A JDM-inspired Virago from Portland… Introduced in 1981, the Yamaha XV750 Virago was the company’s first foray into the market for V-twin cruisers, featuring mono-shock rear suspension, shaft-drive, and an air-cooled 75° V-twin producing 55 […]
Tag: Yamaha
No XS: Yamaha XS400 Twin(s)
Introduced in 1976, the Yamaha XS400 was highly anticipated in the industry. After all, its two-stroke sibling, the RD400, had been the fastest of the 400s, and everyone was curious what Yamaha could do with […]
Aluminum XS: Yamaha XS650 Street Tracker by Café Cycles
The Yamaha XS650 is one of our favorite vintage motorcycles. While it was styled after the British twins of the era, the bike was properly modern, featuring unit construction (engine and gearbox in same casing), […]
Yamaha YZ400F Flat Tracker
The Yamaha YZ400F was a true game-changer, the first 4-stroke production motocrosser that could compete directly against the 2-stroke competition — and win. The YZF weighed 250 pounds — about 20 more than the 2-strokes […]
Race Derived: Yamaha RD350 Cafe Racer by MotoExotica
A 1984 (!) Yamaha RD350 from the Himalayan foothills… The Yamaha RD350 is one of our favorite two-stroke street bikes, a parallel-twin standard that boasted 39 horsepower, Autolube oil injection, best-in-class brakes, and lovely colors […]
Supermoto Agricole: Yamaha XT500 by Y.C. Design
A “rural supermoto” from an elite French firefighter… The Yamaha XT500 is one of our favorite vintage Japanese motorcycles, and one of the greatest multipurpose bikes ever created. We’ve seen a varied assortment of customized […]
Fat Brat: Yamaha XS650 from Kuna Customs
Built a stone’s throw from where the turbojet engine was invented! Introduced in 1969 as the XS-1, the Yamaha XS650 would boast one of the most advanced engines of the class, a 654cc parallel twin […]
Dirt Quake(r): Yamaha Virago 250 Flat Tracker
An XV250 flat tracker from Moore’s Competition Cycles… The Yamaha XV250 — aka the Virago 250 — is a lightweight cruiser that’s been in production for nearly three decades, offering a 60-degree V-twin engine capable […]
Street-Legal Dream Racer: Yamaha RD350 by Speedy Siegl
Introduced in 1973, the Yamaha TZ350 would revolutionize the 350cc GP class, a production road racer offering a 60 hp liquid-cooled twin-cylinder engine and lightweight chassis. Available to privateer racers, the bike quickly made a […]
Art of the Possible: Virago XV920 “Alpha” by ASE Custom Motorcycles
The Yamaha Virago was the company’s first series of V-twin cruisers, featuring 75° air-cooled engines with shaft drive and mono-shock chassis. From 1981-1983, the Virago XV920 was the top of the line, offering a 920cc, […]
