Whenever somebody mentions sport bikes or racing, Yamaha is always at the forefront of everyone’s mind with their racing track record and many different titles and victories by legendary racers across several disciplines.
The company has also developed many new technologies and has pushed designs forward in a fiercely competitive market.The "R" Series is well known, R1, R7 and R3 being their current models, but their naked sport bikes are also astounding on the track and in the streets. From winning races to unique technology and features, here’s what makes Yamaha motorcycles that much more sporty.
Supersport Racing Bikes Put The “R” In Racing
Some of the most iconic Yamaha motorcycles come from the “R” series supersport bikes that are well known on tracks and streets around the world. At the very top of the line the YZF-R1M. It features a 998 cc engine with Yamaha’s exclusive crossplane crankshaft tech they debuted back in 2009. This unique engineering reduces what Yamaha calls “inertial torque,” the very common uneven movement of crankshaft rotations from the pistons. Making this movement of the crankshaft more consistent and even at a constant rate via the crossplane crankshaft technology helps make the rider have more intuitive feel for the bike and the road or track underneath their tires.
While unfortunately the much loved R6 has been discontinued, Yamaha is still blazing away with their R1, R3, and R7 models. For the 2023 year there is the World GP 60th Anniversary Edition of all the sport bike models with a traditional race color theme of white and red and a bit of flashy gold for the wheels. All of this to highlight their legacy of racing and the many titles won under the Yamaha banner.
Yamaha Has A History Of Winning
Yamaha is no stranger to racing or victory and has helped to make many racing legends go down in history along the way. One of the most notable is the Italian racing star Valentino Rossi racing for Yamaha for 14 years bringing in over 50 victories and 4 titles. One of the greatest Yamaha Grand Prix riders is the legendary American racer Wayne Rainey who clocked in 3 world championships in just 6 years in the 500cc class.
Another famous Italian racer, Giacomo Agostini, has won more Grand Prix wins than any other rider including one aboard a YZR500. There's the wild exploits of "Nitro" Nori Haga who won several races aboard the original YZF-R7. Of course there is also Ben Spies, Kenny Roberts, Jorge Lorenzo, Eddie Lawson, and several others round out the pantheon of racing champions for the manufacturer.
Yamaha Hyper Naked Bikes Prioritize Fun Above All Else
Yamaha makes absolutely everything from pianos to keyboards and of course super sport bikes, but they also offer incredible naked bikes for those that prefer bikes without all the fairings and a more comfortable riding position. While motorcycles like the R1 or R7 get a lot of the attention the MT-10 SP can give the competition a run for its money.
Essentially the MT-10 has the same engine as the previous R1, so it can produce a lot of power. The motor can pump out an impressive 160hp 82 ft-lbs of torque. Of course naked bikes are just as at home on the streets as on the track so the MT-10SP has a four and half gallon tank for taking longer road trips. The look of the MT is absolutely killer, with aggressive and intimidating styling that looks like it wants to eat other bikes alive. The SP version has unique styling and color scheme, Liquid Metal/Raven, and is slightly lighter than the standard version with a wet weight of 467lbs. Starting at $14,199 compared to the SP version at $17,199, the regular definitely hits home for the more budget conscious. Whether a rider wants to tear up the track on an R3, R1 or R7 or go naked on an MT-10 or SP version, Yamaha clearly makes some of the sportiest motorcycles at a competitive price point.