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Associated Motorways Ltd. yesterday launched the Yamaha MT-15 to the Sri Lankan market at a packed event held at Waters Edge.
Referred to as the ‘Return of the Samurai – signifying The Dark Side of Japan,’ the MT-15 is the ideal vehicle for the ‘fast and the furious’ as well as the ‘young and the restless’!
Attended by dealers, motor enthusiasts and the media, all those present were able to witness firsthand the superior features of this magnificent, super fast bike and ride it as well.
A highlight of the launch was the presence of Sri Lanka’s popular musical duo Bathiya and Santhush who are Brand Ambassadors for Yamaha motorbikes, while Fushimi Sho from the Yamaha Motor Corporation Japan, was also present.
The brand DNA of this magnificent vehicle is that it is fast, exciting, sporty and stylish, an amazing combination that is guaranteed to ‘rev your heart’! In short it can be called a racing bike suitable for an urban lifestyle.
“The booming bike culture that is prevalent worldwide today makes the MT-15 a must have for all bike enthusiasts. It is agile, masculine in appearance as well as being a racing bike – with built in urban comfort,” said Fushimi Sho, speaking at the launch.
“Harking back to the glory days of Japan and the reign of the Samurai, the MT-15 not just meets, but exceeds expectations. It is innovative and user friendly with a FI mechanism which has multiple benefits. The Yamaha brand symbolises high quality and innovative products, services and corporate activities that reflect Yamaha’s commitment to its customers around the world. The mission of the Yamaha brand is to create kando together with their customers, to help enrich people’s lives worldwide and to contribute to the communities and cultures we all value,” said Fushimi Sho.
“The Yamaha Motor Corporation has advanced the ‘MT World,’ based on its torque, agile and hyper naked concept, as bringing a new character to motorcycles. Beginning with the MT-09, the Yamaha Motor Corporation has developed a product range including the MT-09 Tracer, MT-07, MT-03, and MT-25 that is perfectly in sync with user needs, and which has won strong popularity worldwide.” AMW Director Passenger Vehicles Yohann De Soyza said that the MT-15 known as the ‘Dark Warrior’ is in Sri Lanka for the first time.
“Globally, Yamaha has steadily maintained different categories in order to match lifestyle and preferences of customers. ‘The Dark Side of Japan’ combines different aspects of the motorcycle world to produce an unconventional, unique and brutal product which is the MT Series. These aspects are torque, agility, riding position, body design and controls. It is the master of torque – a dark side that lay in defining Yamaha’s uniqueness to create intense excitement. In Sri Lanka Yamaha enjoys an overall market share of over 20%, while in the 150cc category they have a market share in excess of 60%. “We are confident that with the launch of the 2019 MT-15 which comes with a host of upgrades, we can further increase our market share.”
Elaborating on the features of the MT-15, Yamaha Deputy General Manager Zahran Ziyawudeen said: “The upper, wide handle position enables more agile handling, while it also has a negative LCD Instrument panel. It has a bi-functional LED headlight, is hyper naked, is equipped with a MT-look LED position light, LED tail light, Deltabox frame, Single Channel ABS, 282mm diameter disc brake, 155cc liquid cooled SOHC 4 valve engine, a variable valve actuation system, two-speed transmission, along with assist and slipper clutch. The MT-15 comes with an advanced MT design complete with the MT DNA. It has a dynamic front assembly, short tail section, as well as a LED vertical tail lamp.”
Ziyawudeen went on to say that the benefits of the F1 mechanism are that it is lifelong, is easy to repair when compared with that of a carburetor, there is no choke or starter, has easy cold starting in all weather conditions, has more power coupled with fuel economy, works in any temperature without any adjustments as per the conditions, and is less prone to gumming unlike the carburetor.
The MT-15 is also equipped with headlight view, a first in Sri Lanka.
AMW, a household name in Sri Lanka, offers reliable, modern, customer solutions in the automotive industry across the sectors of tyre manufacturing (retreaded and new), automobiles (passenger cars, trucks and buses, three wheelers, motor cycles, marine products and generators), lubricants and financial services, ensuring successful delivery of their promise of superior performance, service quality and customer convenience through a committed workforce and network throughout Sri Lanka. “Established in 1949, and a pioneer in the country’s automotive industry, AMW is a household name, synonymous with superior service and product reliability, with more than 69 years of service experience,” said Group Managing Director Brandon Morris .
The MT-15 will be available in matt or metallic black, as well as dark matt blue and is available island wide from Yamaha’s 245 plus sales dealers, with after sales services and spare parts also being available. Attractive leasing terms have also been arranged.
