Although the first Yamaha motorcycle didn抰 appear until the mid fifties, the
company抯 history dates back to 1887, when the father of the company, Torakusa
Yamaha began producing red organs. The Yamaha Motor Corporation sprang into life
on July 1st 1955, and remains part of the Yamaha Group. It has grown to be the
second largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, which is no mean feat for
what was a fledgling company that arrived late in the motorcycle
market.
Their first offering was the YA1, a 125cc, single cylinder
two-stroke, was a copy of a German motorbike. The Japanese have often been
accused of copying European models, but let抯 not forget that BSA also used this
very same design to produce their Bantam. This machine, fondly known as the Red
Dragonfly, laid the foundation of Yamaha抯 reputation for reliability, and
success on the race track contributed to the bike抯 popularity.
The twin
cylinder YD, the first machine designed by Yamaha, was introduced in 1957. A win
a Mount Asama boosted sales, but at less than 16,00 models a year output was
still way behind Honda and Suzuki. However, the company flourished during the
following years, and in 1959 Yamaha were the first Japanese company to offer a
sports model, the twin cylinder YDS1, complete with five speed gearbox. A kit
was available which allowed the owner to adapt the bike for racing launch
x431 master, both on and off road.
By 1960 the company抯 output had
increased by a massive 600%, but a period of recession forced Japanese companies
to look further afield to sell their products, and in 1961 Yamaha entered a tem
in the European Grand Prix. In the early sixties, America抯 economy was on the
rise and Yamaha managed to sell 12,000 motorcycles in the States. In 1963 the
figure was 36,000 rising to 87,000 in 1964. Yamaha抯 first factory outside Japan
was opened in Siam (present day Thailand) in 1966, in order to supply Southeast
Asia. By 1967, with 406,000 bikes built, production had overtaken that of
Suzuki. Racing was important to Yamaha, so much so that in 1969 they constructed
a full size race track near to their Iwata factory.
In 1970, Yamaha抯
catalogue carried 20 models, with a range from 50cc to 350cc. Production had
reached 574,000 units per year, the majority of which went to overseas markets.
That year also saw the introduction of the first four-stroke machine, in the
shape of the 650cc XSI, although two-stroke engines were were still favoured for
bikes below 400cc.
By 1973, Yamaha were producing over a million bikes
annually, leaving Suzuki firmly in their wake. That year, Honda turned out
1,836,000 machines. During the seventies, Yamaha抯 RD twin cylinder sports bikes
were proving a big hit and the company had once again backed a winner. As the
eighties arrived, over two million bikes were passing through the factory gates.
During this period, the four cylinder XJ抯 were developed with displacements
ranging from 550cc to 1100cc.
One of Yamaha抯 most successful projects
was the Virago, which introduced as a 750cc, but 500cc and 920cc models were
soon available. This bike was the first cruiser to come out of Japan launch
cresetter ii, and proved to be immensely successful, so successful in fact,
that Harley Davidson was running scared. They pressed for a tariff on imported
motorcycles over 750cc, so Yamaha had to replace their 750cc Virago with the
699cc version, but at the same time, the 920cc grew to 1000cc. It eventually
became the 1100cc. One of the most loved versions of the Virago is the XV535;
their reliability and easy handling has delighted riders worldwide. The larger
Virago抯 were replaced by the V-Star and Road Star models and the last model to
carry the Virago name was the 2007, 250cc version.
It抯 understandable how
Yamaha have accrued such a dedicated following. Over the years, their bikes have
married cutting edge technology with reliability, which is no mean feat. Their
designs have earned admiration from far and wide, and continue to do so
today.
Related Links