Yamaha sets target of building engines using recycled aluminium by 2030

By 2030 the materials used inside some of Yamaha’s motorcycle engines will look a lot different, according to the Japanese manufacturer. 

That’s because Yamaha is set to transition away from its conventional virgin aluminium material in favour of recycled aluminium alloy.

The move is intended to have several positive effects, including reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 47,000 tons annually. 

Yamaha became the first company in the world to successfully develop and deploy the DiASil Cylinder in 2002, which is an all-aluminium cylinder design that requires neither an iron sleeve or plating to be used. 

Some of the benefits with the system include excellent wear resistance, seizure resistance, and heat dissipation.

The DiASil Cylinder is also a material that reduces weight compared to other methods, which is always a good thing when it comes to motorcycles and scooters, as well as improved recyclability, and lower manufacturing costs.

But until now, Yamaha has only used virgin aluminium alloy as the raw material for its DiASil Cylinders. 

“This is because conventional recycled materials contain trace amounts of impurities, making it difficult to meet the quality standards required for DiASil Cylinders in terms of metal microstructure, surface properties, corrosion resistance, and other characteristics,” says Yamaha. 

But in order to move away from this design method, Yamaha started building a recycled aluminium alloy that produces traits very comparable to that of the virgin aluminium material.

Yamaha’s switch to the recycled aluminium alloy design is expected to be complete by 2030 across all DiASil Cylinder motorcycles and scooters, and it will first appear on commuter models in Indonesia, before a phased rollout takes place globally.

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