Yamaha Motorcycle Road Tests
& Reviews
Yamaha Motorcycle Guide
Yamaha Motor Company Limited, a division of Japanese conglomerate Yamaha Corporation, has been producing motorized vehicles since 1955. Yamaha currently produces motorcycles, motorbikes, ATVs, boats, marine engines, automobile engines, personal watercraft and snowmobiles. Under the Yamaha brand, it produces sportbikes (YZF-R1, FZ1, FZ8 and others), sport tourers (FJR1300A), adventure tourers (Super Ténéré), dual-sports (WR250X, XT250 and others), dirt bikes (YZ450F, WR450F and others) and scooters (Tmax, Zuma and others). In the U.S., cruisers produced by Yamaha have been sold under the Star Motorcycles brand since 2006, including the Royal Star, Roadliner, Stratoliner, Vmax, Raider, Stryker and others. Yamaha motorcycle reviews and road tests explain why the brand has won Rider‚s Motorcycle of the Year four times: in 2006 with the FZ1, in 2003 with the FJR1300, in 1996 with the Royal Star Tour Classic and in 1993 with the GTS1000.
Retrospective: Yamaha FZ750 Genesis: 1985-1986, 1988
Clement Salvadori
June 25, 2008
(This Retrospective article was published in the June 2008 issue of Rider.) STORY AND PHOTOS BY CLEMENT SALVADORI It was the early 1980s when the Japanese really got their sporting act together with liquid-cooled engines, single-shock suspensions, and frames that could handle the power in the corners. Yamaha... Read more »
Retrospective: Yamaha XJ900R Seca: 1983
Clement Salvadori
April 25, 2008
(This Retrospective article was published in the April 2008 issue of Rider.) STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLEMENT SALVADORI This was a good bike at a good price, as $3,700 (MSRP) would roll this 900 Seca out the dealer’s door. The performance was not too shabby, with an 11-second quarter-mile and a chassis... Read more »
2007 Yamaha FZ6 Road Test
Troy Siahaan
July 3, 2007
(this review of the 2007 Yamaha FZ6 was originally published in the July 2007 issue of Rider] Remember the days when bikes were inexpensive and could do a little bit of everything? Well, there’s good news-the middleweight standard motorcycle has made a comeback. In a market where most bikes are... Read more »
Retrospective: Yamaha TDM 850: 1992-1993
Clement Salvadori
May 22, 2007
(This Retrospective article appeared in the May 2007 issue of Rider.) New Sports? What was a “New Sports” machine? In this case it seemed to be a “naked” bike partially clothed in a small fairing, which had a curious bicloptic headlight arrangement, the two bulbs side by side. Definitely unusual.... Read more »
2007 Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer Road Test
Troy Siahaan
February 5, 2007
I must have a screw loose. I told some friends that I would meet them near the local twisties for a breakfast ride. They all ride sportbikes and assumed that I would be riding one as well. Imagine their surprise when I made my entrance on Yamaha’s new V Star 1300 Tourer. I was greeted by laughter... Read more »
2006 BMW K1200GT vs. Yamaha FJR1300A Motorcycle Comparison
Clement Salvadori
January 25, 2007
[This 2006 BMW K1200GT vs. Yamaha FJR1300A Motorcycle Comparison was originally published in the January 2007 issue of Rider magazine] Photography by Michael Mariant As any reader understands, the test rider has got to be objective in his evaluation of a motorcycle, to judge that motorcycle on the basis... Read more »
2006 Yamaha FZ1 Road Test
Ken Freund
January 5, 2007
A lot of water has passed under the proverbial bridge in the half decade since Yamaha’s first-generation FZ1 was introduced, and the world is a different place. When that groundbreaking 2001 model was launched, company officials later admitted, they were skeptical that customers would flock to... Read more »
2006 Yamaha Road Star Midnight Warrior Road Test
Bill Stermer
January 5, 2007
We hear it more all the time. “I’ve been riding sportbikes for years, and now that I’m getting older I want to slow down a bit. I’d like to just cruise, but on the other hand I’m not sure a cruiser would satisfy me if it had too many performance limitations. What would you... Read more »
2006 Honda 599, Kawasaki Ninja 650R, Suzuki SV650S and Yamaha FZ6 Motorcycle Comparison
Mark Tuttle Jr.
January 1, 2007
[This 2006 Honda 599, Kawasaki Ninja 650R, Suzuki SV650S and Yamaha FZ6 Motorcycle Comparison was originally published in the April 2006 issue of Rider magazine] Photography by Rich Cox/Slide Action These middleweight motorcycles sure look nice as a pack... Look at the middleweight motorcycle class and... Read more »
2006 Yamaha Roadliner S Road Test
Bill Stermer
January 1, 2007
Open any magazine that covers the hyperactive world of customized cruisers (such as our sister publication Cruising Rider), and you’ll see a healthy percentage of customs based on Yamaha’s Road Star line. With its big-inch, traditional-looking, pushrod, air-cooled V-twin engine and just-right... Read more »
