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Yamaha Reviews

2017 Yamaha/Star Bolt and Bolt R-Spec – First Look Review

Introduced as “performance bobbers” for 2014, the Bolt and Bolt R-Spec became best-sellers in Yamaha’s Star cruiser line. (Quick note: Yamaha and Star Motorcycles...

2016 Yamaha XSR900 | First Ride Review

Without a doubt, one of the most exciting engines to come along in the last couple of years is Yamaha’s 847cc in-line triple. Churning...

Long-Term Review: 2015 Yamaha Super Ténéré ES

February 2016 Report 6,602 Miles / MSRP $16,190 In addition to our Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT and Yamaha FJ-09 long-term test bikes, we’ve been racking up...

2016 Yamaha FJR1300A/FJR1300ES – First Ride Review

“14 years of refinement” doesn’t exactly sound like an earth-shattering tagline, but that’s what Yamaha led with at its press briefing for the new...

Yamaha Announces More 2016 Models and Pricing

Since last fall, Yamaha has announced many new, updated and returning models as part of its 2016 lineup, including cruisers under the Star Motorcycles...

Comparison Review: 2016 Kawasaki Z800 ABS vs Suzuki GSX-S750 vs Yamaha FZ-09

The question comes up all of the time: Where have all of the good ol’ motorcycles gone? Forget about nosebleed adventure bikes, cruisers that...

Retrospective: Yamaha XJ600S Seca II 600cc: 1992-1998

Sometimes we motorcyclists like to think our sport is relatively immune to the ups and downs of the world’s financial markets...but it ain’t so....

2016 Yamaha FJR1300 / FJR1300ES – First Look Review

Yamaha’s smooth, fast, comfortable FJR1300 open-class sport tourer enters its 14th model year in the U.S. and gets a minor update for 2016. Before...

2016 Yamaha XSR900 | First Look Review

Piggybacking on the success of its FZ-09 naked sportbike and FJ-09 sport tourer, Yamaha has announced a third model, the XSR900, powered by the...

Yamaha and Star Motorcycles Announce More 2016 Models

Following the June announcement of several early-release 2016 Yamaha and Star Motorcycles models, including the FZ-07, FZ-09, Bolt and Bolt R-Spec, Yamaha and Star...

Long-Term Review: 2015 Yamaha FJ-09

First Report (2,847 miles) // MSRP $10,490 Yamaha's latest sport/adventure crossover bike, the FJ-09, offers a lot of fun and competence at a reasonable price....

Video Review | 2015 Yamaha YFZ R3

Yamaha’s all-new YZF-R3 is a 321cc sportbike that should appeal to a wide audience. It has a user-friendly engine, comfortable riding position and an...

2016 Yamaha Dual-Sports | First Look Review

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., introduced several more of their 2016 motorcycles yesterday, including dual-sport models. The balance of the 2016 Yamaha motorcycle line-up will...

Rider Magazine’s 2015 Motorcycle of the Year

In the April 2015 issue we listed 60 all-new or significantly changed 2015 model-year motorcycles eligible for consideration as Rider’s 2015 Motorcycle of the...

Video Review | 2015 Star Bolt C-Spec

The 2015 Star Bolt C-Spec offers café racer style in a cruiser package. Check out our video on our YouTube channel here.

2016 Yamaha and Star Motorcycles Early Releases

Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., today introduced the 2016 FZ-07 and FZ-09, the first two models in its 2016 line-up of sportbikes, and Star Motorcycles...

2015 Yamaha FJ-09 | Road Test Review

(This is a sidebar for a comparison test with the Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT and Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS. To read the full article...

Comparison Review: 2015 Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT, 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS, 2015 Yamaha FJ-09

Adventure-styled motorcycles have proliferated in recent years, with many new or extensively updated models introduced by European and Japanese manufacturers. Some are true all-terrain...

2015 Yamaha YZF-R3 – First Ride Review

Photography by Brian J. Nelson Those interested in a new small-displacement street bike have a wide range of options to choose from. There are cruisers,...

2015 Star Bolt C-Spec – First Ride Review

photography by Brian J. Nelson Star Motorcycles hit a home run in 2014 with its all-new Star Bolt, a minimalist “urban performance bobber” powered by...

Yamaha Introduces 2015 TMAX Scooter

Yamaha says its new 2015 TMAX scooter offers more road-going performance than ever in a scooter that handles like a sportbike. The TMAX features a...

New for 2015 Motorcycles: Bombshells and Bargain Blasters

We’ve already devoted more space to new bikes in the last several issues than we have in years, and now another round of new-for-2015...

New for 2015: Big Bangs for the Buck

The 2015 crop of new bikes is a big one, with lots of all-new or significantly updated models. We’ve covered the new stuff from...

Middleweight Touring Cruisers: Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT, Star V Star 950 Tourer, Suzuki Boulevard C50T, Triumph America LT

Baggers, with their broad fairings and hard saddlebags, are popular these days, but classically styled cruisers with windshields and leather saddlebags have been mainstays...

2014 Star V Star 950 Tourer Review

STYLE FOR MILES Yamaha’s Star Motorcycle division claims to be the top-selling metric cruiser brand, and it’s easy to see why. Star has eight model...

2015 Yamaha FJ-09 – First Ride Review

Photography by Riles & Nelson What are you looking for in a sport-touring motorcycle? I know what I want in my go-to bike—plenty of performance,...

Retrospective: Yamaha XT600: 1984-1989

As an inveterate reader of motorcycle travel articles and books, in the 1980s and ’90s I noticed that many of our European friends, when...

2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 and R1M – First Look Review

Yamaha has introduced two all-new YZF-R1 sportbike models for 2015 that have the potential to make as big of an impact in sportbike and...

2015 Yamaha FJ-09 – First Look Review

Yamaha’s FZ-09 sport-standard triple is so popular that it’s unlikely a slight price increase for 2015 to $8,190 will have any negative effect on...

2015 Yamaha R3 – First Look Review

Entry-level sportbikes have been coming on strong lately, with the recent release of the all-new KTM RC390, the updated-for-2015 Honda CBR300R and the Kawasaki...

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