The 2005 World Exposition held in Aichi, Japan
Takashi Kajikawa appointed sixth YMC president
50th anniversary of our corporate founding
YMCIS founded in Russia
Compliance Promotion Committee established
Oil prices spike
Global Financial Crisis
Motorcycle manufacturing and sales begin
at YMPH in the Philippines
"KEYS" Yamaha design exhibition held
YMKH founded in Cambodia
IYM founded in India
3D printer patent expiration boosts 3D printer performance and lowers costs
Tsuneji Togami appointed seventh YMC president
Hiroyuki Yanagi appointed eighth YMC president
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Yamaha collaborates with Toyota Motor Corp.
for development of "Communications-Linked
Next-generation Vehicles" to create
new mobility society of the future
ELM Design Co., Ltd. transfers design business to YMC
Design Center established at YMC
1st Global Executive Committee meeting held
Company founder Genichi Kawakami
inducted into Japan Automotive Hall of Fame
Kikugawa Test Course completed in Kikugawa, Japan
Yamaha Creative Hackathon held for the first time
Material design declared part of User Experience design (UX)
The Tricity, Yamaha's first Leaning
Multi-Wheel (LMW) model, is released
“BLUE CORE” next-generation compact,
high-performance engine developed
The VX Deluxe was developed to support the lineup as an entry-level model. The design work was based on the product plan and concept of making sure the lower cost didn’t lead to an image of lower quality. The VX Deluxe’s success is what inspired Yamaha—and other manufacturers—to shift approaches and plan more value-added affordable PWC models.
To showcase the possibilities of an electric motorcycle, the EC-02 was packed with fun and features achievable with electric power, like a design and quality feel that made it fit in as an art piece indoors, and being foldable for storage or transport. It had an original, cutting-edge design with different functional parts attached to each point of its pentagonal shape, and proposed a new kind of high-tech lifestyle.
The design concept was “a riding lifestyle.” Until then, the issue facing scooters with underseat storage for helmets was how to up storage capacity while still having an eye-catching exterior form. But the VOX was planned to take advantage of storage space as a styling instrument. The goal was to create “a ridable cooler box” which users could cover in stickers and look cool and fashionable. Before any clay models were made, the design team created full-size foam models to study and review in order to feel firsthand the feasibility of the unconventional shape and the excellent storage capacity it yielded.
The GP1300R was a sport-performance model designed based on the key phrase of a “motorcycle on the water.” Before that, the only color available for SMC (sheet molding compound) parts like the deck and hull was white, so only the hatch and seats received any coloring, leading some to jokingly refer to Yamaha PWC models as “sushi.” But thanks to a revamp of the painting facilities at Yamaha factories in the U.S., Yamaha’s PWC lineup for 2006 was heralded as a “color revolution.”
After the Mio created demand for fashionable scooters in the ASEAN region, a model was needed to line up alongside it. The Fino was planned with the same product positioning as the Vino model sold in Japan. In the ever forward-looking ASEAN market, there was uncertainty about how successful a retro-styled design could be. But market surveys using sketches of the proposed design were positive, and the Fino not only won the hearts of fashion-conscious Thai women, but men as well.
For its first full revamp in 25 years, the goal with the VMAX was to inherit and amplify the concept and identity of the original, but also evolve it further with updated technology. The emotional expression of the original’s focus on loading the rear wheel was shifted to the front wheel for a more aggressive, updated look. Meanwhile, the expressions of the flow of intake air, combustion and exhaust, etc., retained their iconic appeal to make the VMAX identifiable with a single glance. The VMAX had a presence that put it above any one category of motorcycle, and had a functional form that fully communicated the breathtaking feel of acceleration it could deliver. Yamaha had achieved a forceful, powerful design rarely seen in a product from Japan.
The EXULT 36 Sport Saloon’s beautiful, flowing styling and lack of a gunwale are the result of high-precision engineering and manufacturing, but also a closely coordinated effort with designers to incorporate Japanese aesthetics and craftsmanship. Its elegant, flowing form made possible by the construction integrating the hull and deck, and the luxurious interior making elaborate use of carefully selected exotic woods and genuine leather appointments create a beautiful exterior form and an interior atmosphere radiating the Japanese sense of hospitality.
