Motorcycle Insurance

Valentino Rossi is to begin testing Yamaha's new YZR-M1 on Monday, even though he will be in action on Sunday in the Japanese round of the MotoGP championship.

The official MotoGP website claims that the Italian's current equipment is to be shipped off to Australia for the next race while he will remain in Japan to help with the development of the bike.

According to team manager Davide Brivio, Yamaha is seeking feedback from Rossi about parts that may feature on the 2009 bike.

"We are busy with building the 2009 prototype that will be used during the winter test, starting from Valencia after the race," Brivio commented.

It is a "good opportunity" for Rossi to find out if the new design is moving in a "good direction or not", he added.

The Italian rider currently heads this year's championship, having secured 287 points heading into this weekend's race.

Motorcycle insurance customers in the UK were recently given the chance to see Yamaha's new flagship model, the 200hp VMAX.

Bikers attending this month's Brighton Burn-up were able to catch a glimpse of the new bike, as well as many of the manufacturer's other models.

Simon Belton, from Yamaha Motor UK, said that the firm had been "desperate" to unveil the bike to the British public.

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