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Rumor: Yamaha Developing Inline Three Roadster

French motorcycle outlet Moto Revue reports Yamaha is developing a new three-cylinder middleweight. Citing an internal Yamaha document, Moto Revue reports the new naked model will feature an inline Triple engine, aluminum perimeter frame, upside-down fork and a triple-pipe exhaust like the MV Agusta F3 and Brutale 675. Yamaha has produced a Triple before, offering the XS750 from 1976-1979 before replacing it with the XS850 in 1980 and 1981 (pictured above is the 1981 Yamaha XS850.) The potential new model is still likely to be years away, so its look is yet to be determined, though Moto Revue does have a rendering that borrows some of the design elements from the FZ8.

Donington Park and the Roman rebel.

We know the sun always shines on the righteous and that’s exactly what happened last weekend at Donington Park. Yes its good honest people back in charge of the Derbyshire circuit so we saw summer sunshine for Friday’s free practice and also for WSB race two on Sunday. The circuit is better than ever with a new Esses section in place, and while the paddock remains unchanged, work has already started that will see gradual revamp over the year ahead.

Rainy BSB tests are nothing new

THE combination of bad weather in the UK and a European testing ban means that most BSB teams will now start the season with very little track time. This sounds like a disaster for the top teams but history has proved this isn’t necessarily true and it sometimes doesn’t matter how much pre season preparation has taken place.  Back in 2002 Sean Emmett won on the IFC Ducati at the opening Silverstone round after first riding it in unofficial practice the same weekend. Steve Hislop took the other win on Pauls Bird’s well sorted Ducati. More recently in 2009, Leon Camier took an untested new model R1 Yamaha to victory at the Brands Hatch opener after GSE took delivery of the bike just the week before. Sylvain Guintoli won the other race on a well developed, well tested Crescent Suzuki. You could argue if no one has had testing then it is a level playing field but you have to feel for riders moving up to the superbike class in the world’s toughest national series.  Tyco Suzuki’s PJ Jacobson is one such rider but having spent some time with him over the past few weeks he seems to be taking it all in his stride. It may be the confidence of youth or maybe the fact he has won in every other class he has entered in his short BSB career, but I suspect he fancies at least standing on the Superbike podium at Brands (He also does a bit of ice racing which is not dissimilar to the this year’s UK testing).  The testing ban was implemented with all the best cost cutting intentions and if it had been any other year in the past decade all would be well. The teams may be feeling frustrated but the fans should be excited. With so many unknowns, the 2013 BSB opener at Brands Hatch could be the best ever!