The Yamaha XS650 is a mid-size motorcycle that was made by the Yamaha Motor Company . The standard model was introduced in October 1969, and produced until 1979. The "Special" cruiser model was introduced in 1978 and produced until 1985. The XS650 began with the 1955 Hosk SOHC 500 twin . After about 10 years of producing 500 twin, Hosk engineers designed a 650 cc twin. Later Showa Corporation acquired the Hosk company, and in 1960 Yamaha acquired Showa, with Hosk's early design of 650 cc twin.
88-576: Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. ( ヤマハ発動機株式会社 , Yamaha Hatsudōki Kabushiki gaisha ) is a Japanese mobility manufacturer that produces motorcycles, motorboats , outboard motors, and other motorized products. The company was established in the year 1955 upon separation from Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. (currently Yamaha Corporation ) and is headquartered in Iwata , Shizuoka , Japan. The company conducts development, production and marketing operations through 109 consolidated subsidiaries as of 2012. Led by Genichi Kawakami ,
176-524: A ⟨k⟩ , is often used, but the original Japanese pronunciation is kabushiki gaisha , with a ⟨g⟩ , owing to rendaku . A kabushiki gaisha must include " 株式会社 " in its name (Article 6, paragraph 2 of the Companies Act). In a company name, " 株式会社 " can be used as a prefix (e.g. 株式会社 電通 , kabushiki gaisha Dentsū , a style called 前株 , mae-kabu ) or as a suffix (e.g. トヨタ自動車 株式会社 , Toyota Jidōsha kabushiki gaisha ,
264-423: A (so-called) "close company" ( 非公開会社 , hi-kōkai gaisha ) , in which case the company (e.g. its board of directors or a shareholders' meeting, as defined in the articles of incorporation) must approve any transfer of shares between shareholders; this designation must be made in the articles of incorporation. The articles must be sealed by the incorporator(s) and notarized by a civil law notary , then filed with
352-500: A 1000cc four cylinder road bike called the YZF 'R1' , this model introduced a new style of gearbox design which shortened the overall length of the motor/gearbox case, to allow a more compact unit. This, in turn allowed the motor to be placed in the frame further forward, designed to improve handling in a short wheel-based frame. In 1995, Yamaha announced the creation of Star Motorcycles , a new brand name for its cruiser series of motorcycles in
440-404: A Fastest Lap or Pole Position despite being on the grid for nearly a decade. After the conclusion of the 1997 Formula One Season, Yamaha decided to pull out of the sport, a possible reason for this was due to a disagreement with Arrows regarding the 1998 engine's identification, Yamaha wished to carry out work on the engine with their engineers while Arrows wished for their own engineers to work on
528-511: A K.K. is carried out by one or more incorporators ( 発起人 , hokkinin , sometimes referred to as "promoters") . Although seven incorporators were required as recently as the 1980s, a K.K. now only needs one incorporator, which may be an individual or a corporation. If there are multiple incorporators, they must sign a partnership agreement before incorporating the company. The purpose statement requires some specialized knowledge, as Japan follows an ultra vires doctrine and does not allow
616-468: A K.K. must have a board of directors ( 取締役会 , torishimariyaku kai ) consisting of at least three individuals. Directors have a statutory term of office of two years, and auditors have a term of four years. Small companies can exist with only one or two directors, with no statutory term of office, and without a board of directors ( 取締役会非設置会社 , torishimariyaku-kai hi-setchi-gaisha ) . In such companies, decisions are made via shareholder meeting and
704-477: A K.K. to act beyond its purposes. Judicial or administrative scriveners are often hired to draft the purposes of a new company. Additionally, the articles of incorporation must contain the following if applicable: Other matters may also be included, such as limits on the number of directors and auditors. The Corporation Code allows a K.K. to be formed as a "stock company that is not a public company" ( 公開会社でない株式会社 , kōkai gaisha denai kabushiki gaisha ) , or
792-452: A ball bearing. The camshaft uses four ball bearings, and rolling bearings are used throughout the rest of the engine. Connecting rods turn on needle bearings. Since the engine is SOHC, there are no pushrods to operate the valves. The camshaft gets its drive from a single-row chain running from the center of the crankshaft. Chain tension is maintained by a spring-loaded guide, which also takes up unnecessary slack. The initial intake valve timing
880-457: A cross-drilled front disc brake rotor, while the rear remained with the drum brakes. The design was unchanged until it was updated in 2004, with the rear lights being borrowed by the Yamaha Y125Z and a new headlight. It was also installed with a catalytic converter, which reduced its horsepower to 19bhp. However, the maximum torque remained unchanged but the low-end torque was improved compared to
