Yamaha Motor Australia press release:

Perfect spring weather conditions and a sea of Yamaha Blue greeted visitors to the inaugural Australian Motorcycle Festival at Wollongong Harbour on 9-10 November.

Yamaha Motor Australia staff, dealers and helpers were on hand to greet a reported 19,800 showgoers to ensure attendees made the most of what Yamaha had to offer.

Months of planning and hard work by Yamaha Motor Australia staff paid off with the harbour-side Lang Park area transformed into a Yamaha wonderland for all ages. The interactive customer extravaganza showcased the full range of Yamaha products – including a host of latest releases – and promotions.

The main Yamaha pavilion drew a constant crowd eager to check out the latest release motorcycles and WaveRunners, as well as Yamaha’s huge 425HP V8 XTO outboard boat motor and interactive Yamaha Helm Master docking simulator.

Yamaha Genuine Parts and Accessories and Shop Yamaha provided a popup retail outlet to display a large range of accessories and merchandise, and to answer any questions from customers about getting kitted up with the best Yamaha gear. A highlight for the team was taking entries from showgoers to win $750 worth of Yamaha apparel and merchandise. A happy snap posted to Instagram was all it took for @coopercarriage to claim the prize.

YMF/YMI debuted its new Tenere 700 virtual reality 360-degree experience, providing visitors of all ages the opportunity to test ride the soon-to-be released middleweight adventure bike – in the virtual world. The recently announced 1% YMF p.a. comparison rate finance offer and 20% discount on YMI insurance ensured the team were kept busy across the weekend.

The Yamaha fun extended beyond the gates of the Festival with Yamaha motorcycle test rides. With assistance from Yamaha’s bLU cRU partner, motoDNA, a test ride route through the winding roads of Wollongong’s picturesque escarpment provided riders with the opportunity to experience an extensive range of Yamaha models. More than 160 riders enjoyed the winding 45-minute test route on a fleet of 17 bikes from the NMax scooter and Leaning Multi Wheel Niken, through to the new 2020 YZF-R1 Superbike.

Youngsters were also given an opportunity to join in the high-octane fun, with the bLU cRU pop-up kids fun bike come-and-try arena taking pride of place at the centre of the sprawling Yamaha precinct inside the festival area. Under the watchful eye of the team from Oates MX, the next generation of motorcyclists were let loose on a fleet of Yamaha’s popular PW50 and TT-R50 fun bikes as well as the YFZ50 fun ATV.

Thanks to the expert riding tips and encouragement from the coaching staff, more than a hundred youngsters aged 5-10 years old – many first-time riders – quickly got the hang of the controls, filling helmets with huge smiles.

There was also plenty of action on the water. The Illawarra is blessed with some of the best coastline New South Wales has to offer, so it was easy to see why WaveRunner test ride experiences were snapped up quickly. The Yamaha Marine team made the most of the warm weather getting out on the water aboard Yamaha’s race-inspired VXR, supercharged GP1800, and the new-for-2019 naturally aspirated and supercharged FX models. 65 people enjoyed a spirited ride along the Wollongong coastline, some returning for a second sample. Visitors without a PWC licence were not left behind, enjoying a fast-paced pillion ride with one of the experienced Yamaha Marine staff.

Also enjoying a prime waterfront location was the Kids fishing workshop. The fun learning experience run by NSW Fishcare Volunteers on the shore of Wollongong Harbour, let kids discover the relaxing and enjoyable sport of recreational fishing with a series of fun activities. A mountain of prizes and giveaways were handed out to everyone who took part.

Showgoers taking part in the Yamaha supported Ride Sunday charity event enjoyed taking the scenic route to the festival with VIP parking provided on arrival. The annual ride raises funds for men’s health via the Movember campaign. In addition, Yamaha Motor Australia raised more than $4000 for Variety Children’s Charity at the event.

When the sun went down on Saturday night, the action shifted up a gear with the Yamaha-sponsored third round of the Australian Supercross Championship held at WIN Stadium – adjoining the Wollongong Motorcycle Festival area.

CDR Yamaha rider Luke Clout capped off a top weekend for Yamaha fans by taking the round win ahead of teammate Daniel Reardon, much to the delight of the Yamaha bLU cRU supporters that packed into the main grandstand.

The high-revving action wasn’t contained to WIN Stadium. Dave McKenna drew cheers from the crowds that flocked to the stunt arena. Plenty of tyres were fried by McKenna and his high-powered MT-09 stunt bikes.

For those bitten by the bug at the event, the Yamaha Training Academy was happy to explain how easy it is to obtain a motorcycle, boat, WaveRunner or RPAS (Drone) licence, as well as information about a career with Yamaha Motor Australia.