JUST days ago we questioned what had become of Yamaha’s plans to launch a new 250cc sports bike for the 2014 model range – and now we have our answer.
The firm has just unwrapped its new R25 concept bike at the Tokyo Motor Show, and apart from the fact it’s got a race exhaust and no lights or indicators, it’s exactly the machine we were expecting.
Powered by a 249cc parallel twin, with fuel injection and a six-speed transmission, its styling is pure mini-M1 MotoGP bike; in other words it’s exactly what Yamaha needed to make. Specs are thin on the ground – there’s no power or weight mentioned – but it looks like a tidy little machine, with a simple-looking tubular chassis and conventional right-way-up forks suggesting it could follow the bargain pricing of the MT-09 when it reaches production.
It will be sold all around the world when the production version is released, with Yamaha confirming it’s intended for Japan and Europe as well as emerging markets.
The firm’s official spiel is:
‘“A superbike you can ride every day” is the development concept behind the “R25,” a 250cc sport bike mounting a newly developed in-line 2-cylinder engine on a lightweight, slim and compact chassis that shares its look with the “YZR-M1” MotoGP machine. It boasts a powerful and sporty ride in the high rpm range while being easy to handle. The R25 is positioned and offered as an entry-model in the sport bike category for developed markets like Japan and Europe, and as a top performance sport bike for emerging markets, primarily throughout Asia.’