968-471: A double downtube cradle frame and offered the first five-speed transmission in a Japanese motorcycle. This period also saw Yamaha offer its first outboard marine engine. By 1963, Yamaha's dedication to both the two-stroke engine and racing paid off with their first victory in international competition, at the Belgian GP, where they won the 250cc class. Success in sales was even more impressive, and Yamaha set up
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#17328523482411056-447: A minor issue when deciding how to structure a business in Japan. As all publicly traded companies follow the K.K. structure, smaller businesses often choose to incorporate as a K.K. simply to appear more prestigious. In addition to income taxes, K.K.s must also pay registration taxes to the national government and may be subject to local taxes. Generally, the power to bring actions against
1144-411: A needle that may only have one clip position). The pilot and main jets can be changed for different sizes. If the 34 mm (1.3 in) CV carb needles only have one fixed clip position. The models up to 1979 use points ignition. Two sets of points are located on the upper left of the cylinder head. On the right side cylinder head, an advance mechanism is located. An advance mechanism is used to retard
1232-559: A new larger displacement model was added to the range, the 350cc two stroke twin R-1. In 1968, Yamaha launched their first four-stroke motorcycle, the XS-1/650 which was a 650cc four-stroke twin, a larger and more powerful machine that equaled the displacement and performance of the popular British bikes of the era, such as the Triumph Bonneville and BSA Gold Star. Yamaha continued on with both
1320-423: A number of capacities. There was a persistent, but apocryphal, rumour to the effect that "RD" indicated race developed . In fact, "R" appears to have indicated reed valved , "D" the twin (or double ) cylinder models and "S" the single-cylinder models. The RD family would be developed through the 1970s and 1980s, gaining solid wheels, water-cooling, YPVS, and other newer technology 'til they had little in common with
1408-631: A one-year break in 1990), initially for the Zakspeed team, in 1991 for the Brabham BT60Y , in 1992 for the Jordan 192 , from 1993 to 1996 for Tyrrell , and in 1997 for the Arrows A18 . The Yamaha Engines never won a race ( Damon Hill nearly did so at the 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix ), drivers including Damon Hill, Ukyo Katayama , Mark Blundell and Mika Salo scored some acceptable results with Blundell achieving
1496-623: A plant at Port Qasim , Karachi. Yamaha purchased small engine maker Subaru Industrial Power Products from Subaru in October 2017. Subaru's engines powered lawnmowers, generators and water pumps and have since been rebranded as Yamaha. In motorcycle racing Yamaha has won 39 world championships, including seven in MotoGP and 10 in the preceding 500 cc two-stroke class, and two in World Superbike . In addition Yamaha have recorded 210 victories at
1584-509: A price of less than ¥50,000 per share (effective 1982-2003 ), or operate with paid-in capital of less than ¥10 million (effective 1991–2005). On June 29, 2005, the Diet of Japan passed a new Companies Act ( 会社法 , kaisha-hō ) , which took effect on May 1, 2006. A kabushiki gaisha may be started with capital as low as ¥1, making the total cost of a K.K. incorporation approximately ¥240,000 (about US$ 2,500) in taxes and notarization fees. Under
1672-513: A radical and somewhat outrageous design based on Group C cars of the time, with features such as the cockpit-locking roof. It also shared the same chassis as the Formula 1 car, to try to give the consumer market a pure Formula 1 experience. Eventually disagreements with IAD over the budget made Yamaha take the project to its own Ypsilon Technology which was given six months to finish the project, otherwise it would be terminated. To make matters worse, Japan
1760-449: A style called 後株 , ato-kabu ). Many Japanese companies translate the phrase " 株式会社 " in their name as " Company, Limited "—this is very often abbreviated as " Co., Ltd. "—but others use the more Americanized translations "Corporation" or "Incorporated". Texts in England often refer to kabushiki kaisha as " joint stock companies ". While that is close to a literal translation of the term,
1848-583: A supercar in the 1990s, named the Yamaha OX99-11 . It was made as a supercar to have a Yamaha Formula 1 engine as its powerplant and have Formula 1 technology in it. Even though their engines did not win a Grand Prix, by 1991 the team had produced a new engine, the OX99, and approached a German company to design an initial version of the car. Yamaha was not pleased with the result as it was too similar to sport cars of that time, so it contacted IAD to continue working on
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#17328523482411936-604: A surprise 3rd place at the 1994 Spanish Grand Prix and Hill with 2nd at the aforementioned 1997 Hungarian Grand Prix, this partly was considered to be due to Yamaha collaborating with the John Judd Engine Organization to create a better and reliable engine however there were questions raised as to whether the Yamaha Engines used from 1993 until 1997 were just Judd engines with the Yamaha branding on top of this. 1994
