Yamaha’s special bike for Malinga

Sri Lanka’s ‘designer’ cricketer Lasith Malinga is probably the only cricketer in the world who would soon own a custom-made motorcycle from the world famous Yamaha motorcycle company.

Malinga, with his ‘goldie locks’ designer hair styles – apparently one per overseas tour – that has drawn a lot of attention and colour, is a Yamaha fan himself and rides a motorcycle on his way to practices, AMW, local agents for Yamaha said.

Yohan de Zoysa, General Manager for Yamaha in Sri Lanka told The Sunday Times FT that this is the first time that Yamaha is designing a special custom –made Gladiator bike for a world class cricketer.

“The sales of Yamaha Gladiator bike have risen by 19 percent within a short period of one month after Malinga became our Yamaha brand Ambassador,” he said adding that sales is expected to rise by between 20 % - 25% for Gladiator within the next few months. Malinga’s bike is now reaching its final stages in a state of –the – art Yamaha manufacturing plant in Japan.

The concept and design of the bike has been done by the world –renowned Japanese bike designer Matsuo while the manufacturing process is under the constant supervision of an expert team of bike specialists.

The motorbike will be gifted to Malinga and the company proposes to make 500 bikes of the same model initially. Yamaha is also offering 300 local bike enthusiasts to purchase a Yamaha bike custom made to their specific requirements.