The Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP racebikes will likely get seamless-shift gearboxes before the end of the 2013 season. That’s what Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing, told reporters during an event at Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. headquarters in Cypress, California. During a discussion of the strong and weak points of the Yamaha YZR-M1 and the Honda RC213V, Jarvis said, “One thing that we are still working on that’s an ongoing process is the gearbox. That’s been talked about in the early part of the season, and hopefully if our development goes well we’ll be able to introduce a seamless-shift gearbox in the latter stage of the season. That will help us to close the gap a little bit more on the Honda. Honda has been using that system for two years. “The date of introduction of the final seamless [-shift gearbox] is still to be determined. We will be testing it soon. We are already testing it in Japan on racetracks. We’ll be testing it soon with our grand prix riders, and then based upon that, when we’re ready, when we can see that it really has an advantage and the reliability is there, we’ll introduce it. I think you’ll see it this year.” Honda’s RC213V has had a seamless-shift gearbox for the last two seasons, and the quick-shifting transmission is said to enhance acceleration and decrease lap times.