2001 Yamaha Wr426 & Trailer on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Jorge Lorenzo Gets His Motorcycle License

2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo has earned his A2 Spanish motorcycle license. Last month, we learned Lorenzo was practicing for the test on a Yamaha YB250R motorcycle, and now the Yamaha factory racer has completed the practical portion of the test. Here he is pictured with his riding teacher Xavi Vallejo (and wouldn’t it be cool to tell people you taught a MotoGP World Champion how to ride a motorcycle?).

Shawn Higbee Wins On The Brough Superior Taylor Made Racing Moto2

In only its second race appearance, the Brough Superior Taylor Made Racing Moto2 bike competed in the WERA F1 and B Superbike events on April 27th at the Autoclub Speedway in Fontana, California, run in conjunction with the first round of the GEICO Superbike Shootout, presented by Yamaha. During the F1 race, rider Shawn Higbee moved up to as high as 2nd place from a 5th row start on the Brough Superior TMRGP2 bike.  The TMRGP2′s lightweight all carbon fiber chassis and 600cc Honda powerplant demonstrated impressive cornering speed on the tight infield sections but could not match the top speed of the heavily modified 1000cc F1 bikes on the long straights. On the last lap Higbee was shuffled back to 4th place at the finish line.

Yamaha to Cut Motorcycle Production in 2009

With mounting inventories coupled with a drop in demand, Yamaha will be cutting its motorcycle production in Japan by 24 percent this year or to about 260,000 total units; one newspaper reported this would be a 40-year low for the manufacture. Yamaha plans to cut production for motorcycles and other products by 30 percent in the Americas, 20 percent in Europe but will maintain production levels in Asia where demand has not dropped off. The company is forecasting its group sales to fall 22 percent with an operating loss of about $300 million.