Yamaha Tricity scooter unveiled

Within a year of showcasing the 125cc Tricity three-wheeler bike, Yamaha has launched the production version of the scooter. What will delight most Yamaha scooter aficionados is the fact that the new Tricity’s design hasn’t been altered much and it looks as snazzy and futuristic as the concept model. According to the Yamaha, the Tricity has been developed to attract the non-riding members. Since it’s a three-wheeler, one doesn’t have to worry about stability and it will be faster and cheaper alternative than cars for urban commuting.  

The Tricity features two wheels at front and one at rear and the highlight of the scooter is its Leaning Multi Wheel (LMW) mechanism. This system allows the front wheel to lean and tilt alongwith the chassis while cornering. The Yamaha Tricity is able to do so because of a parallelogram link that enables the rider to lean the scooter like any conventional two-wheeler. Another key component in its handling is the special tandem-type cantilevered telescopic front forks that feature two separate tubes for each wheel. Apart from maintaining the distance between the twin front wheels while cornering it also helps in providing good ridequality over bumps. 

Powering the Tricity is 125cc, liquid-cooled and fuel-injected mill which is claimed to pump out around 11PS of power.  The motor transmits to the rear-wheel via a conventional CVT transmission. Braking is done by 220mm front discs and 230mm rear disc with a Unified Brake System (UBS). The UBS is similar to the Combi Brake System (CBS) found on the Honda Activa applies both the brakes even if just the rear brake is applied. This system is beneficial under emergency braking as the distance of braking is reduced by close to 15 per cent. One of the key criteria’s while developing the Tricity was to keep the weight as less as possible to improve the scooters manoeuvrability. The Tricity tips the scale at 152kg, which is good for its dimensions and employs a lightweight tubular frame alongwith cast alloy wheels. Like any conventional scooter it has under-seat storage for storing a half-face helmet while the instrument cluster is all-digital. The Tricity has been launched in Thailand, where it is manufactured and will debut in the European market in the next few months and will priced at less than €4,000 (Rs 3.2 lakh).