2024-555: A two-stroke naked sport bike, related to the Yamaha RX-135 and Yamaha RD-135, borrowing its chassis and platform. Originally equipped with a five speed transmission and a solid front disc brake rotor with rear drum brakes, it was popular in Malaysia and Singapore. After a few years on the market, the engine was upgraded with the installation of a six-speed transmission, together with a newer instrument panel and handlebar switches, as well as
2112-446: A variety of displacements and engine configurations. The RZV500 was one of the first "repli-racers", a near copy of Kenny Roberts competition GP bike, it featured a liquid-cooled two-stroke motor of 500cc displacement in a V4 configuration, along with a perimeter frame and full fairing. A more popular and practical high-performance model for the street was introduced in 1985, the FZ750 . It
2200-473: Is a highly diversified company which produces products for a large number of industries and consumer market segments: Yamaha has built engines for other manufacturers' vehicles beginning with the development and production of the Toyota 2000GT (1967). The cylinder head from the Toyota 4A-GE engine was developed by Yamaha and built at Toyota's Shimayama plant alongside the 4A and 2A engines. In 1984, executives of
2288-503: Is a type of company ( 会社 , kaisha ) defined under the Companies Act of Japan . The term is often translated as "stock company", " joint-stock company " or "stock corporation". The term kabushiki gaisha in Japan refers to any joint-stock company regardless of country of origin or incorporation; however, outside Japan the term refers specifically to joint-stock companies incorporated in Japan. In Latin script, kabushiki kaisha , with
2376-593: Is also combined into one Unicode character at code point U+337F ㍿ SQUARE CORPORATION , while the parenthesized form can also be represented with a single character, U+3231 ㈱ PARENTHESIZED IDEOGRAPH STOCK as well as parentheses around U+682A 株 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-682A and its romanization U+33CD ㏍ SQUARE KK . These forms, however, only exist for backward compatibility with older Japanese character encodings and Unicode and should be avoided when possible in new text. The first kabushiki gaisha
2464-453: Is also involved in the import and sale of various types of products, the development of tourist businesses, and the management of leisure, recreational facilities and related services. Yamaha's motorcycle sales are the second largest in the world and Yamaha is the world leader in water vehicle sales. Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd (currently Yamaha Corporation ) was founded by Torakusu Yamaha in 1887 to manufacture reed organs and pianos and became
2552-629: Is referred to as a company with a board of statutory auditors ( 監査役会設置会社 , kansayaku-kai setchi-gaisha ) . Close K.K.s may also have a single person serving as director and statutory auditor, regardless of capital or liabilities. A statutory auditor may be any person who is not an employee or director of the company. In practice, the position is often filled by a very senior employee close to retirement, or by an outside attorney or accountant. Japanese law does not designate any corporate officer positions. Most Japanese-owned kabushiki gaisha do not have "officers" per se , but are directly managed by
2640-665: The 1LR-GUE engine found on the 2010–2012 Lexus LFA , the 2UR-GSE found in Lexus ISF , the 3S-GTE engine found on the Toyota MR2 and Toyota Celica GT4/All-Trac , the 2ZZ-GE engine found on the 1999–2006 Toyota Celica GT-S and Lotus Elise Series 2, and the Toyota 4GR-FSE engine found on the Lexus IS250. Yamaha also tunes engines for manufacturers, such as Toyota, so Yamaha logos are on Toyota S engines . Yamaha also tried to produce
2728-521: The AMA Supercross Championship two years in a row, in 2008 with Chad Reed, and 2009 James Stewart. Yamaha was the first to build a production monoshock motocross bike (1975 for 250 and 400, 1976 for 125) and one of the first to have a water-cooled motocross production bike (1977 in works bikes, 1981 in off-the-shelf bikes). Yamaha's first Motocross competition four-stroke bike, the YZ400F, won
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2816-543: The Isle of Man TT and head the list of victories at the Sidecar TT with 40. Past Yamaha riders include: Jarno Saarinen , Giacomo Agostini , Bob Hannah , Heikki Mikkola , Bruce Anstey , Kenny Roberts , Eddie Lawson , Wayne Rainey , Jeremy McGrath , Stefan Merriman , Dave Molyneux , Ian Hutchinson , Phil Read , Chad Reed , Ben Spies , Jorge Lorenzo , and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi . The Yamaha YZ450F won
2904-798: The Zetec-SE branded 4-cylinder engines used in several Ford cars like the small sports car Ford Puma . From 2005 to 2010, Yamaha produced a 4.4 Litre V8 for Volvo . The B8444S engines were used in the XC90 and S80 models, whilst also adapted to 5.0L configuration for Volvo's foray into the V8 Supercars with the S60 . British sportscar maker Noble also uses a bi-turbo version of the Volvo V8 in their M600 . All performance-oriented cylinder heads on Toyota/ Lexus engines were designed and/or built by Yamaha. Some examples are
