Yamaha Tricity trike launched

LAST year Yamaha showed its 125cc Tricity leaning three-wheeler as a concept bike. Now the production version has appeared and it looks all but identical to the preview version.

The firm’s design is intended to be lighter than rivals like Piaggio’s MP3, and with a wet weight of just 152kg it appears to have achieved it – undercutting the Piaggio by around 50kg.

Where the MP3 has leading link front suspension, the Tricity uses telescopic forks – there are two for each wheel, giving a total of four fork legs, although all are mounted between the wheels. The for tops are mounted on a pair of swinging beams mounted across the bike’s headstock area, allowing the whole thing to tilt.

Power comes from the usual 125cc, single-cylinder engine mounted as one with the twist-and-go transmission on the bike’s swingarm. It makes a claimed 11bhp.

Initial sales will be in Thailand, where the bike is built, but the firm is promising that it will be available in Europe and Japan before the end of the year.

<TRICITY Main Specifications>

Overall length/width/height 1,905 mm × 735 mm × 1,215 mm

Seat height 780 mm

Weight (dry) 146 kg

Weight (with oil and a full fuel tank) 152 kg

Engine type Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2-valve

Cylinders Single cylinder

Displacement 124.8 cm3

Bore x stroke 52.4 × 57.9 mm

Max. output 8.1 kW (11PS) / 9,000r/min

Max. torque 10.4 N·m (1.1kgf·m) / 5,500r/min

Fuel tank capacity 6.6 L

Fuel supply system Fuel injection

Transmission type V-belt automatic

Tire size (front/rear) 90/80-14 / 110/90-12 (both tubeless)

Brakes (front/rear) Hydraulic disc / Hydraulic disc

Suspensions (front/rear) Telescopic / Unit swing