Taking the advantages of a jet-propulsion system to also be the advantages of the hull, the design of the 242 Limited S places the rear swim platform as close as possible to the waterline and utilizes a layout playing down the presence of the engine, thus rendering the entire deck into a usable area for the owner. This design focusing on the line running from bow to stern and the emphasis on an “engineless” (transom-less) appearance became the standard for future jet boat designs from Yamaha as well as other manufacturers.
The TMAX achieved major popularity in Italy and other countries throughout Europe. The TMAX530 brought weight reductions and bigger displacement for performance gains, and expressed them with design elements like dual headlights reminiscent of a bird-of-prey, pentagonal-themed instrument dials and a trimmed down rear assembly, and captured the hearts of motorcycle fans. Furthermore, in aiming for a luxurious image that would be right at home on the streets of Milan, the designers refined their sense of style by studying the material feel of a high-grade watch and leather materials that feel natural to the touch.
The FAZER adopts a sharp, edgy design worthy of its status and role as a next-generation aircraft for next-generation agriculture. The shape of its fuselage takes interior cooling into account and creative design measures send the right amount of air flow to its internals when hovering or flying forwards and backwards. The aim with the design was to create a product whose presence would inspire pride and admiration in the next generation of farmers.
In contrast to European models that had more design freedom for fuel tanks by using plastic resin, the MT-09 used an innovative manufacturing technology to adopt a steel fuel tank but with a form still featuring tight curves, deep knee pockets and smooth, undulating lines. The mass-forward design element not only serves to “visualize performance,” a tradition for Yamaha sport motorcycles, but also enhances the look of lightness and agility. This brings out a strong resemblance to a motard motorcycle and results in a hybrid design that crossbreeds it with a naked motorcycle.
When the engineering departments succeeded in creating Yamaha’s Leaning Multi-Wheel (LMW) mechanism after years of R&D, there wasn’t a clear picture of how the new technology should be utilized or what silhouette a potential prototype might take. So, it was decided that a design competition be held. The most common idea was to express the LMW format’s most distinguishing feature—its ability to lean like a conventional motorcycle—from a sport-oriented perspective. One of these had the rider hanging off the banked-over chassis and the large amount of front suspension travel prominently shown; it was a very attractive sketch that charmed many of those involved that saw it. Another idea centered more on user-friendliness and growing the customer base with a commuting-oriented approach. This involved creating and launching an entirely new kind of vehicle that would be also appealing to customers without any experience with motorcycles or scooters. This idea proved to be even more appealing than the sport-oriented sketches. Being Yamaha’s first model with two front wheels, there was no precedent or basis from which to decide what was best. As such, the designers came up with three to four times more ideas than for a normal model, and took an exceptional amount of time to consider them all in detail. The final result was a design in which the newness of the two front wheels was apparent with a single glance, and was praised for being uniquely Yamaha.
Pursuing a clean-cut design that conceals it as an electric wheelchair, the JW Swing’s battery is located in a small separate bag hanging from the seat back, the body is in a monotone black while the frame is painted in a high-quality pearl white. To grant the wishes of wheelchair users desiring greater freedom of mobility and a more independent lifestyle, the wheelchair was designed as the “dream-fulfilling wings” that would allow users to have fun as they move swiftly and freely to their destination.
Under a “Cool Urban Sports” design concept, the MT-07 adopted a new style called a “double-deck structure” that conveyed its slim, agile image and strong individuality. The upper half of the chassis expressed the beauty of man fused with machine, while the lower half showed off the beauty of its functional parts. Giving the front end a light, agile look and the rear end a sharply upswept appearance results in an “extreme” feel with the bike overall. The designers focused on the MT-07’s CMFG (color, materials, finish, graphics) to bring out its character, not simply painting parts and calling it a color scheme, but highlighting each individual component’s form and functional beauty to synergize with the machine overall.
