As part of our role with Yamaha we are here to help promote the car both externally and internally to the Yamaha family so this month we got the chance to attend the annual Yamaha bike dealer days at Silverstone.
Each year every Yamaha dealer gets the chance to come along to hear of new products and campaigns from Yamaha as well as get to ride the new bikes on road, on track and also off road bikes and this year they all got the chance to drive the new YXZ1000R.
None of the dealers had ever seen a a YXZ1000R so it was with some surprise when they arrived to see 4 all lined up in front of the Silverstone pits complete with one of the full blown FIA race cars as well so we think it fair to say it added some drama to the days events.
Dealer staff arrived in groups of 15-20 and we quickly got them strapped into the cars with all the safety equipment, safety is a priority in these types of events so each driver was accompanied by one of our experienced drivers to give tips and advice on how to get the best out of the car but also was securely strapped in with arm tethers, Simpson head restraints and all the water proof gear that we sadly needed for the two days – it was wet!
For the event we got the use of the famous Silverstone rally stage which was fun but we added a few bits of rougher sections to show off what the YXZ1000R can do, these cars are for real off road driving not just gravel roads!
Over the course of the two days nearly 80 dealers got the chance to drive a YXZ1000R and the response was overwhelmingly positive – “that was just amazing” seemed to be the most common comment as we extricated them from the cars. Even a couple of British Superbike riders who had a go came back impressed.
Over 500 laps of the rally stage, one roll over (no-one hurt) and zero mechanical failures or issues – another real World test of just how reliable these cars are.
The YXZ1000R is available from one of 6 specialist dealers across the UK but go into any Yamaha dealer now and ask what they think now they’ve driven one but allow for some time they will no doubt keep you there whilst they share their experience.