Yamaha, headquartered out of Iwata, was founded in 1955 and quickly became a leader in the performance motorbike industry. The business made its debut at an international competition in 1956. Yamaha’s emblem, a set of interlocking tuning forks, is a nod to the company’s musical roots, which extend back to the late 19th century, even as it represents the company’s modern participation in a wide variety of on- and off-road competitions. Yamaha’s current line of motorcycles includes a wide variety of styles and designs, from the speedy Tracer 900 sport tourer and title-winning YZF-R1 superbike to the eye-catching Niken three-wheeler and famous PW50 novice dirt bike. The cheap MT-09, a three-cylinder naked bike with blistering performance and design, and the versatile twin-cylinder Ténéré 700 adventure bike also fall within this range. There are also almost a dozen YZ motocross motorcycles, WR enduro bikes, and TT-R playbikes, as well as a trio of lightweight dual-sport bikes headlined by the WR250R, a number of easy-to-ride scooters like the fuel-injected Zuma 50F, and a handful of TT-R playbikes.
Yamaha, seemingly never satisfied to sit still, has introduced a couple of Niken three-wheelers to further expand the rider envelope, and in 2019, it began importing its long-running line of Ebikes to the USA; in fact, Yamaha is the world’s largest producer of the increasingly popular electric-assisted bicycles.
Yamaha does not now offer the YZF-R6 or the VMAX. The R6’s retirement signals the end of the middleweight supersport category, which includes two venerable and historic brands. The R6 may be gone, but it leaves behind a legacy of supersport domination that no other bike can touch.
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Motocross
Cross Country
Yamaha’s off-road competition bikes are outfitted with state-of-the-art technology and performance features, and their aim is to help riders become the best they can be, to help them win races, and to help them become one with their bike so that they can reach peak states of flow and ultimately achieve victory.
Trail
Dual Sport
Supersport
Hyper Naked
Sport Heritage
Adventure Touring
Sport Touring
Scooter
