2012 Yamaha Raider S on 2040-motos

Moto blog

2015 Yamaha XJR1300 and XJR1300 Racer Announced for Intermot

In a time where air-cooled icons like Harley-Davidson, Indian, BMW‘s boxer engine and the Ducati Monster have all embraced the radiator, it’s a bit surprising to know Yamaha is still offering the XJR1300 in Europe. Featuring the world’s largest-displacement air-cooled Inline-Four engine in production, the XJR1300 lives on in 2015 with a new custom-inspired look and a cafe racer variant. The 2015 XJR1300 was inspired by a custom from builder Keino called “Rhapsody in Blue” as part of Yamaha’s Yard Built program.

Unique Sounds of the New Yamaha R1

When Yamaha announced its new R1 literbike last fall, company reps told us about the tractability assets of its new, MotoGP-derived crossplane crankshaft for the four-cylinder engine. It’s unique in that cylinders fire 90-degrees apart, allegedly enabling better grip during acceleration. A byproduct of this design is an exhaust note that is distinctive in this world of cookie-cutter designs.

Jorge Lorenzo Gets His Motorcycle License

2010 MotoGP Champion Jorge Lorenzo has earned his A2 Spanish motorcycle license. Last month, we learned Lorenzo was practicing for the test on a Yamaha YB250R motorcycle, and now the Yamaha factory racer has completed the practical portion of the test. Here he is pictured with his riding teacher Xavi Vallejo (and wouldn’t it be cool to tell people you taught a MotoGP World Champion how to ride a motorcycle?).