6 Of The Coolest Looking Yamaha Motorcycles Ever Made
Let's be real for a second: When you drive a motorcycle, you want to look as cool as possible. Lucky for you, ubiquitous bike manufacturer Yamaha has made some of the coolest bikes on the market over its 70-year history of making them.
From the earliest possible feats of engineering and design to the modern-day conveniences of our current tech scene, with lots of stylish detours in between, we've stacked six of the most awesome Yamaha bikes for your viewing pleasure. While Yamaha may have started making musical instruments, they became cultural mavens in the world of bikes, in no small part due to its focus on eye-catching design.
Grab your helmet, get some polish, and enjoy some of the coolest Yamaha motorcycles ever made. Yes, we have tempted you with listing prices for used models as of February 2024, so maybe make sure your wallet is in a safe place before you begin.
RD400
If it's cool enough for Bruce Lee, it's got to be cool enough for you. The iconic martial arts superstar rode a Yamaha RD400 in his infamous, incomplete film "Game of Death," infiltrating and defeating a motorcycle gang while riding in his yellow-and-black jumpsuit.
Even if you don't own a bumblebee jumpsuit or aren't a master of Jeet Kune Do, you'll still look pretty boss riding an RD400. According to Cycle World, the step from the RD350 toward the 400 saw "Yamaha [becoming] the first major manufacturer to equip a bike with alloy wheels." The company also improved the bike's suspension, moved the engine forward for better handling, and improved its fuel efficiency, allowing "up to 500 miles on a quart of Castrol."
With all of these improvements, the RD400 became an excellent choice for riders "in the real world ... Especially if your world consisted of twisty roads, where an aggressive RD rider could wreak havoc on bigger motorcycles." But the bike's stubborn usage of a two-stroke engine ensured its production cycle was short, lasting only four years in the 1970s.
Nowadays, The Parking Motorcycle lists used RD400s in the neighborhood of $9,000, if you can find one.
[Featured image by Schreiberling58 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]
YA-1
The very first Yamaha bike is also, arguably, the coolest Yamaha bike. The 1955 YA-1, which Yamaha boasts won the Mt. Fuji Ascent Race in July of that year, stood out from the competition with its chestnut red finishing, earning the nickname "Red Dragonfly." This wasn't the only risk taken by Yamaha, however. According to Motocross Action Mag, company president Genichi Kawakami pivoted away from musical instruments after realizing his workforce was newly skilled thanks to wartime construction experience. He pivoted into one rad bike.
The bike instantly became a status symbol of renown: While the average salary for a Japanese college graduate at the time was 10,000 yen, the YA-1 cost almost 14 times as much, at 138,000 yen. That said, Yamaha's bet on itself paid off, as they sold 11,000 YA-1s in the next three years of production.
If you're looking to own a piece of history, our honest advice is "good luck" — the rare motorcycle may show up on expensive auction lots from time to time, but there aren't a lot of these visions rolling around in the wild.
[Featured image by PekePON via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]
XTZ750 Super Ténéré
If Michael Mann directed a Power Rangers revival, his action heroes would pull up in a Yamaha XTZ750 Super Ténéré. A sunset would light them, Tangerine Dream would score them, and they would represent the baddest, raddest vision of late '80s/early '90s coolness known to humanity.
This bike, named after the Ténéré region of the Sahara Desert that hosted a particularly notorious leg of the Dakar Rally, originated in 1989. Its twin-cylinder engine, 5-speed transmission, and titular 750cc status all result in a big boy of a bike, a hulking roadster sure to turn heads. And while its unique look may be an acquired taste, there's no denying the nostalgic power of its bulky, plasticized, brightly colored coverings.
For those who want to draw as much attention to themselves as possible, a vintage '80s XTZ750 Super Ténéré will cost you around $5,000, per The Parking Motorcycle — and look at all those delicious finishes.
[Featured image by Cjp24 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
XS Eleven
The first four-cylinder, four-stroke Yamaha motorcycle, the XS Eleven series represents Yamaha's aesthetic mission statement as jumping "headlong into styling," according to Cycle Magazine in 1980. And with the bike's handsome emphasis on rectangular symmetry, luxurious colors, and simply adorable headlight, it's hard not to jump right along with them.
Produced from the late '70s through the early '80s, the XS Eleven offered a Hitachi ignition system, a hybrid method that allowed for flexibility and durability on the road, especially in mid-range torque. The bike's heft gave it what Cycle Magazine called "considerable and diabolical intent if you accelerate on a bumpy road."
If you don't think riding a bike that looks like this with "diabolical intent" is about the coolest thing you can do, you've got some learning to do. To join your fellow devils on an XS Eleven, expect to fork over about $3,000, per The Parking Motorcycle — and make sure you compare and contrast its standard, touring, and special trims.
[Featured image by Farmforce via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]
XSR700
With a hanging seat that appears to be floating freely over its rear tire, the Yamaha XSR700 is one unique-looking motorcycle. Combining that rectangular piece of statement color with an otherwise curvier aesthetic, it's a "best of both worlds" style of bike, with plenty of different kinds of finishes to find your perfect alchemy.
"The best of both worlds" defines the bike's construction, too. Yamaha calls the XSR700 "timeless" and "retro," while also boasting of its wholly modern engineering advancements. It has a compact two-cylinder engine and what Yamaha calls the "Crossplane Concept" 270-degree crank that provides linear torque in response to the throttle at various speeds. And unlike some of the other bulkier bikes produced by the company, the XSR700 promises "nimble handling," so you can show this sucker off with as much agility as possible.
If you're looking to add an XSR700 to your life, a 2024 model starts around $9,000, while used models seem to be in the $7,000-8,000 range, per Cycle Trader.
[Featured image by Aleksey Potapov via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 3.0]
Bolt R-Spec
The Yamaha motorcycle, throughout the company's various sub-models, has an overall look that does not feel like a traditional American chopper. You're not really gonna find a Yamaha looking like a Harley, in other words. However, the Bolt R-Spec is a fun, funky, and wholly unique spin on that "Sons of Anarchy"-style musculature, with more than enough of that Yamaha swagger to ensure its delicious identity shines through.
With an exposed-innards look giving the bike punch, and kinetic, circular movement nimbly flowing through the body, the Yamaha Bolt R-Spec is an impressively versatile-looking bike. Yamaha calls the look an "Urban Performance Bobber," and emphasizes both its "light maneuverability" and strong-feeling stability.
On the inside, the motorcycle features a V-twin engine, wave rotor-style brakes, and dual piggyback shocks for maximum comfort in its suspension profile. New models start around $9,000 to purchase, while used Bolt R-Specs tend to be around the $6,000 space, per Cycle Trader.