Yamaha Tricity

Yamaha Tricity (MW 125)
Manufacturer	Yamaha Motor Corporation
Production	2014 –
Class	Three-wheeled scooter
Engine	125 cc 4-stroke
Power	8.1 kW @ 9,000 rpm
Torque	10 Nm @ 5,500 rpm
Transmission	V-Belt Automatic (CVT)
Suspension	Front: Telescopic fork, Rear: Unit swing
Brakes	Front: single discs(x2), Rear: single disc
Tires	Front: 90/80-14, Rear: 110/90-12
Wheelbase	1,310 mm (52 in)
Dimensions	L: 1,905 mm (75 in); W: 735 mm (29 in); H: 1,215 mm (48 in);
Weight	152 kg (335 lb) (wet)
Fuel capacity	6.6 L (1.5 imp gal; 1.7 US gal)

The Yamaha Tricity is a tilting three-wheeled motor scooter made by Yamaha Motor Company. It was introduced to the Thai market in April, 2014^[1] after it was introduced in Japan market in September, 2014.^[2], and the european market in 2015.

Development

The tricity was developed by the Yamaha develop team in cooperation with race engineer Kazuhisa Takano. It is Yamahas first three wheeler and was developed because Yamaha have noticed Piaggios success with their MP3 models. Due to patent rights, Yamaha was not able to use the car-like suspension of the MP3, but instead choose a simplier double fork system. This brought the two front wheels too close togather for the Tricity to be licensed for car license drivers, meaning the Tricity missed out on the importante market of car license drivers looking for a motorcycle driving experience. Never the less, Yamaha were happy with their design and decided to market it against the everyday commuters and novice riders.

Reception

The online reviews of the Tricity are generally possitive. The model is credited for its stability, its ability to stay untroubled by poor road surfaces and its breaks, which are considered unusually good for a 125cc bike. Some reviewers have given negative creds for the engine, which they consider to be underpowered and a bit noisy with to short service intervalls.

Market reception

So far, the Tricity have not been the success Yamaha was hoping for. It failed on the Thai market and was not very successful in Japan or Europe eighter. It sold better in the Phillippines where 125cc or less bikes have a larger part of the motorcycle market than many other countries, and a 160cc trimkit is available. Yamaha dealers in Europe have reported the model failing to attract the novice riders, but instead it gained interset among older riders stepping down. Due to the lack of sales figures, further development is currently discontinued, making the 2016 model identical to the previous models.