Yamaha – from the smallest beginnings to the second largest motorcycle manufacturer

imagePhotos: Yamaha

1887 is the year yamaha was founded. This means that the company is so old that it must have turned to other things before motorcycle production – a hint of what this could be give the three crossed tuning forks of the brand logo. Yamaha first built musical instruments, as early as 1887 harmonies. To this day, Yamaha is the world's largest producer of pianos.

The Universalist


Yamaha is a group with many divisions – so many that it threatened to become confusing. In 1955, all vehicle activities were outsourced to the newly founded Yamaha Motor Company. And there are many of these activities, because in addition to the motorcycles, Yamaha also builds boats and boat engines (outboard and built-in motors), generators, quads and ATV, jet skis, robots and "side by side" vehicles (depending on the view small SUVs or large quads).

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First bet, first victory

Yamaha launched in 1955 in a market where 150 competitors were active. And with modest means: it all began when the then president of Nippon Gakki, (now Yamaha Corporation,) Genichi Kawakami, used some production facilities for the production of metal aircraft propellers to develop the first Yamaha motorcycle. With a start-up capital of 30 million yen, 274 employees and two single-storey wooden factory buildings with a capacity of 200 motorcycles per month, the company ventured into competition. Yamaha took part in the Fuji Ascent Race with the first YA-1 and won.

Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. (YME) in the Netherlands was founded in 1968 and is the regional headquarters of Yamaha Motor Company in Europe. The Japanese are the second largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world after Honda. Yamaha is also a universalist similar to the Japanese competition from Honda and Kawasaki. There is no specialisation in a certain type of motorcycle, such as Ducati (sporty motorcycles) or Harley-Davidson (chopper).

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No. 2 worldwide

Apart from that, Yamaha has been involved in motorcycle racing for a long time. In total, Yamaha won no less than 39 world titles. On September 17, 1970, Don Vesco drove 405.25 km/h with his "Big Red" Yamaha. Two 350cc Yahaha engines were installed in the bike.

In Germany, the bestseller Yamaha mt-07, a Naked Bike, which is ranked 4th in new motorcycle registrations in March 2019.

The Philosophy

From Yamaha's corporate philosophy: "We believe that leisure is of the utmost importance for a balanced, fulfilling and enjoyable life. Whatever products our customers enjoy, we strive to create a harmonious connection between man and machine."

Data

  • Founded: 1887
  • Orientation: Universalist
  • Legendary: XT 500 and SR 500
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