The Asian market is chock full of fun and quirky two-wheelers folks in the U.S. and Europe have never seen before. These bikes take the form of a variety of shapes and sizes and are designed as utilitarian machines with everyday workers in mind. Take for instance, the good old Honda Cub, a no-frills commuter designed to shutte you from point A to B in comfort and efficiency.
Yamaha, too, has a utilitarian scooter that it continues selling in Japan, and it’s called the Gear. Refreshed for the 2023 model year, the Yamaha Gear is available in three versions—Standard, News Gear, and Parking Stand—each of which with unique features setting themselves apart from one another. Designed with practicality and efficiency in mind, the Gear trundles along with a liquid-cooled, four-stroke engine displacing no more than 49 cubes. This engine means that it’s good for just 4.3 horsepower, meaning the Gear is about as beginner-friendly as it gets.
Diving into a little bit more detail about the specific variants, the Gear is offered in three versions, with the standard version being a lightweight, no-frills scooter. The News Gear is designed specifically to haul newspapers, although I doubt that’s still something people of Japan read on a daily basis. Nonetheless, the front-mounted basket should make it really easy for people to carry their groceries and personal belongings around. Last but not least is the Parking Stand Gear, which is basically the standard Gear, but with a center stand.
Pricing and availability-wise, the new Gear is expected to hit the Japanese market by December, 2022. The Standard Gear will retail for 260,700 Yen, which translates to around $1,765 USD. Meanwhile, the News Gear retails for 271,700 Yen, which makes out to around $1,840 USD. Last but not least, the Parking Stand Gear is the priciest of the bunch retailing for 282,700 Yen, or approximately $1,914 USD.
