Yamaha Motor Company


Yamaha Motor Company Limited is a Japanese manufacturer of motorcycles, marine products such as boats and outboard motors, and other motorized products. The company was established in 1955 upon separation from Yamaha Corporation, and is headquartered in Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan. The company conducts development, production and marketing operations through 109 consolidated subsidiaries as of 2012.
Led by Genichi Kawakami, the company’s founder and first president, Yamaha Motor began production of its first product, the YA-1, in 1955. The 125cc motorcycle won the 3rd Mount Fuji Ascent Race in its class.
The company's products includes motorcycles, scooters, motorized bicycles, boats, sail boats, personal water craft, swimming pools, utility boats, fishing boats, outboard motors, 4-wheel ATVs, recreational off-road vehicles, go-kart engines, golf carts, multi-purpose engines, electrical generators, water pumps, snowmobiles, small snow throwers, automobile engines, surface mounters, intelligent machinery, industrial-use unmanned helicopters, electrical power units for wheelchairs and helmets. The company is also involved in the import and sales of various types of products, development of tourist businesses and management of leisure, recreational facilities and related services. Yamaha’s motorcycle sales are the second largest in the worldand Yamaha is the world leader in water vehicle sales.

History

Beginnings: 1955

The motorcycle division of Yamaha was founded in 1955, and was headed by Genichi Kawakami. Yamaha's initial product was a two-cycle, single cylinder motorcycle, the YA-1, which was a copy of the German DKW RT 125. The YA-1 was a competitive success at racing from the beginning, winning not only the 125cc class in the Mt. Fuji Ascent, but also sweeping the podium with first, second and third place in the All Japan Autobike Endurance Road Race that same year. Early success in racing set the tone for Yamaha, as competition in many varieties of motorcycle racing has been a key endeavor of the company throughout its history, often fueled by a strong rivalry with Honda and other Japanese manufacturers.
Yamaha began competing internationally in 1956 when they entered the Catalina Grand Prix, again with the YA-1, at which they placed sixth. The YA-1 was followed by the YA-2 of 1957, another 125cc two stroke, but with significantly improved frame and suspension. The YD-1 of 1957 was a 250cc two-stroke twin cylinder motorcycle, resembling the YA-2, but with a larger and more powerful motor. A performance version of this bike, the YDS-1 housed the 250cc two-stroke twin in a double downtube cradle frame and offered the first five-speed transmission in a Japanese motorcycle. This period also saw Yamaha offer its first outboard marine engine.
Yamaha Motor Company was incorporated on 1st July 1955, highlighting its presence in performance segment motorcycles. This year 2020 we will be completing 65 years & to celebrate this momentous occasion YAMAHA will be conducting the 65th Yamaha Day on 1st July. This year has been selected as “Heritage” theme for Yamaha Day – with this YAMAHA plans to enhance the brand connect with their customers.

Success and growth in the 1960s

By 1963 Yamaha's dedication to both the two-stroke engine and racing paid off with their first victory in international competition, at the Belgium GP, where they won the 250cc class. Success in sales was even more impressive, and Yamaha set up the first of its international subsidiaries in this period beginning with Thailand in 1964, and the Netherlands in 1968. 1965 saw the release of a 305cc two-stroke twin, the flagship of the company's lineup. It featured a separate oil supply which directly injected oil into the gasoline prior to combustion. In 1967 a new larger displacement model was added to the range, the 350cc two stroke twin R-1.
In 1968 Yamaha launched their first four-stroke motorcycle, the XS-1. The Yamaha XS-1 was a 650cc four-stroke twin, a larger and more powerful machine that equaled the displacement and performance of the popular British bikes of the era, such as the Triumph Bonneville and BSA Gold Star. Yamaha continued on with both the two-stroke line and four-stroke twins at a time that other Japanese manufacturers were increasingly moving to four cylinder four-stroke machines, a trend led by Honda in 1969 with the legendary CB-750 four-stroke four-cylinder cycle.