2992-501: The 1960s and 1970s with increasing success in several formats. The decade of the 1970s was capped by the XT500 winning the first Paris-Dakar Rally in 1979. By 1980 the combination of consumer preference and environmental regulation made four strokes increasingly popular. Suzuki ended production of their GT two stroke series , including the flagship water-cooled two-stroke 750cc GT-750 in 1977. Kawasaki, who had considerable success throughout
3080-424: The 1970s with their two-stroke triples of 250cc, 350cc, 400cc, 500cc and 750cc ended production of road-going two strokes in 1980. Yamaha bucked this trend and continued to refine and sell two-strokes for the street into the 1980s. These bikes were performance oriented, water-cooled twin cylinder machines, designed to achieve excellent performance taking advantage of the lower weight of two strokes. The RZ-250 of 1980
3168-648: The 1998 USA outdoor national Championship with factory rider Doug Henry. Since 1962, Yamaha made production road racing Grand Prix motorcycles that any licensed road racer could purchase. In 1970, non-factory privateer teams dominated the 250 cc World Championship with Great Britain's Rodney Gould winning the title on a Yamaha TD2 . Yamaha also sponsors several professional ATV riders in several areas of racing, such as cross country racing and motocross. Yamaha has had success in cross country with their YFZ450, ridden by Bill Ballance, winning 9 straight titles since 2000. Yamaha's other major rider, Traci Cecco, has ridden
3256-734: The American market. In other markets, Star motorcycles are still sold under the Yamaha brand. This was an attempt to create a brand identity more closely aligned with the cruiser market segment, one of the largest and most lucrative in the US. In 2007, Yamaha established the Philippine operations and distributes Yamaha motorcycles under the corporate name of Yamaha Motor Philippines, Inc., one of more than 20 worldwide subsidiaries operating on all continents. In 2015, Yamaha invested US$ 150 million in Pakistan to set up
3344-613: The Catalina Grand Prix, again with the YA-1, at which they placed sixth. The YA-1 was followed by the YA-2 of 1957, another 125cc two stroke, but with significantly improved frame and suspension. The YD-1 of 1957 was a 250cc two-stroke twin cylinder motorcycle, resembling the YA-2, but with a larger and more powerful motor. A performance version of this bike, the YDS-1 housed the 250cc two-stroke twin in
3432-1180: The Cross Hub Concept, was revealed at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in 2017. The Cross Hub was a coupé utility with a diamond-shaped sitting arrangement to allow it to carry two motorcycles in the bed while retaining compact dimensions for urban use. Yamaha confirmed at the 46th Tokyo Motor Show in 2019 that cars were no longer in the company's plans. 1949 AJS 1950 Norton 1951 Norton 1952 Gilera 1953 Gilera 1954 Gilera * 1955 Gilera 1956 MV Agusta 1957 Gilera 1958 MV Agusta 1959 MV Agusta 1960 MV Agusta 1961 MV Agusta 1962 MV Agusta 1963 MV Agusta 1964 MV Agusta 1965 MV Agusta 1966 Honda 1967 MV Agusta 1968 MV Agusta 1969 MV Agusta Kabushiki gaisha A kabushiki gaisha ( Japanese : 株式会社 , pronounced [kabɯɕi̥ki ɡaꜜiɕa] ; lit. ' share company ' ) or kabushiki kaisha , commonly abbreviated K.K. or KK ,
3520-565: The Illinois Business Corporation Act of 1933, giving kabushiki gaisha many traits of American corporations , and to be more exact, Illinois corporations. Over time, Japanese and U.S. corporate law diverged, and K.K. assumed many characteristics not found in U.S. corporations. For instance, a K.K. could not repurchase its own stock (a restriction lifted by the amendment of the Commercial Code in 2001), issue stock for
3608-469: The Legal Affairs Bureau in the jurisdiction where the company will have its head office. In a direct incorporation, each incorporator receives a specified amount of stock as designated in the articles of incorporation. Each incorporator must then promptly pay its share of the starting capital of the company, and if no directors have been designated in the articles of incorporation, meet to determine
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3696-462: The Ministry of Finance. Under the new Company Law, public and other non-close K.K.s may either have a statutory auditor, or a nominating committee ( 指名委員会 , shimei-iin-kai ) , auditing committee ( 監査委員会 , kansa-iin-kai ) and compensation committee ( 報酬委員会 , hōshū-iin kai ) structure similar to that of American public corporations. If the company has an auditing committee, it
3784-738: The YFZ450 to 7 titles, with the first in 2000. In ATV motocross, Yamaha has had success with Dustin Nelson and Pat Brown, both who race the YFZ450. Pat Brown's best season was a 3rd place title in 2007, while Nelson has had two 1st place titles in the Yamaha/ITP Quadcross, one in 2006 and the other in 2008. In 2021, Yamaha has won several competitions, such as British Superbike with Tarran Mackenzie , MotoAmerica with Jake Gagne , MFJ Superbike with Katsuyuki Nakasuga , WorldSSP with Dominique Aegerter , and several other competitions. Their 2022 MotoGP lineup
