Yamaha has reported its 2010 business results last week, and despite announcing a small profit, investors lost faith in the company. Yamaha Motor share price plunged 10.55% to 1,525 yesterday at the Tokyo stock exhange. For 2011, the company is expecting a rise of 9.3% in net profit to 20 billion yen and a 3.3% rise in operating profit to 53 billion yen, but investors were still disappointed. Although sales have been strong in Asia, weak sales numbers in the US and Europe have caused Yamaha’s concern. Read the full article »

Yamaha yesterday announced it will close its factory in Palau-Solita i Plegamans, Spain due to falling global demand for its vehicles. The move will affect nearly 420 workers. The company moves production to another Yamaha factory at Saint-Quentin in northern France. "All over the world, and Europe in particular, there has been a prolonged fall in sales figures which forces Yahama to take steps to restructure its industrial capacity," it said. Read the full article »

2011 witnesses a landmark of World Championship Grand Prix racing for Yamaha, having successfully competed at the highest level for 50 years. From the very first Grand Prix entry in the French GP of 1961 to today, Yamaha has been an icon at the forefront of Grand Prix racing with countless victories delivered the world over to the delight of the many loyal and dedicated fans. Yamaha will commemorate this incredible achievement over the course of this year with a number of actions. Read the full article »

The S 1000 RR has won the International Bike of the Year (IBOTY) award for 2010. The 26th edition of the prestigious annual competition awarded top honours to BMW Motorrad’s Superbike, marking yet another significant achievement in its short history in the marketplace. The jury of the International Bike of the Year 10/11 was composed of 14 members representing leading motorcycle magazines from all over the world. Read the full article »

The FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) and the official website of MotoGP have released the official entry lists for all three classes. The 125cc and the Moto2 entry lists are official, but MotoGP.com says the list of MotoGP class is still provisional. In this class, 2010 World Champion Jorge Lorenzo will be taking the #1 plate. It seems, two of the teams, Yamaha and Ducati have lost their sponsor: Fiat and Marlboro is out. Besides, Moto2 lost two teams, Jack & Jones by Antonio Banderas and Holiday Gym Racing. Entry lists after the jump. Read the full article »

Those already planning racing schedules and track-day activities can now place orders for YEC’s 2011 Racing Parts to assist the augmentation of their YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 and hone their equipment for competitive use. The deadline for the second of three European ordering rounds for the exceptional kits - produced with care and diligence by Yamaha Motor Engineering - is January 14th to ensure delivery for late April 2011 and the start of many series and events across Europe. Read the full article »

The final auction of 2010 in aid of Riders for Health and offering exclusive items from Yamaha’s star racing elite is now online and can be found on Yamaha Racing’s Facebook page. Bidding has commenced on a fresh set of valuable objects that on this occasion include a signed knee slider and world championship winning celebration t-shirt from Jorge Lorenzo, a pit shirt from the Fiat Yamaha Team autographed by the 2010 number one and Valentino Rossi, [...] Read the full article »

The Japanese brand just released the full specifications of its 2011 maxi scooter lineup, including the T-Max 500 ABS. The manufacturer also presented an innovative special edition version of the bike, called the Tech Max. Yamaha wanted to combine the convenience of a scooter with the supreme comfort and exciting performance of a sports-touring motorcycle. The result is the T-Max 500 Tech Max which takes the classic T-Max design to the next level. Read the full article »

Yamaha introduced a new entry-level sportsbike for beginner riders. The 2011 YZF-R15 is powered by a 150cc 4-stroke single-cylinder engine which features four valves, wet sump lubrication, and a single overhead cam. The engine has a 10.4:1 compression ratio and is coupled with a six-speed gearbox. The bike weighs just 131kg (289lbs) wet. The Japanese manufacturer didn’t release any performance details. The brand promises the new model has “a comfortable riding position fοr both pilot аnԁ pillion”. Read the full article »

Spanish motorcycle magazine motociclismo.es has reported that Yamaha started projects for a three cylinder engine for a new development on its sports T-Max 500 maxi scooter. The 500cc engine is a twin cylinder, and the magazine says Yamaha will add a third cylinder to that engine. This would increase the displacement to 750cc, while the final transmission would be strengthened to match the greater power output. Suspension would be also modified. The new maxi scooter would be called T-Max 750. The bike could go into serial production during 2011. Read the full article »