Tag Archives: yamaha
EVENTS: New Year Meeting 2017, Part 07 — Motorbikes
The New Year Meeting is an amazing show, but there is one element missing, one that’s just as much a part of Japanese classic culture as the cars we love: motorbikes. Unlike in the US, where two-wheelers are mostly a … Continue reading
RIP Yoshimi Katayama, 1940 — 2016
It was announced in Japanese media yesterday that Yoshimi Katayama (片山義美) — the legendary race car driver often associated with Mazda — had passed away on March 26. He was 75. His prolific career was marked by some of Japan’s most … Continue reading
Tokyo Motor Show: The death of the Japanese sports car has been greatly exaggerated
Much ink has been spilled writing about the demise of the Japanese auto industry, especially for enthusiasts. Some of it here at JNC. However, if there was one thing to take away from this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, it’s that Japanese … Continue reading
Tokyo Motor Show: Yamaha Sports Ride
One of the best sports car surprises from this year’s Tokyo Motor Show came not from Mazda, Toyota, or Honda, but Yamaha. The Sports Ride is a car built to drive like a Japanese crotch rocket on four wheels.
EVENTS: 2015 Japanese Classic Car Show, Part 07 — Motorcycles
As we near the end of our JCCS coverage, we arrive at a subject we rarely cover on JNC, but we love two-wheelers just as much as four. In Japan, however, the ratio of motocycles to automobiles is far greater than in the US, and is … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2014 Japanese Classic Car Show Part 08 — Motorcycles
Though sleds of chrome and Nihon steel will always be at the heart of JCCS, in 2011 organizers began accepting vintage Japanese motorcycles as well. It’s fitting, anyway, as two-wheeled vehicles are still hugely popular in Japan, and is how much of the Japanese motoring … Continue reading
EVENTS: Monterey Historics, Part 01
So after we dropped off the hakosuka GT-R at Nissan’s garage, we set out to see what the rest of the Monterey Historics had to offer. It is the most mind-detonatingly expensive automotive festival in this hemisphere, a world we … Continue reading
EVENTS: Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show
Step into Mooneyes‘ Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show and you might think you’ve stepped through a wormhole to 1960s America. Every style you can imagine, from high-boys to lowriders, is represented, including ones actual Americans no longer care about. Raked … Continue reading
EVENTS: Naniwa Swap Meet
Among the items on our Japan bucket list was checking out a real swap meet. Turns out, automotive-themed ones are not terribly common there, but we were fortunate enough to have Osaka’s Naniwa Swap Meet coincide with our stay.
GRAND TOURING: Driving the Chubu Touge, Part 01
With an extended weekend available and being rather tired of Tokyo one tedious week, we decided to explore Chubu. North of Tokyo but with its name meaning “central”, Chubu is the region between Kanto (the greater Tokyo area), and Kansai … Continue reading
The beautiful Box Art and history of Aoshima model kits
Step inside any Japanese hobby store and you’re bound to be dazzled by both the beauty and abundance of Aoshima box art. Their highly detailed plastic model kits have been around for decades, and in many cases have done a … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2012 Fuji Jamboree, Part 01
If the sight of a Skyline and Savanna in nostalgic warpaint doesn’t stir your soul, we’ll go ahead and notify your next of kin. Add to that a sprinkling of Starlet, Sunny, and a snazzy Japanese-colors retro racing helmet perched just so, … Continue reading
Yamaha Y125 Moegi is your retro 1955 YA-1 motorcycle
Our final report from the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show looks at another retro-styled concept from a Japanese manufacturer. The Yamaha Y125 Moegi is a lightweight motorcycle designed after the 1955 Yamaha YA-1. Its 125cc SOHC four-stroke single-cylinder engine gets 80 km/l, or an astounding … Continue reading
EVENTS: 2011 Japanese Classic Car Show Part 09, Motorcycles
This year JCCS welcomed vintage Japanese motorcycles for the first time, so for our final installment of our 2011 JCCS coverage let us take part in their admiration. As you will see our collective knowledge of two-wheelers is rather limited … Continue reading
Introducing JNC’s Nostalgic Motorcycle Forum
The JNC Forum has a new section for classic motorcycles and scooters. As per the usual JNC guidelines, it’s for two-wheeled delights 25 years and older. There seems to be no good home for these bikes on the web, at … Continue reading