Yamaha Motorcycles

About Yamaha

Yamaha Motor Company Limited is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation.

Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized vehicles on July 1, 1955. The company's intensive research into metal alloys for use in acoustic pianos had given Yamaha wide knowledge of the making of lightweight, yet sturdy and reliable metal constructions. This knowledge was easily applied to the making of metal frames and motor parts for motorcycles. Yamaha Motor produces motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats, marine engines including outboards, automobile engines, personal watercraft and snowmobiles.

The Yamaha corporate logo is composed of three tuning forks placed on top of each other in a triangular pattern. These were piano maker instruments.

Yamaha's first motorcycle was the 1 YA-1, which had a 125 cc, single-cylinder two-stroke engine. It was launched in February 1955 and the bike won its first race, the Mount Fuji Ascent Race, in July 1955. Yamaha continued producing two-stroke engines until it launched the XS-1 in 1969, with a 650 cc two-cylinder four-stroke engine, using expertise that it gained doing engine development work for Toyota. In 1998 Yamaha marketed a revolutionary 1000cc four cylinder road bike called the YZF 'R1', this model introduced a new style of gearbox design which shortened the overall length of the motor/gearbox case, thereby allowing a more compact unit. This, in turn allowed the motor to be placed in the frame far enough forward to compliment good handling in a short wheel-based frame, a revolutionary step forward in motorcycle design In 1979, the XT500 won the first Paris-Dakar Rally.

In 1995, Yamaha announced the creation of Star Motorcycles, a new brand name for its cruiser series of motorcycles in the American market. In other markets, Star motorcycles are sold under the Yamaha brand.

Today, Yamaha produces scooters from 50 to 500 cc, and a range of motorcycles from 50 to 1,900 cc, including cruiser, sport touring, sport, dual-sport, and off-road.

In motorcycle racing Yamaha has won 36 world championships, including 3 in MotoGP and 9 in the preceding 500 cc two-stroke class, and 1 in World Superbike. Yamaha riders include Giacomo Agostini, Bob Hannah, Heikki Mikkola, Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Jeremy McGrath, Stefan Merriman, Phil Read, Chad Reed, Ben Spies, James Stewart and currently Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.

The Yamaha YZ450F won the AMA Supercross Championship two years in a row, in 2008 with Chad Reed, and 2009 James Stewart. Yamaha was the first to build a production monoshock motocross bike (1975 for 250 and 400, 1976 for 125) and one of the first to have a water-cooled motocross production bike (1977 in works bikes, 1981 in off-the-shelf bikes).

Since 1962, Yamaha made production road racing Grand Prix motorcycles that any licensed road racer could purchase. In 1970, non-factory privateer teams dominated the 250 cc World Championship with Great Britain's Rodney Gould winning the title on a Yamaha TD2.

Yamaha also sponsors several professional ATV riders in several areas of racing, such as cross country racing and motocross. Yamaha has had success in cross country with their YFZ450, ridden by Bill Ballance, winning 9 straight titles since 2000. Yamaha's other major rider, Traci Cecco, has ridden the YFZ450 to 7 titles, with the first in 2000. In ATV motocross, Yamaha has had success with Dustin Nelson and Pat Brown, both who race the YFZ450. Pat Brown's best season was a 3rd place title in 2007, while Nelson has had two 1st place titles in the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross, one in 2006 and the other in 2008.

Yamaha produced Formula One engines from 1989 to 1997, initially for the Zakspeed team, in 1991 for the Brabham BT60Y, in 1992 for the Jordan 192, from 1993 to 1996 for Tyrrell, and in 1997 for the Arrows A18. These never won a race, but drivers including Damon Hill, Ukyo Katayama, Mark Blundell and Andrea de Cesaris scored some acceptable results with them.

Moto blog

You. Call. That. Lean

Jean Philippe Ruggia, 1988, Coppice at Donington Park, Sonauto-Yamaha 250. This is elbow lean action. There was a previous blog entry of Ben Spies and his elbow grazing the tarmac onboard the M1 Yamaha, I admit it is impressive but I find myself admiring the horizontal angles that Ruggia submitted his 250 Yamaha to, with the above image taken at Coppice as a prime example.

Riding in groups

Saturday morning was a stonker wasn’t it? A group of us ranging from neighbours, brothers, mates and girlfriends got up and headed down to the coast for a spot of bacon and eggs. We had a real diverse selection or bikes actually with a GSX1400, XJR1300, Triumph Speedmaster, MT01, A Yamaha R1 and my Triumph Speed Triple.