Four stroke era begins: the 1970s

Not until 1976 would Yamaha answer the other Japanese brands with a multi-cylinder four stroke of their own. The XS-750 a 750cc triple cylinder machine with shaft final drive was introduced almost seven years after Honda's breakthrough bike. Yamaha's first four-cylinder model, the XS-1100 followed in 1978, again with shaft drive. Despite being heavier and more touring oriented than its rivals it produced an impressive string of victories in endurance racing.
The 1970s also saw some of the first dedicated off-road bikes for off-road racing and recreation. Yamaha was an early innovator in dirt-bike technology, and introduced the first single-shock rear suspension, the trademarked "Monoshock" of 1973. It appeared in production on the 1974 Yamaha YZ-250, a model which is still in production, making it Yamaha's longest continuous model and name.
Yamaha continued racing throughout the 1960s and 1970s with increasing success in several formats. The decade of the 1970s was capped by the XT500 winning the first Paris-Dakar Rally in 1979.

1980s: diversification and innovation

By 1980 the combination of consumer preference and environmental regulation made four strokes increasingly popular. Suzuki ended production of their GT two stroke series, including the flagship water-cooled two-stroke 750cc GT-750 in 1977. Kawasaki, who had considerable success throughout the 1970s with their two-stroke triples of 250cc, 350cc, 500cc and 750cc ended production of road-going two strokes in 1980. Yamaha bucked this trend and continued to refine and sell two-strokes for the street into the 1980s. These bikes were performance oriented, water-cooled twin cylinder machines, designed to achieve excellent performance taking advantage of the lower weight of two strokes. The RZ-250 of 1980 was the progenitor of this series. The RZ-350, the largest displacement model, was a popular hot-rod bike of the 1980s and continued to be sold in some countries into the early 1990s.
Throughout the 1980s the motorcycle industry gradually went from building a few basic but versatile models designed to work well in many roles, to offering many more specialized machines designed to excel in particular niches. These included racing and performance street riding, touring, motocross racing, enduro and recreational off-road riding, and cruising. Yamaha branched out from the relatively small number of UJMs at the start of the decade to a much larger set of offerings in several clearly defined markets at the end of the decade.
The XV750 of 1981 featured an air-cooled V-twin four-stroke engine and cruiser styling, and was one of the first Japanese cruiser style motorcycles. By the end of the 1980s Yamaha had offered dozens of cruiser styled bikes in a variety of displacements and engine configurations.
The RZV500 was one of the first "repli-racers", a near copy of Kenny Roberts competition GP bike, it featured a liquid-cooled two-stroke motor of 500cc displacement in a V4 configuration, along with a perimeter frame and full fairing.
A more popular and practical high-performance model for the street was introduced in 1985, the FZ750. It was an innovative 750cc four-stroke inline four cylinder model. It was the first motorcycle to feature a five-valve cylinder head, something Yamaha became well known for. It also featured a cylinder block canted forward at 45 degrees, and a box-section steel perimeter frame. Production of the FZ continued until 1991.
Another bike that was performance-oriented was the Yamaha RX-Z, introduced in 1985 as a two-stroke naked sport bike, related to the Yamaha RX-135 and Yamaha RD-135, borrowing its chassis and platform. Originally equipped with a five speed transmission and a solid front disc brake rotor with rear drum brakes, it was popular in Malaysia and Singapore. After a few years on the market, the engine was upgraded with the installation of a six-speed transmission, together with a newer instrument panel and handlebar switches, as well as a cross-drilled front disc brake rotor, while the rear remained with the drum brakes. The design was unchanged until it was updated in 2004, with the rear lights being borrowed by the Yamaha Y125Z and a new headlight, It was also installed with a catalytic converter which reduced its horsepower to 19bhp. However, the maximum torque remained unchanged but the low-end torque was improved compared to the early models. Some owners of the earlier RX-Z motorcycles may have problems during take-off because the engine tends to stall when an inexperienced rider tries to take off in the first gear. However, the problem was resolved in the new model. In Malaysia, this bike was associated with street racers and was featured in many Malay movies. In 2011, after 26 years, it was discontinued.

The 1990s: Performance bikes and a spin-off brand

In 1998 Yamaha marketed a 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, to allow a more compact unit. This, in turn allowed the motor to be placed in the frame further forward, designed to improve handling in a short wheel-based frame.
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 still sold under the Yamaha brand. This was an attempt to create a brand identity more closely aligned with the cruiser market segment, one of the largest and most lucrative in the USA.

