June 3, 2008

Fun Times At Yamaha

Fairly often while working at shows and events, we will get asked the question of whether we ride/boat/drive or otherwise partake in using the products we sell.

Well let me state clearly, here and now that YES, most of us working at Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. enjoy our products in one form or another. And why wouldn’t we? It should come as no surprise to anyone reading these blogs, that the majority of Yamaha items that hit the road or dirt or water are more fun than the proverbial barrel of monkeys.

But finding enough time to play with, er, I mean evaluate all the different models is not so easy when we are so busy making sure they get into the hands of our dealers and subsequently into the hands of our customers. It is (after all) our job to make sure that Yamaha is here for the next 50 years (at least).

But as the saying goes, all work and no play…… So each year when the winter weather breaks into warmer days of spring, our corporate ‘bigwigs’ invite all of the field staff to a top secret resort in Ontario (Resort Tapatoo) where for 2 days, the meetings are relentless and the coffee and snacks are welcome breaks. But the 3^rd day… ?

This is the demo day. That’s demo meaning demonstration, not demolition. We get to find out first hand how well the new outboards work and if the prop really does bend when you bang it off a rock (hmmm that wasn’t there last time), or how smooth the new motorcycle is when riding down those fantastic Ontario roads after 5 months of winter carving holes in the blacktop, or how deep the mud hole is out on the latest and shiniest ATV, and if the northern Ontario lake really is just above freezing when we fall off the EHO (Enormously High Output) new model Waverunner.

And providing we don’t mess up in a moment of judgment lapse, the bigwigs sit back and smile (muttering under their breath something about kids in a sandbox) but knowing we have all experienced the latest technology from our engineers in a real world environment. This kind of staff training is priceless and one of the reasons Yamaha has been recognized as one of the top 100 companies to work for, in Canada.

So just to prove to you that we do, in fact, enjoy these awesome products as much as you do, I’ll include some photos from our recent event.

And now, I have to wipe the silly grin from my face and get back to work…..

Cheers,

DS

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2 Responses to “Fun Times At Yamaha”

1. Derek O'Brien says:
   

   hi, my question is very simple. i have heard rumors of a YZF-125R being built. Is there any truth to this or is it just a rumor?

   well Derek, jut between us… outside of the product planning boardrooms it is a rumor and anything discussed inside is a secret…. stay tuned, there is going to be an announcement for some new models in a couple of days…

   cheers
   cr

   June 3rd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
2. Dave S says:
   

   Well lookie at that will you? Derek wasn’t just hearing a rumor about the YZF125R. It really does exist. Check out “motorcycle news” (google MCN) or fastbikes from the UK and you will find write-ups on this cool little bike.
   Too small for Canadian roads for the most part though. Shame.

   September 12th, 2008 at 9:31 pm

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