Live from the launch of the Yamaha FZ8

THAT, MY FRIENDS, is our test rider's transportation to the 2010 Yamaha FZ8 launch in Marseille. Today, Jon Urry will endure 700 miles in a bazzed-up Ford Transit with other UK bike journalists, thanks to the infamous cloud of volcanic ash that's turning our skies a worrying shade of crystal-clear blue. So check back later for Jon's updates on their progress to southern France.

Colin Edwards and Ben Spies Go on a Man-cation [Video]

The 2010 MotoGP season is less than a month away and Monster Yamaha Tech3′s Texas Twosome of Colin Edwards and Ben Spies decided to do some bonding with a little road trip man-cation in this video released by Yamaha Motor U.S.A. Okay, maybe Edwards was more into it than Spies was. Edwards is at his best in this video (“Ooh … it kinda tingles down below, you know?

Yamaha R1 rider lowsides on left-hander

THIS GUY'S lucky he doesn't get flicked over the top, after losing the back end of his Yamaha YZF-R1 on a twisty section of mountain road. He looks pretty miffed at the result; we think he got away lightly. It could have been soooo much worse if the rear tyre had gripped and lobbed the rider over the top.

Meet the 2010 Motorpoint Yamaha BSB squad

THE 2010 Motorpoint Yamaha unveil their new team riders and bikes to the public next Friday 26th March.From 6.30pm, Neil Hodgson and Dan Linfoot will pull the wraps of their new Motorpoint livered Yamaha YZF R1 Superbikes at the Motorpoint HQ in Derby.Come and meet both Neil and Dan, get close to the Motorpoint Yamahas and ask the boys about their chances for the 2010 British Superbike Championship.Visordown's Niall Mackenzie will unveil the Motorpoint Node 4 junior team, a two rider youth development programme competing in the 125 GP British Championships with two of the most exciting young prospects in the series and they are both called Mackenzie!Taylor and Tarran Mackenzie go head to head in the most competitive class in the series. Tarran starts the season as a series rookie at 14 yrs and Taylor at 17 a genuine championship contender.Rob Mac Team principal“We are the only team who open up the doors and welcome our fans to come and see our team launch. There is a real buzz about the team this year, a great winter testing programme.

World Champions Then & Now: Eddie Lawson and Ben Spies

Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. produced a series of videos featuring past and present World Champions Eddie Lawson and Ben Spies.

Learn on track with Mackenzie and Whitham at Focused Events

Focused Events Rider Development Days at Silverstone offer a new, intense tuition-based experience on a selection of new Supersport machines, hosted by high-level instructors including Niall Mackenzie, Jamie Whitham and Steve Plater.The courses will be situated at Stowe circuit, Silverstone and will be aimed at Novice and Intermediate riders. Dates for the events have been confirmed as 14th May and 2nd September.Pupils will not only be taught by World class instructors, the machinery available for use will be high-end Supersport machines from Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. Total cost for the day is £339 including bike hire with a £50 premium for use of the exotic Ducati 848.Chief Instructor and Visordown Road Test Editor Niall Mackenzie explained, “A track day can be an intimidating place to learn circuit and road skills, especially for less experienced riders.

See Britain's land speed record hopeful at Race Retro 2010

SEE THE MACHINE that could propel Britain to a new motorcycle land speed world record at The Race Retro 2010 show, held at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry from 12th to 14th March. Almost a year has passed since Visordown broke the news of the planned UK assault on the land speed record - this coming August the Angelic Bulldog team travels to Bonneville, where it is hoping to smash the 400mph barrier and bring the motorcycle Land Speed Record back to the UK for the first time since 1937. The current record stands at 360.913mph over a kilometre.

1974: Onboard an MV racer with Phil Read

ANOTHER CRACKING BIT of vintage racing footage, this time featuring multiple motorcycle world champion Phil Read on the awesome-sounding MV Agusta 500-4.The footage is from the 1974 movie 'The Iron Horse' made by Frenchman Pierre-William Glenn.Read’s 1974 500cc World Championship victory was the last year a four-stroke won the world title before the advent of the MotoGP class in 2002. Giacomo Agostini won the crown from Yamaha in 1975, followed by Suzuki-mounted Barry Sheene in '76 and '77. The footage is bloody good, considering the camera technology of the day.