3872-581: The Yamaha Motor Corporation signed a contract with the Ford Motor Company to develop, produce, and supply compact 60° 3.0 Liter DOHC V6 engines for transverse application for the 1989–95 Ford Taurus SHO . From 1993 to 1995, the SHO engine was produced in 3.0 and 3.2 Liter versions. Yamaha jointly designed the 3.4 Liter DOHC V-8 engine with Ford for the 1996–99 SHO. Ford and Yamaha also developed
3960-512: The Yamaha XS 650 was launched in October 1969 it had one of the most advanced reciprocating engines in its class of large parallel twin motorcycles. The engine and gearbox are unit construction with the crankcase split horizontally for ease of assembly, whereas almost all contemporaries in its class in 1969 are either unit construction with a vertically split crankcase or pre-unit construction with separate engine and gearbox. The XS650's engine
4048-507: The amount of damages being claimed, shareholders rarely had the motivation to sue on the company's behalf. In 1993, the Commercial Code was amended to reduce the filing fee for all shareholder derivative suits to ¥8,200 per claim. This led to a rise in the number of derivative suits heard by Japanese courts, from 31 pending cases in 1992 to 286 in 1999, and to a number of very high-profile shareholder actions, such as those against Daiwa Bank and Nomura Securities Yamaha XS 650 When
4136-426: The brake caliper changed from a 48 mm (1.9 in) dual piston cast iron design for the 34 mm (1.3 in) fork to a 40 mm (1.6 in) aluminum single piston floating caliper for the 35 mm (1.4 in) forks. The brake caliper mounting lugs on the fork sliders are of different spacing for the 34 mm (1.3 in) and 35 mm (1.4 in) forks so the calipers can't be swapped. The XS 650
4224-829: The company's founder and first president, Yamaha Motor spun off from musical instrument manufacturer Yamaha Corporation in 1955 and began production of its first product, the YA-1 125cc motorcycle. It was quickly successful and won the 3rd Mount Fuji Ascent Race in its class. The company's products include motorcycles , scooters , motorized bicycles , boats, sail boats , personal water craft , swimming pools , utility boats, fishing boats , outboard motors, 4-wheel ATVs , recreational off-road vehicles , go-kart engines, golf carts , multi-purpose engines, electrical generators , water pumps , snowmobiles , small snow throwers , automobile engines , surface mounters, intelligent machinery, industrial-use unmanned helicopters , electrical power units for wheelchairs and helmets . The company
4312-425: The decision-making power of the directors is relatively limited. As soon as a third director is designated such companies must form a board. At least one director is designated as a Representative Director ( 代表取締役 , daihyō-torishimariyaku ) , holds the corporate seal and is empowered to represent the company in transactions. The Representative Director must "report" to the board of directors every three months;
4400-415: The directors on the corporation's behalf is granted to the statutory auditor. Historically, derivative suits by shareholders were rare in Japan. Shareholders have been permitted to sue on the corporation's behalf since the postwar Americanization of the Commercial Code; however, this power was severely limited by the nature of court costs in Japan. Because the cost to file a civil action is proportional to
4488-618: The directors, one of whom generally has the title of president ( 社長 , sha-chō ) . The Japanese equivalent of a corporate vice president is a department chief ( 部長 , bu-chō ) . Traditionally, under the lifetime employment system, directors and department chiefs begin their careers as line employees of the company and work their way up the management hierarchy over time. This is not the case in most foreign-owned companies in Japan, and some native companies have also abandoned this system in recent years in favor of encouraging more lateral movement in management. Corporate officers often have
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#17328523482414576-414: The early models. Some owners of the earlier RX-Z motorcycles may have problems during take-off because the engine tends to stall when an inexperienced rider tries to take off in the first gear. However, the problem was resolved in the new model. In Malaysia, this bike was associated with street racers and was featured in many Malay movies. In 2011, after 26 years, it was discontinued. In 1998 Yamaha marketed
4664-454: The engine compression ratios were lowered, then raised. Pistons were lightened 20 percent along with connecting rods to reduce the reciprocating mass inside the engine. Aluminum pistons are slightly domed with valve pockets. Pistons have three rings installed, two compression and one oil control ring. Horizontal split of the crankcases offers the advantages of oil tightness through the elimination of vertical joints and one-step access to both
4752-432: The engine instead while still having it badged as a Yamaha engine. ( key ) In March 2024, it was announced Lola Cars will enter Formula E in the 2024–25 season as a powertrain supplier in a technical partnership with Yamaha. A month later, Lola-Yamaha secured Abt Formula E Team as its first powertrain customer for the 2024–25 season, with the team entering the season as Lola Yamaha Abt Formula E Team. Yamaha Motor
