Yamaha 70th Anniversary Celebrations
Yamaha Motor Australia, via Yamaha Motor Co. in Japan, recently extended an invitation to spend three head-spinning days in Japan, immersed in the brand’s 70-year history.
After landing in Tokyo and being whisked to Hamamatsu at around 275 km/h on the Shinkansen, which is where the tour began in earnest, we visited Yamaha Motor’s head office in Iwata, where we spent the next day and a half walking through seven decades of ingenuity and design.
Behind closed doors, with cameras mostly forbidden, we relived Yamaha’s rich past and were given a glimpse of the future with access to the new hybrid and electric models prior to their first public showing at the Japan Mobility Show.
A hybrid scooter (PROTO HEV), a plug-in-hybrid naked bike (PROTO PHEV), and a full-electric sportsbike (BEV).
The BEV prototype we saw was extremely well-equipped in terms of chassis and braking components.
We were also shown Yamaha’s hydrogen-powered golf carts and scooters. The lineup revealed that Yamaha’s next chapter will involve the traditional internal-combustion engine as well as hydrogen and electric power. We also had a chance to get up close and personal with Yamaha’s vision of the future, MOTOROiD, ahead of the Tokyo Show reveal of MOTOROiD:Λ. We also met with Takanori Iwai, the General Manager of the company’s Product Design Division.
The afternoon brought a “night at the museum” moment when we were given access to the Communication Plaza. The museum was technically closed, and many of the display machines were already on their way to the My Yamaha Day celebrations at Sugo, which we were also attending. Still, the opportunity to have the ground-floor display area to ourselves was an enjoyable and unique experience. All of the classics housed at the Communication Plaza are kept in working order and often make public appearances where they are started and ridden.
The following morning, we arrowed north on the Shinkansen to Sendai and the Sportsland Sugo circuit, about 300km north of Tokyo, for the annual My Yamaha Motorcycle Day. Thousands of Yamaha fans flocked to the circuit, turning the car parks into pop-up show-and-shine areas.
While the larger-capacity historic Yamahas took to the main circuit for demonstration runs, the smaller-capacity and older machines, including an original YA-1 Red Dragonfly – Yamaha’s first motorcycle, circulated on the infield go-kart track.
The parade of classics that made their way onto the circuit was a who’s who of Yamaha machinery, setting the direction for motorcycling over the past seven decades.
Faster, safer, sharper-handling, and often inventing new segments, Yamaha’s innovations have often been the benchmark.
Daytona winning FZ750 and OW81 YZR500 Grand Prix racer
Cruisers such as the GX750, XJ750E and XV750 appeared, alongside classic singles including the SR500 and SRX600. There were a variety of competition machines, including the FZ750, ridden to victory at Daytona by Eddie Lawson, and two-stroke Grand Prix racers.
On the infield track, the mere sound of an original 1955 YA-1 “Red Dragonfly” being kick-started into life drew a crowd.
This is the machine where the Yamaha Motor legend was born, and despite its rarity, it was not there for show; test riders circulated on the two-stroke 125 cc machine, accompanied by other small-capacity classics and rarely seen oddities.
Yamaha’s OX99-11 experimental prototype from 1992 was also showcased
Behind the pit garages was the place to hang out between on-track activities, with a massive display of Yamaha’s classic machinery and a trade alley that offered an entertaining and educational snapshot of Yamaha’s motorcycle culture.
An immaculate SR500 Yamaha from 1978 is fettled ahead of cutting some laps
The day finished with spectators invited to lap the Sugo circuit on their road bikes. The parade revealed how deeply motorcycling culture runs in Japan and how much riders love their classic machines. There must have been 100 SR500s in the parade, and no two were identical.
If you’re a Yamaha fan, a visit to Sugo for Yamaha Motorcycle Day belongs on your bucket list. The circuit is spectacular, the amenities are top-rate, the crowd is welcoming and impeccably organised, and the sheer variety of machinery displayed on the track, in the displays, and even parking areas will keep you captivated for hours. Below, I give you but a brief glimpse through the lens of my camera.
