Yamaha Motorcycle History

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MEAN 1

MEAN 1

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In the year 1955 when Yamaha developed its first motorcycle, the YA-1, there were about 150 motorcycle makers struggling to compete in JapanÁs young motorcycle industry, and Yamaha Motor was the last company to enter the fray. At this time, the company had 274 employees working in two single-story wooden buildings that served as factories where they produced about 200 motorcycles a month.

Since then,for nearly half a century Yamaha Motor has continued to take up one challenge after another and to turn the ideas and dreams born of these challenges into new products and businesses. As a result of this corporate spirit, the Yamaha Motor of today is active in a wide range of business fields and boasts a truly varied and extensive range of products.
 
Committed to Perfection


In the origins of something are often found a suggestion of the direction it will take in the future. This adage holds true for Yamaha Motor Company's very first motorcycle model, the YA-1. Born of the quest for superior new technologies and built with the absolute goal of winning races, the YA-1 had a mission from the very beginning, and the chestnut red body color that was so modern for the day was just one embodiment of the Yamaha obsession with perfection in design. Then there was Yamaha Motor's passion for small-engine technology that went into this model's 2-stroke 123cc power unit. Still known affectionately today by the nickname "Aka-tombo (Red Dragonfly)," the YA-1 was a creation that epitomizes the Yamaha spirit. This single model expresses perhaps better than any other the essence of what Yamaha is today.

Production Models
YA-1 (1955)
1950's YD-1 (1957)
1960's YDS-3 (1966)
1970's DT-1 (1968)
1980's XS-1 (1970)
1990's XT500 (1976)

Racing Machine
GX750 (1976)
RZ250 (1980)
XJ750E (1981)
RZV500R (1984)
SEROW (1985)
SRX600 (1985)
FZ750 (1985)
 
YA-1 -1955

This was Yamaha's first motorcycle. At a time when motorcycle design was dominated by imposing all-black styling, the YA-1 with its simple form and modern chestnut red coloring quickly became popularly known by the nickname "aka-tombo" (the Red Dragonfly). What's more, it immediately demonstrated its high performance by winning the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race in July of 1955, and then swept the top places in the ultra-light class of the 1st Asama Highlands Race of the All Japan Endurance Championships. In an era when the national average for the starting salary of a male college graduate was 10,780 yen, this model, priced at an expensive 138,000 yen, was a coveted extravagance beyond the reach of most users.
 
YC-1 - 1956

A deluxe version of the YA-1, this model immediately drew public attention when it appeared in the Tokyo Motor Show held in Hibiya Park in April of 1956. With a grayish-brown finish, taking its image from the wet pavement of Paris' Champs-Elysees, this model represented a high-level marriage of design and function with features like the first domestic-made monobloc carburetor. This immediately boosted the brand image of Yamaha, a company that was still at the time a latecomer to the Japanese motorcycle industry.
 
YD-1 - 1957


This is a model born of a pursuit of design originality. In the development as well, the design elements proceeded the engineering. Taking as its key words "A 250cc for the Japanese," it was given a compact and easy to ride body size that fit the Japanese physique. What's more, it embodied a "Dynamic design" that gave the impression of powerful dynamism in any situation. It also mounted Yamaha's first 2-cylinder engine. In a Japanese market dominated at the time by utility models, the YD-1 brought a new image of sports performance.
 
YDS-1 -1959

Further developing on the sporty performance of the YD-1, this new model mounted a 20hp engine on a steel-pipe cradle frame to achieve unprecedented running performance. Features like the first domestic-made 5-speed transmission and combination type instrument panel with engine tachometer caught the imagination of sports riders, who quickly nicknamed it "Japan's first sports model."
 
MF-1 -1960

This was Yamaha's first moped and would become the base for the Mate that was to follow later. The chassis adopted a monocoque frame with the fuel tank built in as an integrated part of the steel frame. The front suspension was a compressed rubber block type, while the rear suspension was a type with a coil spring embedded in rubber that combined to produce a comfortable ride. It also featured an electric starter that helped establish the image of the moped as a machine that anyone could ride with ease.
 
SC-1 -1960

This was Yamaha's first scooter model. It adopted advanced technologies such as a two-speed transmission with built in cell dynamo and a torque converter, a shaft-drive and cantilever suspensions front and rear. The 1950s saw a large number of both foreign and domestic manufacturers enter the scooter market, creating a full-fledged scooter boom. Amidst this, the SC-1 opened the eyes of the scooterist of the day with its outstanding running performance and avant-garde form.
 
