MANUFACTURERS / YAMAHA
YAMAHA
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
- EST.
- 1955
- HQ
- 2500 Shingai, Iwata-shi, Shizuoka-ken, Japan
- ARCHIVE
- 17
01 — History
HISTORY
Yamaha Motor was founded on July 1, 1955, with Genichi Kawakami as its first president. Production of its first product, the 125cc YA-1, began that year at the Nippon Gakki Hamana Factory, and the machine took class wins at the Mount Fuji Ascent Race and the Asama Highlands Race. In 1959 came the YDS1, described by Yamaha as the first full-fledged sports motorcycle by a Japanese maker. The company won its first road race World GP manufacturer and rider titles (250cc) in 1964 and moved its headquarters to Iwata in 1972.
02 — Timeline
TIMELINE
1955
Company founded; production of the 125cc YA-1 begins, and it wins the 125cc class of the 3rd Mount Fuji Ascent Race
1958
International racing debut: 6th place at the Catalina Grand Prix, U.S.
1959
YDS1 released, described by Yamaha as the first full-fledged Japanese sports motorcycle
1964
First manufacturer and rider titles in the 250cc class of the road race World GP
1968
First trail model, the DT-1, released
1970
XS1, Yamaha’s first motorcycle with a four-stroke engine, released
1972
Headquarters moved to Iwata City, Shizuoka
1977
“Soft bike” Passol released
ICONIC MOTORCYCLES
03 — Machines
YAMAHA
Yamaha YA-1
1955
Standard
YAMAHA
Yamaha DT-1
1968
Trail
YAMAHA
Yamaha XS-1
1970
Standard
YAMAHA
Yamaha SR400
1978
Standard
YAMAHA
Yamaha RZ250
1980
Sports
Jog
YAMAHA
YAMAHA
Yamaha Jog
1983
Gentsuki (50cc class)
YAMAHA
Yamaha TZR250
1985
Racer Replica
YAMAHA
Yamaha FZ750
1985
Sports
VMAX
YAMAHA
YAMAHA
Yamaha VMAX
1985
Cruiser
YAMAHA
Yamaha Serow 225
1985
Trail
YAMAHA
Yamaha XJR1200
1994
Naked
YAMAHA
Yamaha Drag Star 400
1996
Cruiser
YAMAHA
Yamaha YZF-R1
1998
Supersport
YAMAHA
Yamaha TMAX
2001
Big Scooter
YAMAHA
Yamaha Ténéré 700
2019
Adventure
04 — Engineering
ENGINEERING
Engine layouts found among catalogued machines
05 — By Era
DESIGN THROUGH THE ERAS
06 — Motorsport
MOTORSPORT
YAMAHA
Yamaha YZ250
1974
Motocross
A production replica of the YZM250 (0W12) works machine that won the 1973 Motocross World Championship and All Japan Motocross Championship titles. It was the first production model with Monocross suspension, hence the name YZ250M. A competition-only machine with an air-cooled 246 cm³ two-stroke single and a 5-speed gearbox.
YAMAHA
Yamaha YZR500 (0WF9)
1994
Race Machine
A GP500 factory machine used in 1994 and 1995. A change of frame material optimised rigidity balance, and moving the air intake from the nose to inside the cowl improved aerodynamics; the 1995 version adopted ram-air pressurisation of the airbox. Liquid-cooled 499 cm³ two-stroke V4 with crankcase reed induction and a 6-speed gearbox.
07 — Global Expansion
GLOBAL EXPANSION
Export names and market-specific specifications are recorded per market on each machine page. Corporate overseas milestones appear only when confirmed by official company sources.
08 — On Film
ON FILM
HeritageYAMAHA2025
Yamaha Motor at 70
Marking 70 years since Yamaha Motor's founding on 1 July 1955, recalling how its first product, the YA-1, won the 125cc class at the Mount Fuji Ascent Race and the Asama Highlands Race.
HeritageYAMAHA2024
YA-1 on the test course
Special edition of the historic-machine demo run held at Yamaha Motor's Fukuroi test course in November 2023 to mark the Communication Plaza's 25th anniversary. Featured: the YA-1, Yamaha's first motorcycle.
HeritageYAMAHA2024
DT-1 on the test course
Special edition of the historic-machine demo run held at Yamaha Motor's Fukuroi test course in November 2023 to mark the Communication Plaza's 25th anniversary. Featured: the DT-1.
HeritageYAMAHA2024
RZ250 on the test course
Special edition of the historic-machine demo run held at Yamaha Motor's Fukuroi test course in November 2023 to mark the Communication Plaza's 25th anniversary. Featured: the RZ250.
09 — Gallery
GALLERY
10 — Sources
SOURCES
- [1]Corporate TimelineYamaha Motor Co., Ltd. · manufacturer · accessed 2026-09-26
- [2]沿革ヤマハ発動機株式会社 · manufacturer · accessed 2026-09-26
- [3]OverviewYamaha Motor Co., Ltd. · manufacturer · accessed 2026-09-26
- [4]会社概要ヤマハ発動機株式会社 · manufacturer · accessed 2026-09-26
11 — Image Credits
PHOTO CREDITS
- Creator
- NearEMPTiness
- License
- CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- NearEMPTiness, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- PekePON
- License
- CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- PekePON, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Derek A.
- License
- CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Derek A., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Rainmaker47
- License
- CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Mike Schinkel
- License
- CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Schinkel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Rainmaker47
- License
- CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Rainmaker47
- License
- CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- TTTNIS
- License
- Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- TTTNIS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Rainmaker47
- License
- CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Rainmaker47, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Rikita
- License
- CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Rikita, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Kuro8124
- License
- CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kuro8124, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Creator
- Dbratland
- License
- CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Dbratland, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons