Today, Yamaha had a media day to off the outstanding capabilities of two of their off-road bikes, the XTZ 125 and the Japanese-made Serow 250. Members of the press were shuttled to the Batangas Yamaha facility, where they were ushered through a tour of one of the plant’s manufacturing buildings, and taken on a step-by-step walk through of the backbone assembly process.
Though the shorter of two lines, the media tour showed off the process that allows a bike to roll out of the facility in just under three minutes, starting out in about a dozen or so separate bins. The media guests were witness to the precision of the highly-trained workers who miss nothing down to the last bolt and pin.
After the plant tour, members of the press were invited to give the bikes a spin on the closed dirt course. We were among those who were able to take the bike out on the track, and we found the bikes to be very stable, even on the bumpy dirt track we were presented. The XTZ 250 has great balance, and a quite a bit of torque for a rather sprightly trip around corners, when it really wants to go. Power delivery was smooth, particularly for a single cylinder machine, and easy to get to know, even for a dirt newbie such as myself.
The Serow 250, on the other hand was a beast, more than happy to show off by offering loads of power on tap. It was a little scary coming straight from the smaller 125, but with after a lap or two, was quite easy to handle. The bike was of exceptional quality, having been built entirely in Japan, and, save for a few minor points, is exactly the same bike as is sold in the Japan domestic market. Fuel injection, excellent balance and a low, comfortable seat height make for a bike that’s a pleasure to ride even on rough terrain.
The XTZ 125 is available now through Yamaha dealers for PHP 81,900, and the Serow 250 will be available in a month for PHP 229,000.