Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (ヤマハ発動機株式会社,Yamaha HatsudōkiKabushiki gaisha) is a Japanesemultinationalconglomerate mobility manufacturer that was founded in 1955. The company operates across various industries and manufactures a wide range of motorized products, includingmotorcycles,motorboats, outboard motors, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
The company was established following its separation from Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. (currentlyYamaha Corporation) and is headquartered inIwata,Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2024, the company operates development, production, and marketing functions through 137 consolidated subsidiaries.[2][3] Yamaha has been the world's second-largest motorcycle manufacturer, and it is the global leader in water vehicle sales. In addition, Yamaha holds the world's second-largest market share in chip mounters for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.[4][5]
Led byGenichi Kawakami, the company's founder and first president, Yamaha Motor spun off from musical instrument manufacturerYamaha Corporation in 1955 and began production of its first product, the YA-1 125cc motorcycle. It was quickly successful and won the 3rdMount Fuji Ascent Race in its class.
Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd (currentlyYamaha Corporation) was founded byTorakusu Yamaha in 1887 to manufacturereed organs andpianos and became the largest Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments in the early 20th Century. Yamaha was contracted to manufacture wooden and (later) metal airplanepropellers by the Japanese government duringWorld War II. The company struggled in the aftermath of the war, and in the early 1950s, chairmanGenichi Kawakami decided to repurpose its underutilized war-time facilities to manufacture small motorcycles for leisure use.[6]
The motorcycle division of Yamaha was spun off in 1955, being incorporated on 1 July 1955 in Japan,[7] and was headed by Genichi Kawakami. Yamaha's initial product was a 125 cc (7.6 cu in)two-stroke, single cylinder motorcycle, theYA-1, which was a copy of the GermanDKW 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.[8] 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 withHonda,Suzuki,Kawasaki, 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.[9] 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.[10] This period also saw Yamaha offer its first outboard marine engine.
By 1963, Yamaha's dedication to both the two-stroke engine and racing paid off with their first victory in international competition, at the Belgian 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 (traditionally riders had to pre-mix oil into gasoline together before filling the gas tank on two stroke engines). 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, theXS-1/650 which 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 byHonda in 1969 with the legendaryCB750 four-stroke four-cylinder cycle.
In early 1969, Yamaha added reed-valve induction to its previously piston-ported designs to produce the twin-cylinderRD and single-cylinderRS families, with variants in a number of capacities. There was a persistent, but apocryphal, rumour to the effect that "RD" indicatedrace developed. In fact, "R" appears to have indicatedreed valved, "D" the twin (ordouble) cylinder models and "S" the single-cylinder models. The RD family would be developed through the 1970s and 1980s, gaining solid wheels, water-cooling, YPVS, and other newer technology 'til they had little in common with the original variants (before being supplanted by the TZR). The RS family was produced for many years in a large number of variants by Yamaha and thenEscorts Limited in India without losing its resemblance to its progenitors. In addition to the RD and RS standards, Yamaha also manufactured small standards with stamped steel frames and rotary disc-valved motors such as theYamaha FS1, and step-through V-50 and V-80 designs. Its Enduro trail bike was replaced by the DT models. Not until 1976 would Yamaha answer the other Japanese brands with a multi-cylinder four stroke of their own. TheXS-750 (and later 850) 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, theXS-1100 followed in 1978, again with shaft drive.[11] 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.[12] 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 theXT500 winning the firstParis-Dakar Rally in 1979.[13]
By 1980 the combination of consumer preference and environmental regulation made four strokes increasingly popular. Suzuki ended production of theirGT two stroke series, including the flagship water-cooled two-stroke 750cc GT-750 in 1977. Kawasaki, who had considerable success throughout the 1970s with theirtwo-stroke triples of 250cc, 350cc, 400cc, 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[14] was the progenitor of this series. TheRZ-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 (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) 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.[15] A more popular and practical high-performance model for the street was introduced in 1985, theFZ750. 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 theYamaha RX-Z, introduced in 1985 as a two-stroke naked sport bike, related to theYamaha 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 theYamaha 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.
In 1998 Yamaha marketed a 1000cc four cylinder road bike called theYZF '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.[16]
In 1995, Yamaha announced the creation ofStar 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 US.
In 2007, Yamaha established thePhilippine 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.
