KEEPING UP WITH THE NEIGHBOURS

With the storm that was the financial crisis beginning to blow itself out, in 2012 the Japanese manufacturers were starting to see the dark clouds that had been hanging over them from 2008-onwards parting. Finally, having battened down the hatches for so long, they were ready to respond to Europe’s challenge. But their confidence was dented…

Kawasaki had been the bravest of the ‘big four,’ taking on BMW’s revolutionary S1000RR head-to-head a year earlier when it launched the updated Ninja ZX-10R that boasted a similar level of electronic assists for the first time. Now it was the turn of Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha. Or was it?

“YAMAHA MADE