4840-417: The exact meaning of this statutory provision is unclear, but some legal scholars interpret it to mean that the board must meet every three months. In 2015, the requirement that at least one director and one Representative Director must be a resident of Japan was changed. It is not required to have a resident Representative Director although it can be convenient to do so. Directors are mandatories ( agents ) of
4928-400: The first dedicated off-road bikes for off-road racing and recreation. Yamaha was an early innovator in dirt-bike technology, and introduced the first single-shock rear suspension, the trademarked "Monoshock" of 1973. It appeared in production on the 1974 Yamaha YZ-250, a model which is still in production, making it Yamaha's longest continuous model and name. Yamaha continued racing throughout
5016-485: The first of its international subsidiaries in this period beginning with Thailand in 1964, and the Netherlands in 1968. 1965 saw the release of a 305cc two-stroke twin, the flagship of the company's lineup. It featured a separate oil supply which directly injected oil into the gasoline prior to combustion (traditionally riders had to pre-mix oil into gasoline together before filling the gas tank on two stroke engines). In 1967
5104-404: The incorporator, and then make payment for his or her shares by a date specified by the incorporator(s). Capital must be received in a commercial bank account designated by the incorporator(s), and the bank must provide certification that payment has been made. Once the capital has been received and certified, the incorporation may be registered at the Legal Affairs Bureau. Under present law,
5192-470: The initial directors and other officers. The other method is an "incorporation by offering," in which each incorporator becomes the stock underwriter of a specified number of shares (at least one each), and the other shares are offered to other investors. As in a direct incorporation, the incorporators must then hold an organizational meeting to appoint the initial directors and other officers. Any person wishing to receive shares must submit an application to
5280-516: The largest Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments in the early 20th Century. Yamaha was contracted to manufacture wooden and (later) metal airplane propellers by the Japanese government during World War II . The company struggled in the aftermath of the war, and in the early 1950s, chairman Genichi Kawakami decided to repurpose its underutilized war-time facilities to manufacture small motorcycles for leisure use. The motorcycle division of Yamaha
5368-437: The legal title of shihainin , which makes them authorized representatives of the corporation at a particular place of business, in addition to a common-use title. Kabushiki gaisha are subject to double taxation of profits and dividends, as are corporations in most countries. In contrast to many other countries, however, Japan also levies double taxes on close corporations ( yugen gaisha and gōdō gaisha ). This makes taxation
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#17328523482415456-484: The lower end and the gearbox. Oil pressure is provided by the trochoidal pump , driven by a steel spur gear off the crankshaft. The main bearings, transmission main shaft, clutch bushing, shifter fork guide bar, and rocker arms are lubricated by pressurized oil, whereas the rest of the engine is lubricated by “oil splash, this includes the big ends .” Pre-1980 models use the twin 38 mm (1.5 in) constant velocity Mikuni carburetors that can be tuned by moving
5544-559: The needle clip position, or by replacing jets. In the carburetors the velocity of the fuel mixture through the venturi, regulated by the opening of the butterfly valves and engine speed, causes a pressure difference between the top and the bottom of the carburetor pistons. This pressure difference raises and lowers the carburetor slides, increasing or decreasing engine output accordingly. Post-1979 models use smaller 34 mm (1.3 in) Mikuni CV carbs with needles that seem to be listed in parts menus as being 'fixed' position,(in other words
5632-422: The old Commercial Code, a K.K. required starting capital of ¥10 million (about US$ 105,000); a lower capital requirement was later instituted, but corporations with under ¥3 million in assets were barred from issuing dividends , and companies were required to increase their capital to ¥10 million within five years of formation. The main steps in incorporation are the following: The incorporation of
5720-644: The original variants (before being supplanted by the TZR). The RS family was produced for many years in a large number of variants by Yamaha and then Escorts Limited in India without losing its resemblance to its progenitors. In addition to the RD and RS standards, Yamaha also manufactured small standards with stamped steel frames and rotary disc-valved motors such as the Yamaha FS1 , and step-through V-50 and V-80 designs. Its Enduro trail bike
5808-472: The other exhaust and intake covers. Upon removal of the compression release mechanism in 1974 due to updated starter, the square cover at the left exhaust valve was continued. Brake modification notes: Handling differences on swapping rear wheels:- Prior to the XS-B model, the bike had a reputation for speed wobbles but adjustments to the 1975 setup overcame these. 1976 models had the front brake caliper moved to
