INTERVIEW: Yamaha to Launch 125 cc Moped Meeting New Regulations

Iwata, Shizuoka Pref., Dec. 18 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Yamaha Motor Co. plans to release a 125 cc moped model meeting new emissions rules in March, its president, Motofumi Shitara, has said.

The company hopes to make sure that "people find it easy to buy and ride" the new model, he said in an interview with media organizations including Jiji Press, held at the motorcycle maker's head office in the city of Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Wednesday.

As it is difficult for existing mopeds with engine displacements of up to 50 cc to pass the new emissions regulations, Japanese motorcycle makers are working to develop models complying with the new rules.

People can ride 125 cc mopeds meeting the new regulations with an existing moped license or a standard driver's license as their output will be curbed. "It is important to make them accessible for young people as their first motorcycles," Shitara, 63, said.

Yamaha is the second firm to announce a plan to launch a moped conforming to the new emissions rules after Honda Motor Co.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]