1955 Yamaha YA-1: First Motorcycle from Yamaha

Yamaha started as a precision musical instrument manufacturer before it started to produce motorcycle. In early 50s, after the World War II, many machines with high precision that has been used for making aircraft like propellers for the Imperial Navy fleet such as the A6M-Zero war plane which is the one used in kamikaze attack at Pearl Harbour.

The YA-1 is equipped with 2-stroke engine and 125cc of displacement. YA-1 is strongly inspired by the design of German’s bike that is DKW RT125. Many bikes actually inspired by the DKW RT125 bikes like the BSA Bantam (Britain), M1A Moskwa (Russia) and WHM SHL125 or Sokol 125 (Poland). It is said that DKW RT125 is the most copied bike. 

YA-1 is nicknamed aka-tombo or “Red Dragonfly”, like the colour of the Yokosuko airplane that it resembles when it enter the race Mount Fuji Ascent Race and Asama Highlands in 1955. It place 3rd in Mt. Fuji and 1st in Asama. Yamaha has established it name with reliable and well-built machine. I personally think, it still carries this quality up to this day.

The second machine with 175cc named YC-1 has been produced later in 1956 after the racing success.

YA-1 is made for elite customer since the price is high compare to the one made by Honda which is much more simple and cheaper, but Honda came to the industry 3 years later in 1958 with the introduction of Honda Super Cub. Earlier than that in 1952, Honda only make a clip-on engine to be fitted to bicycle named Honda Cub F.

With this kind of history of 2-stroke engine, it is no wonder why Yamaha able to produce some of the greatest 2-stroke engine bike like the popular Y125Z, RX-Z 135, TZM150 and TZR 250.

More information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_YA-1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Super_Cub

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Cub_F

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A6M_Zero

http://www.motorcycle.in.th/article.php/Teruo-Okada