OlE weEK IN NlPPON is E
Part " :
I
By John Ulrich
Six American , one Ca nadia n ,
and one Australian m otorcycle
publication editors were invited
by Yamaha Motor Co. , L td . to
aneight-day tour of Yamaha facilities
in Japan , starting August 1. To
someone who has never been there
before, J apan is overwhelming. It is so
different from any thing .seen in the
United States that it is difficult to
understand how motorcycles made
there work as well as they do in the
United States.The answer must be that
the Japanese are superb engineers and
mechanical magicians.
More on that later. I n the
meantime, please take alook at some
"Yamaha scenes as viewed through we
camera . Is that yo u r next b ike
trundling down the assembly line?
IBelow) Canada 's Georgs Kolesnikovs watches a test in the simulated
riding em issions control lab in Iwata. lBottom) TT500 engine is tested for
mechanical noise in an echo-/ess chamber in Iwata. Intake and exhaust are
soundproo fed . Microphone is in foreground. IAbove) Female test rider che
lights and takes a just-finished 400 for its first spin. Note temporary battery
clipped to rear frame rail. IAbove. far right! Tank design department keeps "
abreest of the competition.
IAbove) An XS1000 crankcase leaves preliminary machining at Iw ata.
lBelow) Frames start down the IwBta assembly line to meet engines and
"
other parts.
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