THE year was 1973, the Vietnam war ended, the Sydney Opera House was opened, AC/DC performed their first Sydney concert and Yamaha launched their ag-bike.
More than 40 years on the AG100 motorbike model, which until now remained relatively unchanged and in constant production, is being replaced.
Yamaha took the opportunity at Henty Machinery Field Days to introduced the AG125 the successor to the long standing AG100.
Yamaha marketing supervisor, Lancy Turnley, said the AG125 will retain many of the features of the original as well as significant improvements.
“Farmers will use a bike until it stops, we have seen original ag-bikes which are still in working order, it’s a testament to Yamahas reliability.”
Yamaha have released the specifications of the AG125 which retain many features which will be familiar to users of the AG100.
“Familiar features to be retained is the location neutral at the bottom of the five speed gearbox.”
“This feature becomes a real bonus when you spend a lot of time opening and closing gates.
“The new AG125 not only shares easy-find neutral, but also a low first gear ideal for trailing behind stock without resorting to feather the clutch,” Yamaha stated.
Also retained are features such as a fully enclosed chain to protect from mud and dust.
Changes incorporated in the AG125 model include a snail-type cam for chain adjustment and replacing the twin shocks of the earlier model with a monoshock.
Yamaha have said braking will be delivered by low maintenance sealed drum brakes in the front and rear.
“Drum brakes are ideal for farm use because while disc brakes can provide better stopping power in great condtions, farmers often encounter mud and dust that can drastically reduce the ability of a disc setup.”
“When the going gets tough, disc brakes also wear quicker and cost more to maintain,” it said.
The addition of an electric starter button, while retaining the kick start as a back-up is a new feature on the AG125, as is the new 124cc four-stroke engine, said Yamaha.