KIWI RIDER 08 2018 VOL.2 | Page 25

The big ticket item here is the electric start, so there are now no more excuses for slow restarts under pressure. A compact starter motor and ultra- lightweight lithium battery adds only minimal weight to the machine, roughly 1kg heavier than before, coming in at 106kg with fuel and oil ready to race. Larger radiators are coupled together with a new water pump and impeller to help keep things cool in tough race conditions, and should help to keep the engine reliable. SMART PHONE CONTROL Once I managed to get my head around how Yamaha’s new smartphone app worked, I was straight in there mixing things up and trying different maps to see what could be achieved, and if I could make a map that I liked. I love this new system because having the app on your smart phone is much more convenient and user friendly than the Yamaha’s old ‘Gameboy’ style tuner. After a bit of playing around I managed to create a map which let the bike rev nice and hard – the stock map felt With Yamaha’s new tuning features you have the power to tune the bike to perform exactly how you want it. a bit boggy in the soft loamy conditions on the day. Another feature I like is the dual map switch on the handlebar. I think this would be awesome in race conditions where the track is forever changing or if the track is wet and boggy in the morning but then dries out in the afternoon. With Yamaha’s new tuning features you have the power to tune the bike to perform exactly how you want it.