to running stability.

In response to the trend towardlarger engines in today’s yachts,the LUXAIR has been designed tomount combinations of reliable,

environment-friendly Yamaha 4-strokeoutboards, like a single F225A (225 hp)or twin F150A (150 hp x 2), to meetdiversifying needs of users’ marine life.And, because it is designed for outboardpower, a larger deck space is available.The hull also features with a sculpturalchine (S-CHINE) that enables an opti-mum combination of great stabilitydespite being topped with a flying bridgeand natural steering characteristics. TheS-CHINE is thicker at the central area ofthe hull for better stability while thewater-cutting stern chine is shaved downto a shape that ensures a good forward-aft lift balance and natural heeling angle. In order to make the best possible use ofthe limited onboard space, the secondhelm seat usually located in the cabin hasbeen eliminated in favor of a single

upper helm on the flying bridge, allow-ing a one-room cabin design with an ovaltable and a multiple-variation layoutdesign to accommodate different num-bers of passengers or situations. Thisincludes the options of a flat seat onlyalong the bow side or all the way aroundthe cabin to enable over-nights on board.The interior is coordinated in warm col-ors to make it a nicer place for gatheringand relaxing. Also, a large front windowwith distinctive lines makes for abrighter cabin interior in the daytime andbeautiful views of the starry sky at night. The flying bridge has seating for threeadults, while the bright, spacious cabinhas room for six adults to relax. The newLUXAIR is a salon cruiser designed forcomfortable living space and pleasurablepiloting in a refreshing atmosphere. Andin it is born a boat that exemplifiesYamaha’s concern for quality and beautyof design right down to the smallestdetails.

25 ft. Flying Bridge Salon Cruiser“LUXAIR”25 ft. Flying Bridge Salon Cruiser“LUXAIR”

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