The 2000s: Expansion and consolidation

In 2007, Yamaha established the Philippine operations and distributes Yamaha motorcycles under the corporate name of Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc., one of more than 20 worldwide subsidiaries operating on all continents.
vertical-twin

Motorcycle racing highlights

In motorcycle racing Yamaha has won 39 world championships, including 7 in MotoGP and 10 in the preceding 500 cc two-stroke class, and 1 in World Superbike. In addition Yamaha have recorded 208 victories at the Isle of Man TT and head the list of victories at the Sidecar TT with 40. Past Yamaha riders include: Jarno Saarinen Giacomo Agostini, Bob Hannah, Heikki Mikkola, Bruce Anstey, Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Jeremy McGrath, Stefan Merriman, Dave Molyneux, Ian Hutchinson, Phil Read, Chad Reed, Ben Spies and Jorge Lorenzo. Their current lineup consists of nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales.
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 and one of the first to have a water-cooled motocross production bike. Yamaha's first Motocross competition four-stroke bike, the YZ400F, won the 1998 USA outdoor national Championship with factory rider Doug Henry.
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.

Formula One

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 Mika Salo scored some acceptable results with them. However, their engines were often unreliable and were usually regarded as not very powerful.

Formula One World Championship results

YearEntrantChassisEngineTyresDrivers1234567891011121314151617PointsWCC
West Zakspeed RacingZakspeed 891Yamaha OX88 3.5 V8BRASMRMONMEXUSACANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPORESPJPNAUS0NC
West Zakspeed RacingZakspeed 891Yamaha OX88 3.5 V8 Bernd SchneiderRetDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQRetDNPQ0NC
West Zakspeed RacingZakspeed 891Yamaha OX88 3.5 V8 Aguri SuzukiDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQDNPQ0NC
Motor Racing DevelopmentsBrabham BT59Y
Brabham BT60Y		Yamaha OX99 3.5 V12USABRASMRMONCANMEXFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPORESPJPNAUS39th
Motor Racing DevelopmentsBrabham BT59Y
Brabham BT60Y		Yamaha OX99 3.5 V12 Martin Brundle111211EXRetRetRetRet11Ret91312105DNQ39th
Motor Racing DevelopmentsBrabham BT59Y
Brabham BT60Y		Yamaha OX99 3.5 V12 Mark BlundellRetRet8RetDNQRetRetRet12Ret612RetRetDNPQ1739th
1992Sasol Jordan YamahaJordan 192Yamaha OX99 3.5 V12RSAMEXBRAESPSMRMONCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPORJPNAUS111th
1992Sasol Jordan YamahaJordan 192Yamaha OX99 3.5 V12 Stefano ModenaDNQRetRetDNQRetRetRetRetRetDNQRet15DNQ1376111th
1992Sasol Jordan YamahaJordan 192Yamaha OX99 3.5 V12 Maurício Gugelmin11RetRetRet7RetRetRetRet151014RetRetRetRet111th
Tyrrell Racing OrganisationTyrrell 020C
Tyrrell 021		Yamaha OX10A 3.5 V10RSABRAEURSMRESPMONCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPORJPNAUS0NC
Tyrrell Racing OrganisationTyrrell 020C
Tyrrell 021		Yamaha OX10A 3.5 V10 Ukyo KatayamaRetRetRetRetRetRet17Ret13Ret101514RetRetRet0NC
Tyrrell Racing OrganisationTyrrell 020C
Tyrrell 021		Yamaha OX10A 3.5 V10 Andrea de CesarisRetRetRetRetDSQ10Ret15NCRet11Ret1312Ret130NC
Tyrrell Racing OrganisationTyrrell 022Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10BRAPACSMRMONESPCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPOREURJPNAUS137th
Tyrrell Racing OrganisationTyrrell 022Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10 Ukyo Katayama5Ret5RetRetRetRet6RetRetRetRetRet7RetRet137th
Tyrrell Racing OrganisationTyrrell 022Yamaha OX10B 3.5 V10 Mark BlundellRetRet9Ret31010RetRet55RetRet13RetRet137th
Nokia Tyrrell YamahaTyrrell 023Yamaha OX10C 3.0 V10BRAARGSMRESPMONCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPOREURPACJPNAUS58th
Nokia Tyrrell YamahaTyrrell 023Yamaha OX10C 3.0 V10 Ukyo KatayamaRet8RetRetRetRetRetRet7RetRet10Ret14RetRet58th
Nokia Tyrrell YamahaTyrrell 023Yamaha OX10C 3.0 V10 Gabriele Tarquini1458th
Nokia Tyrrell YamahaTyrrell 023Yamaha OX10C 3.0 V10 Mika Salo7RetRet10Ret7158RetRet851310126558th
Tyrrell YamahaTyrrell 024Yamaha OX11A 3.0 V10AUSBRAARGEURSMRMONESPCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAPORJPN58th
Tyrrell YamahaTyrrell 024Yamaha OX11A 3.0 V10 Ukyo Katayama119RetDSQRetRetRetRetRetRetRet781012Ret58th
Tyrrell YamahaTyrrell 024Yamaha OX11A 3.0 V10 Mika Salo65RetDSQRet5DSQRet1079Ret7Ret11Ret58th
Danka Arrows YamahaArrows A18Yamaha OX11C/D 3.0 V10AUSBRAARGSMRMONESPCANFRAGBRGERHUNBELITAAUTLUXJPNEUR98th
Danka Arrows YamahaArrows A18Yamaha OX11C/D 3.0 V10 Damon HillDNS17RetRetRetRet91268213Ret7812Ret98th
Danka Arrows YamahaArrows A18Yamaha OX11C/D 3.0 V10 Pedro Diniz10RetRetRetRetRet8RetRetRetRet7Ret13513Ret98th

