Yamaha slashes prices by up to £500

Yamaha has cut back on the prices of some of its biggest selling bikes. The firm’s decision means there are big savings to be had on new R1s, Fazer 1000s and TDM900s.

The decision comes just weeks after Honda cut its prices; a move that Suzuki would claim it pre-empted with its own reduced prices announced at the NEC Show in November.

Not only are Yamaha buyers getting better deals, they are getting more choice, too. Yamaha exclusively revealed to MCN that it would be importing three new models for 2003: The TT600R four-stroke off-road bike, the novice-friendly, enduro-styled TT250R, and the all-new TZR50 two-stroke single-cylinder mini R1, all of which can be seen on the right.

Yamaha’s new cut-price deals include £500 off the R1, taking it from £8899 to £8399, and a similar amount off the Fazer 1000 – down from £6999 to £6499. The TDM is also down by the same – from £6499 to £5999.

But the heavily revised R6 (tested against its rivals in Motor Cycle News this week) remains at £6999, the price originally quoted at the end of last year. That could make life hard for it against Honda’s £6799 CBR600RR.

Like Honda, Yamaha claims these cuts are the result of a hard look at its business and say these are permanent price reductions, with no plans to introduce further offers mid-year.

Read more on this story, and the full test of the Yamaha R6, in Motor Cycle News, out February 5. To comment on the story, follow the link on the right to post a message on the News message board.