SPECULATION is rife that Yamaha is planning a sports-tourer using the three-cylinder MT-09 engine, after the firm applied to trademark the name 'FJ-09' in the US.
Yamaha submitted an application to the US Patent and Trademark Office on February 25 to use the name on 'motorcycles, scooters, three-wheeled scooters and structural parts for all the aforesaid goods'.
The letters 'FJ' have historically been used to name the firm's tourers, including the current FJR1300. Past tourers carrying the moniker include the FJ1200 and 1100.
Yamaha has made no secret of plans to use three-cylinder engines. In 2012 the firm unveiled a concept triple engine which it said came with a cross-plane crank, Moto-GP derived technology used in the R1.
The MT-09 engine is an 847cc triple with a 120° crank making a claimed 115hp and 64lbft.
Previous new bike models to first emerge through trademark applications include Ducati's Diavel.
Yamaha also has a tendency to give machines different names for European and US markets. In the US, the MT-09 is called the FZ-09.
