An RD350 dirt bike built for the Malle Mile… The Yamaha RD350, built from 1973 to 1975, is one of our favorite machines from the heyday of the two-stroke street bike — a 39-hp parallel […]
Tag: Yamaha
Retro Motard: Yamaha XT600 by M.A.M.
A retro-inspired, short wheelbase, 264-lb motard… The Yamaha XT600 was the successor to one of our favorite enduros of all-time, the legendary XT500. Introduced for the 1983 model year, the XT600E offered a 44-hp four-valve […]
Muscle Scrambler: Yamaha XJR1300
Teleportation awaits… In the early ’90s, Yamaha needed a big-bore muscle bike to compete with the likes of the Honda CB1000 and Suzuki Bandit. Thus the mighty XJR series was born — a ’70s-inspired, big-block […]
Handbuilt in Texas: Jackson 5AM V2.0
“We don’t build custom Yamahas, Hondas, etc. We build Jacksons.” The XV750 Virago, launched in 1981, was Yamaha’s first entry into the V-twin cruiser arena. It was a slightly funky machine, with an air-cooled 75° […]
Yamaha “SR534” Cafe Racer by Yuya Ueda
“Mechanical vibes like an old piston engine fighter…” Few motorcycles have garnered the cult following of the air-cooled, single-cylinder Yamaha SR series. Part of the appeal must be the straightforward, no-frills nature of the SR’s […]
“Dusty Classic” Yamaha SR500 by Le Motographe
The Yamaha 500 singles are some of our favorite air-cooled thumpers ever built. The street-oriented SR500, introduced in 1978, was available in the US until 1981 and Europe until 1983, though it remained available in […]
“Fat Boy” Yamaha TW125 Scrambler by Candy MC
The Yamaha TW (Trailway) series, with their fat tires and four-stroke engines, have been called “two-wheel quads” or “beach bikes.” In 1987, famed Japanese motorcyclist Shinji Kazama rode a TW200 to the North Pole, and […]
Yamaha “SR534” Cafe Fighter by Hilt’s Chopper’z
The Yamaha SR500, introduced in 1978, was an air-cooled, big-single street bike powered by a 32-hp version of the XT500 engine. In order to make the SR as easy to use as possible, the […]
“La Gypsy”: Yamaha XS400 by Kacerwagen
The Yamaha XS400 was built from 1976 to 1982, offering a 36-hp parallel twin engine and 6-speed gearbox, along with some nice features like an automatic petcock and self-canceling turn signals. The bike came in […]
Yamaha Virago 750 “GTS” by 074 Customs
When Yamaha engineers were designing the XV750 — aka the Virago 750 — they surely didn’t realize that this funky V-twin cruiser — Yamaha’s first! — would be resurrected as a cafe racer some forty […]