Products

Overview

Yamaha Motors is a highly diversified company which produces products for a large number of industries and consumer market segments:
Yamaha has built engines for other manufacturers' vehicles beginning with the development and production of the Toyota 2000GT. The cylinder head from the Toyota 4A-GE engine was developed by Yamaha and built at Toyota's Shimayama plant alongside the 4A and 2A engines.
In 1984, executives of the Yamaha Motor Corporation signed a contract with the Ford Motor Company to develop, produce, and supply compact 60° 3.0 Liter DOHC V6 engines for transverse application for the 1989–95 Ford Taurus SHO. From 1993 to 1995, the SHO engine was produced in 3.0 and 3.2 Liter versions. Yamaha jointly designed the 3.4 Liter DOHC V-8 engine with Ford for the 1996–99 SHO. Ford and Yamaha also developed the Zetec-SE branded 4-cylinder engines used in several Ford cars like the small sports car Ford Puma.
From 2005 to 2010, Yamaha produced a 4.4 Litre V8 for Volvo. The B8444S engines were used in the XC90 and S80 models, whilst also adapted to 5.0L configuration for Volvo's foray into the V8 Supercars with the S60. British sportscar maker Noble also uses a bi-turbo version of the Volvo V8 in their M600.
All performance-oriented cylinder heads on Toyota/Lexus engines were designed and/or built by Yamaha. Some examples are the 1LR-GUE engine found on the 2010–2012 Lexus LFA, the 2UR-GSE found in Lexus ISF, the 3S-GTE engine found on the Toyota MR2 and Toyota Celica Toyota Celica GT4/All-Trac, the 2ZZ-GE engine found on the 1999–2006 Toyota Celica GT-S and Lotus Elise Series 2, and the Toyota 4GR-FSE engine found on the Lexus IS250.
Yamaha also tunes engines for manufacturers, such as Toyota, so Yamaha logos are on Toyota S engines.
Yamaha also tried to produce a supercar in the 1990s, named the Yamaha OX99-11. It was made as a supercar to have an Yamaha Formula 1 engine as its powerplant and have Formula 1 technology in it. Even though their engines did not win a Grand Prix, by 1991 the team had produced a new engine, the OX99, and approached a German company to design an initial version of the car. Yamaha was not pleased with the result as it was too similar to sport cars of that time, so it contacted IAD to continue working on the project. By the beginning of 1992, just under 12 months after starting to work on the project, IAD came with an initial version of the car. The car's design was undertaken by Takuya Yura, and was originally conceived as a single seater. However, Yamaha requested a two-seater vehicle, and a tandem seating arrangement was suggested, which was in keeping with Yamaha's motorcycle expertise.
over the budget made Yamaha take the project to its own Ypsilon Technology, which was given six months to finish the project; otherwise, it would be terminated. To make matters worse, this resulted in a radical and somewhat outrageous design based on Group C cars of the time, such as the cockpit-locking roof. It also shared the same chassis as the Formula 1 car, to try to give the consumer market a pure Formula 1 experience. But disagreements with IAD over the budget made Yamaha take the project to its own Ypsilon Technology, which was given six months to finish the project, otherwise it would be terminated. To make matters worse, Japan was in the midst of an economic downturn, which made Yamaha believe there would be no customers for the car, and so the project was cancelled in 1994 after many delays, with only 3 prototypes in existence.

