Yamaha is the world's second largest producer of motorcycles. Their logo is made up of 3 overlapping tuning forks, betraying their history in piano design!
Yamaha's success on the race track is second only to Honda's and this has translated into some superb race bikes for the road over the years. Top of the bill is the Yamaha YZF 1000R, better known simply as the R1. When first released it flew to the number one spot in the litre bike class knocking the long-standing Honda Fireblade off its perch. In recent years the model has evolved, and its competitors have caught up, but it remains an awesome motorcycle now featuring some particularly sexy underseat exhaust outlets.
Other models worthy of note in the Yamaha range are the Fazer 600 and 1000, both extremely capable sports bikes that have benefited from recent restyles. The Fazer 1000 actually uses a detuned R1 engine so is no slouch on the throttle.
The Yamaha range is not all about four cylinder bikes though, it has shown it can turn its hand to the twins as well with the TDM850 and TRX. The TDM has proved extremely popular over time. The styling is hit and miss (hits for some misses by a mile for others) but its a very comfortable bike and will actually hold its own against race reps through twisty B raods. The TRX, which shares its engine with the TDM, represents Japan's answer to a Ducati with a trellis frame encapsulating its throaty vertical twin.
