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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

2014 AMA Supercross – New Jersey Results

Mon, 28 Apr 2014

A crowd of 62,217 fans in East Rutherford, N.J. witnessed the coronation of Ryan Villopoto as the 2014 AMA Supercross Champion. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider took the holeshot and led very lap in a decisive victory to clinch the championship, his fourth in a row.

Yamaha Has A Full Slate Of Activities For This Weekend’s Yamaha SoCal Nationals + Video

Fri, 25 Apr 2014

For the Yamaha SoCal Nationals at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the first round of the GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented By Yamaha, the tuning-forks brand has lots of fun activities lined up for fans to participate in tomorrow and Sunday at the Southern California racetrack. Q&A Session With Yamaha Riders And Crew Chiefs On Saturday On Saturday, April 26 from 1:30 to 2:15 PM PST in the Media/Rider Center located in the infield paddock at Auto Club Speedway, Yamaha’s “Fast Four,” Josh Hayes, Cameron Beaubier, Garrett Gerloff, and JD Beach, will participate in a Q&A Session that fans and track day participants can attend absolutely free of charge. Yamaha’s Pro Superbike duo and pair of Pro Sportbike riders will have already completed their morning practice sessions on the 21-turn, 2.36-mile road course at Auto Club Speedway, so the Fast Four will be ready to share insights about their fast lines around the racetrack and answer any other questions you might have.

Yamaha Announced As AMA EnduroCross Premium Sponsor

Thu, 24 Apr 2014

Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S. has just announced it will support the GEICO AMA EnduroCross Championship for 2014.

The World Endurance Championship Starts This Weekend

Wed, 23 Apr 2014

Endurance racing is perhaps the ultimate test of both man and machine. In the past, teams would pace themselves in order to rest both elements enough to make a final push at the end. These days, however, motorcycles are more reliable than ever, and riders train like triathletes.

Round 1 Of GEICO Superbike Shootout Is This Weekend

Tue, 22 Apr 2014

Round One of the GEICO Superbike Shootout kicks off with the Yamaha SoCal Nationals this weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The event is the first of a three-race series that will crown overall champions in two individual race classes: Pro Superbike and Dynojet Pro Sportbike. The Superbike Shootout is a three-race series meant to fill the long void in the AMA Pro Roadracing schedule between round one at Daytona and the second round at Road America.

Dynojet Sponsoring GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Pro Sportbike Class

Tue, 22 Apr 2014

The new three-event GEICO Motorcycle Superbike Shootout Presented by Yamaha is gaining steam as Dynojet Research has stepped up to provide sponsorship for the Pro Sportbike class. Dynojet will also have its popular dyno performance truck on-site for race support. Devised to fill an 11-week gap in professional road racing between mid-March and late May, the Superbike Shootout was inspired by the successful British Superbike Championship series.

Yamaha to Produce PES1 and PED1 Electric Motorcycles by 2016

Mon, 21 Apr 2014

Yamaha announced plans to release the production versions of its PES1 and PED1 concept models within two years as part of the company’s plans to enter the electric motorcycle segment. The PES1 and PED1 (which stands for “Passion, Electric, Street” and “Passion, Electric, Dirt”) concepts were first revealed at last November’s Tokyo Motor Show. In the company’s newly-published annual report, Yamaha confirmed plans to produce the two models, saying: “In sports motorcycles, we are working to create new value with EV sports motorcycles, which we aim to launch in two years, with the development of the small, on-road sports PES1, as well as the PED1, which are being developed to expand the scope of electric vehicles to the off-road world.

Yamaha Champions Riding School To Sell Hang Dry Leather Driers

Wed, 16 Apr 2014

Riders who sweat in their leathers – and who doesn’t at a track day or race – know how nasty damp leathers can get if not dried properly. Of course, there’s always the tried-and-true technique of hanging them up in your garage, but that can take days. What if you only have an hour?

2014 AMA Supercross – Seattle Results

Mon, 14 Apr 2014

Ryan Villopoto won his fifth race of the season while James Stewart took second place to just barely remain in contention for the 2014 AMA Supercross title. Meanwhile it was a bitter-sweet podium for third-place finisher KTM‘s Ryan Dungey who was officially mathematically eliminated from title contention. Racing in his home town of Seattle, Wash., Villopoto led every lap en route to an easy win, his fifth of the season.

Third Annual True American Heroes Weekend Hosted By Kenny Roberts

Thu, 10 Apr 2014

The Third Annual True American Heroes Weekend hosted by Kenny Roberts begins Thursday evening, May 8. Sponsored by Yamaha, the fundraising event held at Kenny Roberts’ ranch in Modesto, California, benefits Welcome Home Heroes and the Cpl. Michael D.