New from Yamaha for 2006 comes an all-new TTR50. Up until this point, Honda, with their CRF50, owned the mini bike market, but Yamaha intends to change that. And with a bike that has tremendous features, they have a great shot of meeting their goal of making the TTR50 their best selling off-road motorcycle. To get the full details on the TTR50, we sat down with Yamaha’s P.R. guy Terry Beal.

 

 

 

“The concept behind the TTR50 was to bridge the gap between our highly successful PW50 and two of our other bikes, the PW80 and the TTR90. The 90 was successful with the electric start, and we were looking for a bike to bridge the gap.”

 

“The number one thing that sets this bike apart from everyone else’s is the electric start. Our competitor doesn’t have an electric start on this version, which makes teaching kids how to ride so much easier. Now you don’t have to get off your bike to help the young rider kickstart their bike. They can just push the button themselves and it gives them confidence. When you have confidence it’s easier to learn how to ride motocross and you’re more relaxed. If you add the electric start with the low seat height, the throttle limiter, and under parental supervision with all the right gear on, this is the safest thing a kid could do under the right conditions.”

 

“We have an increased involvement from GYTR, our in-house accessory arm of Yamaha. GYTR has really stepped it up. The TTR50 is their new platform, and once the child learns the skills of the stock TTR50 and they want to become bigger backyard racers, this allows them to step up to the next level.”

 

“We anticipate that this bike will be the most sold TTR in our lineup, which in turn will make it our best selling off-road motorcycle. The PW50 and the TTR125, depending on the year, are typically our biggest selling bikes. Our enthusiasm with the TTR50 is that it is all-new, and it looks just like a YZ so the kids have that heritage with Chad Reed and David Vuillemin. We anticipate that this will be the best selling bike in Yamaha’s off-road lineup.”

 

“We did not name it a YZF50 because we have a full line of TTR’s, from a TTR90 to a TTR250. That is our line of off-road bikes. All TTR’s are electric start and the 50 is an electric start as well. It fits perfectly in that segment.”

 

 

“The bike offers features that make it easy to learn on. It has a low seat height, throttle limiter, a three-speed semi-automatic transmission, and it’s a smooth four-stroke with good suspension. The best feature of all is that it’s $150 less than our competitor. The parent gets to push the button on the electric start and they have extra money to buy their child a new helmet or pair of boots.”

 

SPEC SHEET:

 

MSRP* $1,149 (Team Yamaha Blue/White) Available from July 2005

Engine

Type 49cc, air-cooled, SOHC, four-stroke, single w/electric start

Bore x Stroke 36mm x 48.6mm

Compression Ratio 9.5:1

Carburetion 13mm Mikuni VM with electric heater

Ignition CDI

Transmission 3-speed automatic centrifugal clutch

Final Drive Chain

Chassis

Suspension/Front Inverted fork with 22mm sliders

Suspension/Rear Monocross, single coil-over shock absorber

Brakes/Front 80mm drum

Brakes/Rear 80mm drum

Tires/Front 2.50-10-4PR

Tires/Rear 2.50-10-4PR

Dimensions

Length 51.4″

Width 23.4″

Height 30.5″

Seat Height 21.9″

Wheelbase 36.4″

Ground Clearance 5.3″

Dry Weight 119 lbs.

Fuel Capacity 0.8 gallon

 

Warranty 90 Day (Limited Factory Warranty)

 

*Price and specifications subject to change without notice.