Yamaha: Revs Your Heart

Yamaha Motors was originally founded in 1887 under the name Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd by Torakusu Yamaha as a reed organ and piano manufacturer, and grew to become the largest Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments in the early 20th century. During World War II, the company was contracted by the Japanese government to manufacture wooden and, later, metal airplane propellers. In the aftermath of the war, the company struggled to stay in business, and in the early 1950s chairman Genishi Kawakami led the initiative to repurpose their unused wartime facilities into a motorcycle manufacturing plant to produce small cycles for leisure use.

Torakusu Yamaha | Photo Credit: Yamaha Website

The motorcycle spun off in 1955, headed by Genichi Kawakami, and was incorporated on July 1, 1955. Their initial product was a 125cc two-stroke, single cylinder motorcycle called the YA-1, and was designed to be a Japanese copy of the German DKW RT 125. It was a massive success, winning the 125cc class in the Mt. Fuji Ascent, and the first, second, and third place in the All Japan Autobike Endurance Road Race the same year. This early success set the tone for Yamaha as a key competitor in the motorcycle racing industry, and adds to the strong rivalry between Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and other Japanese companies.

Yamaha Headquarters in Iwata, Japan | Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Yamaha entered international competitions in 1956, when they entered the Catalina Grand Prix with the YA-1, where they placed 6th. In 1957 Yamaha released the YA-2, another 125cc two-stroke motorcycle, but with significant improvements to the frame and suspension, as well as the YD-1, a 250cc two-stroke twin cylinder motorcycle. It was designed to resemble the YA-2, but with a bigger, more powerful motor. The YDS-1 was released as a performance version of the YD-1 and housed a 250cc two-stroke twin in a double downtube cradle frame, and offered the very first five speed transmission available in Japanese motorcycles. The company also began to manufacture outboard marine engines around this time.

Yamaha Admin HQ in Cypress, California | Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Their dedication to two-stroke engines and racing paid off in 1963 with their first victory in an international competition; the Belgian GP, where they won the 250cc class. This win boosted their sales, and Yamaha set up their first international subsidiary in Thailand 1964, followed by the Netherlands in 1968. In 1965, they released a 305cc two-stroke twin, which featured a separate oil supply which directly injected oil into the gasoline, prior to combustion. This meant that riders no longer had to manually pre-mix, and became a flagship of the company’s lineup. In 1967, they released the larger 350cc two-stroke twin R-1.

1967 R1

In 1968, Yamaha released their first four-stroke motorcycle, the XS-1-650. It was a 650cc four-stroke twin designed to replicate the displacement and performance of popular British bikes of the time, like the Triumph Bonneville and BSA Gold Star. Yamaha stayed committed to primarily two-stroke line and four-stroke twins, while other Japanese manufacturers, like Honda, were moving towards four cylinder four-stroke machines like the legendary Honda CB750 four-stroke four-cylinder motorcycle.

Reed-valve induction was added in 1969 to its previously piston-ported designs to produce the twin-cylinder RD, and single-cylinder RS families, with many variants and capacities. The ‘R’ is believed to stand for ‘race developed’ or ‘reed valved’, while ‘D’ is for twin, or double, cylinder models. ‘S’ is for single cylinder models. The RS group was produced for several years, with a large number of variants. Yamaha also began manufacturing small standards with stamped steel frames and rotary disc-valved motors, including the FS1, and step-through V-50 and V-80 designs.

1976 saw Yamaha’s first multi-cylinder four stroke released as the XS-700, and later 850, which was a 750cc triple cylinder machine with shaft final drive. Their first four-cylinder model was the XS-1100 in 1978. Also featuring shaft drive. Though this bike was heavier and designed more for touring, it still won multiple endurance races.

The 1970s brought the creation of the first dedicated off-road bikes intended for off-road racing and recreation. Yamaha was early on the scene, and produced the first single-shock rear suspension, trademarked “Monoshock” in 1973. It first featured in the 1974 Yamaha YZ-250, a model which is still in production. Yamaha continued racing the the 60s and 70s and saw increasing success, rounded off with the XT500 winning the first Paris-Dakar Rally in 1979.

A combination of consumer preferences and environmental regulations made four strokes more popular in the 1980s. The effect was so great that Suzuki ended production of their GT two stroke series, and Kawasaki ended their entire, very successful, line of road-going two strokes. However, Yamaha continued their production and development of two-strokes for the streets into the 1980s. These performance-oriented, water-cooled twin cylinder machines were designed to achieve top performance, utilizing the lower weight of two-strokes. The RZ-250 was released in 1980 as the first of the series, followed by the RZ-350, the largest displacement model and a popular hot-rod bike in the 1980s. Production continued into the early 90s.

The motorcycle industry went through a gradual change in the 1980s, moving from building a few basic, yet versatile, models that were designed to do it all, to developing much more specialized machines. These niches included racing and performance street riding, touring, motocross racing, enduro and recreational off-road riding, and cruising. The XV750, released in 1981, featured an air-cooled V-twin four-stroke engine with cruiser styling and was one of the first Japanese cruiser style motorcycles. It was a huge hit, and by the end of the 1980s Yamaha had dozens of cruiser styled bikes, with a variety of displacements and engine configurations. 

In 1998, Yamaha premiered a 1000cc four cylinder road bike, the YZF ‘R1’. This model showcased a new style of gearbox design, which shortened the overall length to allow for a more compact unit. This created room for the motor to be mounted forward, to improve the handling in a short wheel-based frame.

Star Motorcycles debuted in 1995, a new brand name for the cruiser series of motorcycles in the US. This attempt to create a brand identity that was more closely aligned with cruisers, one of the largest in the States. In other countries, Star Motorcycles are still sold by Yamaha.

Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc. was established in 2007, one of more than 20 worldwide subsidiaries. In 2015, Yamaha invested $150 million in Pakistan, in order to set up a plant at Port Qasim, Karachi. Yamaha purchased Subaru Industrial Power Products, a small engine maker, from Subaru in October 2017, and have since been rebranded to Yamaha. Volvo and Yamaha worked together to co-develop the B8444S V8 engine for Volvo vehicles, from 2005 to 2016.