1955 YA-1
Collection items
(1955 / Production Model)
This was Yamaha Motor's first motorcycle. At a time when motorcycle design was dominated by imposing all-black styling, the YA-1’s simple form and chestnut red coloring quickly made it popularly known as “the Red Dragonfly.” It immediately demonstrated its high performance by winning the 3rd Mt. Fuji Ascent Race in July 1955, and then swept the top three places in the ultra-light class of the 1st Asama Highlands Race later that year. In an era when the average starting salary of a college graduate was around 10,000 yen, the YA-1’s 138,000 yen price put it well beyond the reach of most users, but in three years, 11,000 YA-1s were sold.
- Overall length × width × height: 1,980mm × 660mm × 925mm
- Weight: 94kg
- Engine type: Air-cooled, 2-stroke, single-cylinder, 123cm³
- Maximum power output: 4.1kW (5.6PS) / 5,000r/min
- Maximum torque: 9.4N･m (0.96kgf･m) / 3,300r/min
- Price: ¥138,000
*All figures, etc. in a model's description or specifications are from when the model was originally released.
