2014 Yamaha V Star 1300 Deluxe on 2040-motos

Moto blog

The problem with electric bikes...

This weekend sees the running of the most famous car race of them all, the Le Mans 24hrs, and to be a driver of one of the front-running cars has got to be fairly high on the list of jobs that will make ladies swoon. Speed, danger, noise, fame, physical fitness and lots and lots of money, the key elements of any top-line race series, tend to ensure that its star competitors manage to appear cool. But the latest press picture from Yamaha – publicising the firm's link with (Yamaha shareholder) Toyota's Le Mans effort – manages to strip away every last shred of of swagger from the team's drivers by plonking them on Yamaha EC-03 electric scooters.

Unique Sounds of the New Yamaha R1

When Yamaha announced its new R1 literbike last fall, company reps told us about the tractability assets of its new, MotoGP-derived crossplane crankshaft for the four-cylinder engine. It’s unique in that cylinders fire 90-degrees apart, allegedly enabling better grip during acceleration. A byproduct of this design is an exhaust note that is distinctive in this world of cookie-cutter designs.

Yamaha Named Official Motorcycle Of Road America

The economic downturn hit the motorcycle world particularly hard, as many factory-backed road racing efforts closed shop. The decision, while unfortunate, isn’t hard to understand, as racing at the highest levels isn’t cheap, and a factory involvement means added pressure to succeed, which ultimately means spending more money to do so. Through it all, however, Yamaha has remained involved with the sport, fielding factory teams and sponsoring various riding schools and even racetracks.