Snowmobiles

In 2007, Yamaha became the only snowmobile manufacturer to use a four-stroke only across its line-up. Yamaha had introduced 4-strokes to their line-up in 2003 with the release of the RX-1. This 4 cylinder model became the first performance-oriented 4-stroke snowmobile on the market. However, Yamaha received much criticism for its weight disadvantage when compared to similar 2-strokes, despite its fuel economy and low-range torque. Yamaha further used 4-stroke technology to introduce the 80FI engine equipped in the Phazer and Venture Lite models in order to provide small displacement, lower horsepower models marketed towards smaller riders. This engine had one of the highest specific output of any 4-stroke in production, with 160 HP/L. Yamaha achieves this even without the use of a forced induction system. Yamaha is also a key player in the "4-Stroke Wars", which are a series of advertisements from opponent Ski-Doo, who claim their E-Tec-equipped 2-strokes are still cleaner and more efficient than 4-strokes, while Yamaha claims the 4-strokes are cleaner and more reliable.
Yamaha also broke a multi-year absence from sno-cross in the winter of 2006/2007 with their introduction of a factory race team headed by former Arctic Cat racer Robbie Malinoski. Yamaha was the first brand to win with a 4-stroke snowmobile in a professional snowcross race during 2006 at the WPSA Snowcross Championship.

Current 2019 line-up

In a partnership with Arctic Cat, Yamaha Motor Company supplies the 1,050cc 3-cylinder and 998cc 3-cylinder turbocharged engines for use in a collaborative chassis sold under each brand name. While there are similarities between the respective manufacturers' models, small differences can be noted. SR Viper and SideWinder models are equipped with Yamaha clutches and changes to certain plastic body panels. The suspension layout, chassis, gauge package, and handlebar switchgear remain the same for both Yamaha and Arctic Cat snowmobiles. This partnership was established for the 2014 model year with the introduction of the 2014 SR Viper and Arctic Cat 7000-series line-up. In 2017, Arctic Cat and Yamaha introduced the world's most powerful snowmobile engine with the release of the SideWinder and 9000-series line-ups.
Sidewinder SRX LE
Sidewinder LTX LE, LTX SE, & LTX DX
Sidewinder XTX LE & XTX SE
Sidewinder BTX LE
Sidewinder MTX LE
SR Viper LTX
VK 540
Sno Scoot 120 & Sno Scoot 200
Historic "Japan Built" models and most SR Viper models were removed from production to support the sale of "hold-over" units from previous models years at MSRP. This was a new move to the industry in order to support dealerships and sell the large number of previous model year snowmobiles that have remained unsold.

All-terrain vehicles (ATV) vehicles

Deltabox frame is an aluminum tubular frame for motorcycles of the Yamaha brand.
It was introduced on the Carlos Lavado and Martin Wimmer factory racers in Assen in 1985. The frame consisted of two triangle shaped pieces, assembled in a box shape. The frame was soon followed by other sporty Yamahas and was copied a lot by other brands.
In 1985, Suzuki introduced MR-ALbox which was aluminum frame for GSX-R 1100. Suzuki also introduced DC-Albox. This frame showed multiple similarity with Deltabox. It was introduced to the market of Japan in 1989 the Suzuki 250 Wolf, in Europe with the Suzuki RGV250.
The Delta box II frame was introduced in 1998. This was the successor to Deltabox, presented on the Yamaha YZF-R1. Delta box II delivered an even greater rigidity and - on the R1 – allowing bigger curving angle and better trailing.
Delta box III was presented at the 2002 Yamaha YZF-R1. Delta box III was again 30% stiffer than Delta box II. There was an attached rear frame.