Yamaha A History

A massively diverse company, Yamaha's history can be taken back to their humble beginnings as piano and organ manufacturers before the turn of 20th century.

In 1887, a talented Japanese man, Torakusu Yamaha began manufacturing pianos and reed organs as a small company, Nippon Gakki. The company grew slowly but surely over the coming years and started to become extremely proficient and respected in the field of metallurgy.

Just over 50 years later saw Nippon Gakki take their first steps into the motorbike industry. Recycling their machinery that was used for production throughout World War II, Yamaha put their honed metallurgy skills to use and with the help of some highly respected motorbike designers, produced their first motorbike, the YA-1. 150 of these 'Red Dragonfly's' were made in 1958, Yamaha's first year of motorbike production. The motorbike had a 125cc engine and was both hotly anticipated and widely accepted. It was so successful, that only a year later Nippon Gakki formed a subsidiary of their company to work on their motorbike production side alone - named the Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd.

The 1950's and 1960's in Japan were a fierce time for production and manufacturing companies, namely in the motorbike industry. It's noted that over 150 motorbikes manufacturers were producing motorbikes at one point. Of course, not every company could have a long life and only a handful survived. Whilst Yamaha were only a young company in terms of the number of years they had been producing motorbikes, the quality of their bikes and their respected position within the manufacturing industry ensured that they sailed through this tough period to become triumphant in the production of motorbikes.

1970 brought the production of Yamaha's first four stroke motorbike, the XS-1. Designed similar to a British road bike, this, coupled with its powerful 650cc kept the XS-1 in production for over a decade, which was highly unusual, but greatly respected throughout this period of motorbike production.

Throughout the 1980's, the Superbike market was primarily Yamaha's. Launching a range of motorbikes, namely the next generation FZR750, the FZR1000, the motorbikes were a force to be reckoned with on the racing circuit. Matching any other Superbike on the racing track at the same time, the FZR1000 was enhanced over the years, each release bringing a new and improved feature of the bike, making it more powerful, successful and popular.

Yamaha's most famous motorbike, the YZF-R1 was released in 1998 with a massive 998cc engine. Its famous handling, mixed with its lightweight frame made it both an ideal racing motorbike as well as a popular road bike. As with the FZR1000, the R1 was modified over the following years to become one of the most desirable racing motorbikes ever produced.

For over 100 years, Yamaha have been products for both the public and private sector. Whether it was their initial venture in the world of pianos and organs or their later production of famous and popular motorbikes, Yamaha have continued one thing throughout - their high level of quality. It can be seen in every single item Yamaha produce, meaning once you see the Yamaha sign, you can guarantee the product will be a worthwhile buy. When you buy one, ensure proper coverage with a Yamaha Motorbike Insurance policy.