5896-524: The podium with first, second and third place in the All Japan Autobike Endurance Road Race that same year. Early success in racing set the tone for Yamaha, as competition in many varieties of motorcycle racing has been a key endeavor of the company throughout its history, often fueled by a strong rivalry with Honda , Suzuki , Kawasaki , and other Japanese manufacturers. Yamaha began competing internationally in 1956 when they entered
5984-408: The project. By the beginning of 1992, just under 12 months after starting to work on the project, IAD came with an initial version of the car. The car's design was undertaken by Takuya Yura, and was originally conceived as a single seater; however, Yamaha requested a two-seater vehicle and a tandem seating arrangement was suggested which was in keeping with Yamaha's motorcycle expertise. This resulted in
6072-419: The relatively small number of UJMs ( Universal Japanese Motorcycle ) at the start of the decade to a much larger set of offerings in several clearly defined markets at the end of the decade. The XV750 of 1981 featured an air-cooled V-twin four-stroke engine and cruiser styling, and was one of the first Japanese cruiser style motorcycles. By the end of the 1980s Yamaha had offered dozens of cruiser styled bikes in
6160-499: The right fork leg, behind the fork as opposed to in front of the fork. This placed the brake caliper nearer the steering pivot center-line, requiring slightly less effort to steer. Mid-'77 the front forks had a major redesign: fork tube diameter increased from 34 to 35 mm (1.4 in) and internals were changed (although this also holds true for various years of the same tube size). The entire fork assembly (with triple tree) will swap either way but fork parts are not equivalent. Also
6248-722: The shareholders, and the Representative Director is a mandatory of the board. Any action outside of these mandates is considered a breach of mandatory duty. Every K.K. with multiple directors must have at least one statutory auditor ( 監査役 , kansayaku ) . Statutory auditors report to the shareholders, and are empowered to demand financial and operational reports from the directors. K.K.s with capital of over ¥500m, liabilities of over ¥2bn and/or publicly traded securities are required to have three statutory auditors, and must also have an annual audit performed by an outside CPA . Public K.K.s must also file securities law reports with
6336-471: The side covers as well as drum rear brake and wire wheels versus disc rear brake or cast wheels. The Special II was offered until 1985, the last year for the XS 650. The first two model years (XS-1 and XS-1B) were kick start only, with an electric starter added from the 1972 model year on. This had a compression release added to the front left exhaust tappet cover resulting in a square versus triangular cover found on
6424-531: The two cylinders , but also generates some vibration caused by the two pistons rising and falling together. This vibration is particularly noticeable at idle . Because of a long-acknowledged vibration issue, starting with the 1974 models, vibration damping modifications were made to the engine and handlebar mountings. A single overhead camshaft (SOHC) operates the XS 650's valves , whereas almost all contemporaries in its class have pushrod valvegear . The 360 degrees crankshaft uses three roller bearings and
6512-401: The two are not precisely the same. The Japanese government once endorsed "business corporation" as an official translation but now uses the more literal translation "stock company." Japanese often abbreviate " 株式会社 " in a company name on signage (including the sides of their vehicles) to 株 in parentheses , as, for example, " ABC㈱ ." The full, formal name would then be " ABC株式会社 ". 株式会社
6600-417: The two-stroke line and four-stroke twins at a time that other Japanese manufacturers were increasingly moving to four cylinder four-stroke machines, a trend led by Honda in 1969 with the legendary CB750 four-stroke four-cylinder cycle. In early 1969, Yamaha added reed-valve induction to its previously piston-ported designs to produce the twin-cylinder RD and single-cylinder RS families, with variants in
6688-600: Was Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli , continuing in 2023. The 2022 world superbikes team was Toprak Razgatlıoğlu and Andrea Locatelli , continuing in 2023. Yamaha's Superbike World Championship team since 2016 has been delivered by Crescent Racing. The first Yamaha rider to ever win a World Superbike was Ben Spies in 2009 . Then in 2021 , Toprak Razgatlıoğlu managed to become world champion. ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Season still in progress. Yamaha produced Formula One engines from 1989 to 1997 (with
6776-506: Was an innovative 750cc four-stroke inline four cylinder model. It was the first motorcycle to feature a five-valve cylinder head, something Yamaha became well known for. It also featured a cylinder block canted forward at 45 degrees, and a box-section steel perimeter frame. Production of the FZ continued until 1991. Another bike that was performance-oriented was the Yamaha RX-Z , introduced in 1985 as
