In a time when test tracks are going up for sale, Yamaha is building a new test facility in Japan.
The Kikugawa Test Course was originally supposed to be started in 2009 and completed by next fall, but the recession dealt that plan a blow. Now, construction should start soon, but with a reduced budget.
The track will cover 121 acres and feature a 1.18-mile closed course, a little shorter than the originally-planned 1.86-mile course. Yamaha doesn’t just plan on testing crotch rockets at the facility; they hope to evaluate small-displacement bikes intended for developing markets, so it’s not just a flat race grid. It features dusty and hilly sections, for an added real-world testing environment.
This will be Yamaha’s largest test track in terms of area; they also have four other test tracks as well, all located in Japan.
