Yamaha T135 Pan ASEAN Tour Thailand

After running 4,500 kilometers in Indonesia from November 17 to December 11 last year, the Yamaha T135 Pan ASEAN Tour has conquered Thailand.

Yamaha Motor Company (YMC) kicked off the Thailand leg of the Yamaha T135 Pan ASEAN Tour last January 13 during a press conference held at the Montien Riverside Hotel in Bangkok. The Tour is part of YMC’s campaign to promote their new T135 motorcycle model in ASEAN countries by touring Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines and covering 15,000 kilometers. The tour is also an endurance test for the T135, which is Yamaha’s latest underbone/commuter motorcycle to hit the ASEAN region, which YMC considers as their biggest global market.

The Yamaha T135 features Yamaha’s technologically-advanced DiASil cylinder and lightweight forged aluminum piston for durability while its 4-valve and roller rocker arm valve train promotes the development of additional power at the upper engine ranges. A new diamond-type frame ensures a robust platform for the new liquid-cooled engine while a rotary four-speed transmission with semi-automatic wet clutch leg handles the shifting assignments before delivering the power via chain drive to the rear wheel. 17-inch wheels shod with 70/80 tires transfer the power to the pavement while front disc and rear drum brakes provide sure-footed stopping power.

The liquid-cooled T135, known in Indonesia as the Jupiter MX was ridden by yours truly and Dino Directo III of Manila Standard Today through 4,500 kilometers of Indonesian roads from Jogjakarta in Jawa (Java) Island to Medan in Sumatera (Sumatra) Island. The Jupiter MX came through the Indonesian leg without a single problem, except for the occasional flat tire that three of the riders experienced. After the Indonesian leg, the bikes were shipped to Thailand for the second leg of the Yamaha T135 Pan ASEAN Tour. The T135 is marketed as the "Spark 135" in Thailand.

Norkis Trading senior vice president Manuel Gaspar "Boy" Albos, Jr. sent Aris Ilagan of Manila Bulletin and Zandro Fajardo of OZ Racing Riding Gear to represent the Philippines in the Thailand leg, billed as "Spark 135 Pan ASEAN Tour Thailand". The Thai Tour started from Chiang Rai last January 15 and ended at Hat-Yai, Songkhla last Sunday, January 29. The 15-day Tour covered 3,248 kilometers through 14 cities and fielded riders representing six countries namely Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Next stop for the Yamaha T135 Pan ASEAN Tour will be Malaysia and Singapore in February and Vietnam in March. The T135 will be introduced in the country as the Sniper 135 when the Pan ASEAN Tour culminates in the Philippines in May. Norkis-Yamaha is planning to start the Philippine leg in Cebu and pass through Leyte, Samar, Sorsogon, the Bicol region, Quezon, Lucena, Batangas, Laguna, Tagaytay then north to Subic, Dagupan, Vigan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Clark Field, Pampanga and finally in Manila. Watch for these tours in the pages of The Philippine STAR.