In 2015, Yamaha investedUS$150 million in Pakistan to set up a plant atPort Qasim, Karachi.[17][18] Yamaha purchased small engine makerSubaru Industrial Power Products fromSubaru in October 2017. Subaru's engines powered lawnmowers, generators and water pumps and have since been rebranded as Yamaha.[citation needed] Yamaha and Volvo co-developed the B8444S V8 engine for Volvo vehicles from 2005 to 2016.[citation needed]
TheYamaha YZ450F won theAMA Supercross Championship two years in a row, in 2008 with Chad Reed, and 2009 James Stewart. Yamaha was the first to build a productionmonoshockmotocross 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). 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 racingGrand Prix motorcycles that any licensed road racer could purchase. In 1970, non-factory privateer teams dominated the 250 cc World Championship with Great Britain'sRodney Gould winning the title on aYamaha 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 (with a one-year break in 1990), initially for theZakspeed team, in 1991 for theBrabham BT60Y, in 1992 for theJordan 192, from 1993 to 1996 forTyrrell, and in 1997 for theArrows A18. The Yamaha engines never won a race (Damon Hill nearly did so at the1997 Hungarian Grand Prix). Drivers including Damon Hill,Ukyo Katayama,Mark Blundell andMika Salo scored some acceptable results with Blundell achieving a surprise 3rd place at the1994 Spanish Grand Prix and Hill with 2nd at the aforementioned 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix. This partly was considered to be due to Yamaha collaborating with theJohn Judd Engine Organization to create a better and reliable engine. However, there were questions raised as to whether the Yamaha engines used from 1993 to 1997 were just Judd engines with Yamaha branding.
1994 was considered to be Yamaha's most successful year in terms of points accrued. Apart from the podium achieved by Blundell in Spain, the Yamaha engine in the Tyrrell Car achieved 4 fifth place finishes and 1 sixth place finish over the course of the season. However, due to the inconsistency of the engine over the years, they were often unreliable and were usually regarded as not very powerful. The Yamaha engines never secured a fastest lap or pole position despite being on the grid for nearly a decade.
After the conclusion of the 1997 Formula One season, Yamaha decided to pull out of the sport. A possible reason for this was due to a disagreement with Arrows regarding the 1998 engine's identification. Yamaha wished to carry out work on the engine with their engineers, while Arrows wished for their own engineers to work on the engine instead, while still having it badged as a Yamaha engine.
In March 2024, it was announcedLola Cars will enterFormula E in the2024–25 season as a powertrain supplier in a technical partnership with Yamaha.[26][27] A month later, Lola-Yamaha securedAbt Formula E Team as its first powertrain customer for the 2024–25 season, with the team entering the season as Lola Yamaha Abt Formula E Team.[28][29]
Yamaha has built engines for other manufacturers' vehicles beginning with the development and production of theToyota 2000GT (1967). The cylinder head from theToyota 4A-GE engine was developed by Yamaha and built at Toyota's Shimayama plant alongside the 4A and 2A engines.[33] In 1984, executives of the Yamaha Motor Corporation signed a contract with theFord Motor Company to develop, produce, and supply compact 60°3.0 Liter DOHC V6 engines fortransverse application for the 1989–95Ford Taurus SHO.[34][35] From 1993 to 1995, the SHO engine was produced in 3.0 and 3.2 Liter versions. Yamaha jointly designed the3.4 Liter DOHC V-8 engine with Ford for the 1996–99 SHO. Ford and Yamaha also developed theZetec-SE branded 4-cylinder engines used in several Ford cars like the small sports carFord Puma. From 2005 to 2010, Yamaha produced a 4.4 Litre V8 forVolvo. TheB8444S engines were used in theXC90 andS80 models, whilst also adapted to 5.0L configuration for Volvo's foray into theV8 Supercars with theS60. British sportscar makerNoble also uses a bi-turbo version of the Volvo V8 in theirM600. All performance-oriented cylinder heads on Toyota/Lexus engines were designed and/or built by Yamaha. Some examples are the1LR-GUE engine found on the 2010–2012Lexus LFA, the2UR-GSE found inLexus ISF, the3S-GTE engine found on theToyota MR2 andToyota Celica GT4/All-Trac, the2ZZ-GE engine found on the 1999–2006Toyota Celica GT-S andLotus Elise Series 2, and the Toyota4GR-FSE engine found on the Lexus IS250.[36] Yamaha also tunes engines for manufacturers, such as Toyota, so Yamaha logos are onToyota S engines.[37]
Yamaha also tried to produce a supercar in the 1990s, named theYamaha OX99-11. It was made as a supercar to have a 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 contactedIAD 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. This resulted in a radical and somewhat outrageous design based on Group C cars of the time, with features 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. Eventually 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.
Beginning in 2013 Yamaha revealed a series of concept cars developed in collaboration withGordon Murray Design utilizing the company's iStream design process. The first concept, named the MOTIV, was revealed at the 43rdTokyo Motor Show in 2013. The MOTIV was a compact city car designed to accommodate gasoline engines, EV drivetrains, hybrid systems, and range extenders.[38]
The second concept, the Sports Ride Concept, was revealed at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show in 2015. The concept was a lightweight two-seat sports car that drew inspiration from the company's motorcycles.[39] The third concept, the Cross Hub Concept, was revealed at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in 2017. The Cross Hub was acoupé utility with a diamond-shaped sitting arrangement to allow it to carry two motorcycles in the bed while retaining compact dimensions for urban use.[40] Yamaha confirmed at the 46th Tokyo Motor Show in 2019 that cars were no longer in the company's plans.[41]
^"二輪車・バイク業界の動向・ランキング等を研究-業界動向サーチ" [Research on trends and rankings of motorcycles · motorcycle industry – industry trend search].gyokai-search.com (in Japanese). RetrievedNovember 11, 2017.
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