6864-422: Was changed in 1973 (EPA mandated) from a longer duration to a milder duration, this and other changes stifled the later models somewhat, the compression ratio also became lower over the years to match the milder cam timing, the flywheel is lighter than British contemporaries, this has the effect that the engine tends to pick up revs more rapidly when the throttle is opened quickly. During the later developments of
6952-585: Was considered to be Yamaha's most successful year in terms of points accrued, apart from the Podium achieved by Blundell in Spain the Yamaha engine in the Tyrrell Car achieved 4 Fifth Place finishes and 1 Sixth Place finish over the course of the season, However, due to the inconsistency of the engine over the years they were often unreliable and were usually regarded as not very powerful, the Yamaha powered engine never secured
7040-453: Was in the midst of an economic downturn, which made Yamaha believe there would be no customers for the car, and so the project was cancelled in 1994 after many delays, with only 3 prototypes in existence. Beginning in 2013 Yamaha revealed a series of concept cars developed in collaboration with Gordon Murray Design utilizing the company's iStream design process. The first concept, named the MOTIV,
7128-514: Was produced until 1985. The last model year was 1983 in the United States, with Canada, Europe and other markets continuing into 1984 and 1985. However, many US models remained unsold for some years due to overproduction and an economic recession and brand new 1982 and 1983 models could still be purchased in 1987 at some dealerships. Like the contemporaries in its class the XS 650 has a 360° crank angle . This provides an even firing interval between
7216-637: Was replaced by the DT models. Not until 1976 would Yamaha answer the other Japanese brands with a multi-cylinder four stroke of their own. The XS-750 (and later 850) a 750cc triple cylinder machine with shaft final drive was introduced almost seven years after Honda's breakthrough bike. Yamaha's first four-cylinder model, the XS-1100 followed in 1978, again with shaft drive. Despite being heavier and more touring oriented than its rivals it produced an impressive string of victories in endurance racing. The 1970s also saw some of
7304-465: Was revealed at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show in 2013. The MOTIV was a compact city car designed to accommodate gasoline engines, EV drivetrains, hybrid systems, and range extenders. The second concept, the Sports Ride Concept, was revealed at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show in 2015. The concept was a lightweight two-seat sports car that drew inspiration from the company's motorcycles. The third concept,
7392-552: Was spun off in 1955, being incorporated on 1 July 1955 in Japan, and was headed by Genichi Kawakami. Yamaha's initial product was a 125 cc (7.6 cu in) two-stroke , single cylinder motorcycle, the YA-1 , which was a copy of the German DKW RT 125 . The YA-1 was a competitive success at racing from the beginning, winning not only the 125cc class in the Mt. Fuji Ascent, but also sweeping
7480-604: Was the Dai-Ichi Bank , incorporated in 1873. Rules regarding kabushiki gaisha were set out in the Commercial Code of Japan , and was originally based on laws regulating German Aktiengesellschaft (which also means share company). However, during the United States-led Allied Occupation of Japan following World War II, the occupation authorities introduced revisions to the Commercial Code based on
7568-580: Was the last year of the so-called "Standards" (an unofficial term commonly used to differentiate it from the "Special," which has pullback bars, a teardrop tank, and other differences in appearance). The Es and Fs also came in Special form: XS-SE (S for Special) and XS-SF. From then on they were Specials only to XS-SG, XS-SH, XS-SJ, XS-SK. There was a Special II (Two) model designation in 1978 (unknown) in 1979 (XS-SF-II), 1980 (XS-G), 1981 (XS-H) which were models with fewer chrome parts decals instead of plated plastic on
7656-574: Was the progenitor of this series. The RZ-350 , the largest displacement model, was a popular hot-rod bike of the 1980s and continued to be sold in some countries into the early 1990s. Throughout the 1980s the motorcycle industry gradually went from building a few basic but versatile models designed to work well in many roles, to offering many more specialized machines designed to excel in particular niches. These included racing and performance street riding, touring, motocross racing, enduro and recreational off-road riding, and cruising. Yamaha branched out from
7744-690: Was used in AMA Professional Dirt Track Racing by national champion Kenny Roberts . In 1969 only the Laverda 750S , and the Honda CB350, also launched that year, matched the XS 650's modernity of unit construction and SOHC valve operation. The 1970 model was designated the XS-1. Subsequent Yamaha XS650 models were XS-1B (1971), XS-2 (1972), then TX650/XS2B (1973), TX650-A (1974), XS650B (1975), XS650C (1976), XS-D (1977), XS-E (1978), XS-F (1979). 1979
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