In 1955 Yamaha offered the world its first motorcycle. It was dubbed “The Red Dragonfly”, officially the model YA-1 a 2-stroke, air-cooled, single cylinder design with a 125cc engine. The paint livery they chose was chestnut red and white. In the intervening decades Yamaha has become a powerhouse amongst motorcycle companies offering many makes and models much more sophisticated, powerful, and aesthetically pleasing than that first quaint little two-wheeler. And the flagship colors have changed to what is officially called “Yamaha Pearl Blue” and white.
Yamaha is a Japan-based corporation that has been in existence since the 19th century first recognized as a piano maker. After WWII they decided to use existing war-production machinery on hand to make their first motorcycle. They continue to produce high quality music equipment it is but their motorcycle offerings that continue to bring them much renown.
In the 1970’s the talented Yamaha racing teams won many high profile world-class championships. Celebrating its 50th anniversary of doing business in North America the corporation commemorated the event by once again displaying the “Yamaha Yellow and Black” racing colors. Other colors Yamaha offers is indigo black, orange, and green. For a short while the company changed their brand color to red due to their belief that this was the color most people associated with speed. But soon this enormously successful company returned to its traditional blue and white.
The off-road YZ250F and the YZ450F are examples of two of the most successful ‘dirt bikes’ marketed by Yamaha. This company also offers smooth models designed for long distance touring such as the beautiful Royal Star Venture or the sleek Stratoliner Deluxe.The FJR1300A is lightweight, 1298cc’s double-overhead-cam, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder example of their rip-roaring racing bikes known as crotch rockets. The engines have evolved into advanced multiple-cylinder two and four-stroke wonders of technology. They also offer various motor-scooters and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles as well as snowmobiles such as the FX Nytro RTX SE, a 130 horsepower fuel-injected 3-cylinder “..HARD CHARGING ROUGH TRAIL DOMINATOR” .
Yamaha made its mark as the producer of fine music instruments and has proudly expounded upon its history. In fact the corporate logo continues to be three tuning forks superimposed on a chestnut red background. This obviously displays loyalty to their roots and confidence in their brand.
