Did you know that it’s not “shirobai” (white motorcycle) but “kirobai” (yellow motorcycle)? BMW has been selected as an emergency vehicle for the Shuto Expressway!? [Tokyo Motorcycle Show 2025]

Do you know about the “yellow bikes” that keep the Metropolitan Expressway safe?

The 52nd Tokyo Motorcycle Show, held from Friday, March 28th to Sunday, March 30th, 2025, was held at Tokyo Big Sight as usual, but the venue changed from last year’s West Hall 1-4 to East Hall 1-3 and 8 this year. As a result, the booths of motorcycle manufacturers and parts and accessory manufacturers moved to East Hall 1-3, while the special stage and industry association booths that had previously been set up at the West Hall entrance were reassigned to East Hall 8.

While walking through Hall 8 of the East Building, I came across an unfamiliar yellow motorcycle at the booth of AJ Kanto (Kanto Block of the National Motorcycle Cooperative Association), which at first glance looked like a police motorcycle. Although not widely known, this motorcycle is actually a patrol vehicle used by the Metropolitan Expressway Patrol Co., Ltd.’s “Motorcycle Squad,” also known as the “Yellow Motorcycle.”

The Yellow Bike’s main area of ​​operation is the 18.2km Yamate Tunnel, which connects Shinagawa Ward and Toshima Ward. This tunnel, the longest in Japan, is prone to congestion due to its continuous gradients and branches and merging points. In the event of a traffic accident, fire, earthquake, or other disaster, there is a high risk of major damage.

In such situations, it is expected that the mobility unique to motorcycles will be utilized to guide evacuations and regulate road closures. Due to the importance of their duties, yellow motorcycles are the first privately-owned motorcycles designated for emergency use, and are equipped with almost the same equipment as police motorcycles, including red lights and sirens. However, a unique feature of yellow motorcycles is the addition of a rear-facing loudspeaker to guide motorcades.

Is the new “yellow bike” made in Germany? Why was BMW chosen?

Until now, Shutoko Patrol Co., Ltd. has been operating the Honda CB400 Super Bol d’Or as its yellow bike. However, with production of this vehicle ceasing in 2022, it was no longer possible to replace the aging vehicle. This meant that it became necessary to introduce a new model, and in November of last year, the decision was made to introduce the BMW F900XR.

The BMW F900XR is an adventure bike that was released in 2020 and is equipped with a water-cooled parallel twin 895cc engine that produces a maximum output of 105ps. It has been used as a police motorcycle in various European countries and has been highly praised for its durability, handling stability, maneuverability, loading capacity, and engine cooling performance.

It also comes equipped with advanced features typical of BMW, including an anti-hopping clutch that improves vehicle stability, and Engine Drag Torque Control (MSR), which reduces rear wheel slippage that can easily occur during sudden throttle operation or downshifting, as well as other excellent safety features.

However, BMW motorcycles are imported vehicles favored by wealthy individuals. Recently, the price of domestically produced motorcycles has risen, and the gap in vehicle price with the four domestic manufacturers in the same class has narrowed, but the labor costs at authorized dealers are high at 12,000 to 15,000 yen per hour, so maintenance costs are high, and parts are not cheap either.

I asked a company representative if Shutoko Patrol Co., Ltd. must be making a lot of money, and he replied,

“The vehicle selection was decided through competitive bidding. BMW’s bid was the lowest, so they decided on the F900XR. The bid price seems to have included maintenance and upkeep costs. The car is also highly regarded for its track record of adoption by law enforcement agencies in various countries. So it’s not like we bought a foreign car just because it’s making us money.”

” was the answer I got. It seems I was overthinking things (although BMW Motorrad may have made a low bid in order to gain some advertising impact from its adoption on the yellow bike…).

The vehicle on display this time is one of three introduced at the end of last year, and although there are still not many F900XRs, the company plans to gradually replace the older vehicles and eventually convert all of its vehicles to BMWs. Those who were able to get a close look at the yellow bike, especially the recently introduced F900XR, at the venue were probably lucky.