YG-1 -1963

Mounting a rotary disk valve engine on a backbone type monocoque frame and boasting a number of features like waterproof brakes, a headlight nacelle and a megaphone type muffler, the YG-1 quickly became a popular model and a big hit in sales. With increased engine reliability through improved cooling performance and greater serviceability in the air filter, carburetor and clutch, this model represented a great combination of sportiness and utility
 
U5 MATE -1965

This was the first version of Yamaha's best-selling Mate business-use bikes. The name "Mate" was the result of a public-participation naming contest. This model immediately won unprecedented popularity for the high product quality deriving from its combination of advanced features like the revolutionary Autolube separate lubrication system for the 2-stroke engine, automatic centrifugal clutch and its single-unit "U-bone" frame running from the steering head to the rear fender. The TV commercial with its catchy, upbeat music also became a big hit.
 
AT-90 -1965

This model appeared as a dual-purpose bike that combined business utility with sportiness. Mounting a small-displacement high-rpm type 90cc twin cylinder engine known as the "jet twin," this model became especially popular among sports-minded riders. The "AT" in its name came from its Autolube lubrication system. This forced lubrication mechanism achieved both high performance and low fuel consumption as well as good utility.
 
YDS-3 -1966

Yamaha's YDS series had evolved steadily from the YDS-1 introduced in 1959 through the YDS-2 of '62 and then this YDS-3. One of the foremost Japanese sports models, it also won great popularity in the USA. As the first 2-cylinder model to adopt the Autolube system, it achieved unchallenged reliability and high-speed durability. Also adopting features like a 3-step adjustable shock absorber, this model represented a high-level marriage of engine performance, running performance and utility.
 
DT-1 -1968

Winning an unprecedented following from the time of its release, this DT-1 started a worldwide boom in trail bikes. Before the appearance of the DT-1, off-road bikes had been primarily "scrambler" type bikes adapted from on-road models. By contrast, this model was the embodiment of a machine to take you "beyond where the roads end." Packed full of technologies and features expressly for off-road riding, like a Ceriani type front fork with the longest stroke of any Japanese-made unit at the time, Autolube, a 5-port piston valve engine, wide-radius block-pattern tires and an engine guard, this model created the new genre known as "trail bikes."
 
FT-1 -1970

A pioneer of the "mini-trail" category, the FT-1 mounted a rotary disk valve 2-stroke 50cc engine on a compact chassis. Despite its small displacement, this model boasted features like a full-fledged double-cradle frame, Ceriani front fork and separate meters. Its spirited running performance and full array of features won it solid popularity.
 
XS-1 -1970

After making only 2-stroke models for the 15 years since its founding, to the point that its brand name had become synonymous with 2-strokes, Yamaha introduced its first 4-stroke engine on this model, which quickly won a popular following. The goal of building a "lightweight, slim and compact big-displacement sports model," was achieved by mounting a vertical OHC twin engine characterized mainly by its slimness on a slim double cradle frame.
 
TX-750-1972

Yamaha's first production 750cc model sold on the market. In a time when multi-cylinder engines were most common in the bigger 4-stroke road sports models, Yamaha exhibited its originality with features such as an SOHC vertical in-line 2-cylinder engine with balancer that had a big twin's unique sense of torque and pulse, as well as a slim body for nimblehandling. Its advanced mechanics included such as a anti-vibration structure which was a first for a motorcycle, dry sump lubrication, opposed-piston type double disc brakes and the first aluminum frame ever on a street model.
 
LB50-11 Chappy - 1973

The LB50II was introduced as a "town mini-bike" that almost anyone could ride with ease. It was targeted at women and adopted small diameter 8-inch wheels and an automatic-clutch 2-speed transmission that made it easy to ride even for shorter framed women, among whom it naturally became popular. Further variations included a hand-clutch 4-speed and a centrifugal-clutch 3-speed model and detail changes heightened its ease of use. These improvements made the Chappy widely loved by women users.
 
TY-250 -1973

Yamaha developed the TY250 as a competition model at a time when trial competition was booming. Mic "the Magician" Andrews was one of the riders involved in the development. The TY250J was released as a model that could also be ridden on public roads. With its 250cc engine known for flat torque characteristics and solid low-speed-range torque so strong that the machine would move forward even at idle, its slim body and fat rear tire, this model's pedigree as a trial machine was beyond question. Its many records in competition speak for themselves.
 
TX-500 -1973

The third model of Yamaha's 4-stroke road sports category, this racy Super Sports model was, very different from its predecessors, the 650 and 750, being the first road bike to have a DOHC 4-valve per cylinder high output engine. Functions such as the world's first IC regulator, a CV carburetor, an aluminum frame and front disc brakes were also featured on this model.
 
XT500 -1976

This model was developed as a desert race enduro machine. Released as a street-legal version of the TT500 enduro machine launched the year before, this model became the pioneer of the big single off-road genre. It was the focus of attention also for the bold adoption for the first time ever of a forward inclining upside-down rear suspension on a trail model. It was on an XT500 that the Sonauto Yamaha team's Cyril Neveu won the motorcycle division of the 1st Paris Dakar Rally in 1979.
 
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