OF all the Japanese manufacturers, it’s Yamaha that’s been on a roll for the last couple of years with a huge campaign of new model launches that have proved to be incredibly accurately targeted at just the parts of the market that are crying out for new blood.
Whether we’re talking about the new MT-branded models or the R1 and R3 it’s clear that Yamaha – on the rebound after several years of high prices and ageing models – is suddenly the standard bearer of affordable and high-tech offerings.
Yamaha’s achievements are all the more impressive in light of the market conditions; they’re picking up but still nowhere near the heady pre-financial-crisis days, and Japanese brands in particular are disadvantaged in Europe by difficult exchange rates that have eroded the traditional price advantages they hold over the European manufacturers that are perceived to be more ‘exotic’ or ‘exclusive’ than their eastern cousins.
Despite this, only a few European firms, benefitting from currency fluctuations and increasing market-shares during the financial crisis, have been anything like as active as Yamaha when it comes to new model launches (BMW and Ducati in particular have taken the opportunity to completely revamp their ranges during the ‘crisis’ period, with Triumph hot on their heels.)
Leafing through the most recent Government vehicle licencing figures, which show the exact makes and models of new bikes registered for the road in the first six months of 2015, reveals exactly which Yamahas are doing best.