AT the same time as it applied for the SCR950 trademark that we’ve already revealed Yamaha also applied for rights to the name ‘Elude’ specifically for use on a two or three-wheeled motorcycle.

While the name has scooterish overtones, it’s worth mentioning that the trademark rights have been applied for in America, which isn’t a big market for little twist-and-goes. The firm’s US arm also registered web domains including yamahaelude.com and yamaha-elude.com at the end of October.

Other recent Yamaha trademarks, like SCR950 and XSR900, have given clear clues to the bikes that will carry them, not least by revealing their engine capacity, but the Elude name has no such implications. Yamaha usually reserves real names for its scooters while giving its full-size bikes alpha-numeric designations, so the strongest money is still on the Elude being a twist-and-go, but there’s a chance it could be something bigger.

The fact that the websites are registered by Yamaha USA and contain the name ‘Yamaha’ means that it won’t be a cruiser, since in the States the firm uses the ‘Star’ sub-brand instead of Yamaha on its cruiser models.

Let us know your guesses as to what the bike might be. With Yamaha due to unveil its full 2016 range next Monday night, we should know soon enough.

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