Yamaha VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“Revs Your Heart”
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese mobility company manufacturing motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, marine engines, golf carts, generators and unmanned helicopters, headquartered in Iwata, Shizuoka. Founded by Genichi Kawakami in 1955 as a spinoff from Yamaha Corporation (the musical instrument and audio equipment maker), Yamaha Motor entered the motorcycle market with the YA-1 250cc two-stroke and quickly expanded globally.
Yamaha is one of the four major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers (alongside Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki) and is the world's second-largest motorcycle manufacturer by volume. The YZF-R1 superbike, MT-09 naked roadster, FZR / FZ family, Tracer adventure-tourers, Tenere off-road bikes and the iconic XSR retro motorcycles anchor the modern lineup. Yamaha also produces the popular YZ motocross bikes that win MX championships globally.
Yamaha Motor trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under 7272 and as YAMHF in OTC US markets. Recall data for every Yamaha VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any Yamaha VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.
Yamaha at a glance
- Founded
- 1955
- Founder
- Genichi Kawakami
- Headquarters
- Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan
- Stock ticker
- OTC: YAMHF / Tokyo: 7272
- Spinoff from
- Yamaha Corporation (musical instruments)
- World motorcycle rank
- #2 by volume
- Iconic sportbike
- YZF-R1 (since 1998)
- Marine engines
- World's largest outboard maker
- Basic warranty
- 1 year / unlimited miles
- Powertrain warranty
- 1 year / unlimited miles
Decode any Yamaha VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN below to retrieve the trim, factory options, original window-sticker MSRP and any open NHTSA recall affecting that specific vehicle. ForCar.org pulls the same dataset that Yamaha dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Yamaha technology
Yamaha heritage
Yamaha Motor was spun off from the Nippon Gakki Co. (now Yamaha Corporation) in 1955 to commercialize Genichi Kawakami's 1953 motorcycle prototype, the YA-1 (Red Dragonfly) — a two-stroke 125cc machine that won the 1955 Mount Fuji Hill Climb. The 1965 250cc DT-1 invented the dual-sport motorcycle category. Yamaha entered the marine outboard market in 1960, ATV market in 1979 (founding the YFM200 Moto-4) and snowmobile market in 1968. The R1 (1998) introduced the crossplane-crank inline-four engine to mass-market sportbikes.
Market position
Yamaha competes globally in motorcycles, ATVs, marine engines and adjacent powersport segments against Honda (its main rival), Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati and KTM in motorcycles. The brand's positioning emphasizes engineering refinement and broad model coverage from 50cc scooters through 1000cc+ supersport bikes. Yamaha's marine outboard division is the world's largest by volume and serves as a separate profit center within Yamaha Motor.
New-vehicle warranty
YAMAHA VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick YAMAHA VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any YAMAHA VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Yamaha models (290)
Frequently asked questions
When was Yamaha founded and by whom?
Yamaha was founded in 1955 by Genichi Kawakami and is headquartered in Iwata, Japan.
Where is the VIN on a Yamaha vehicle?
The 17-character VIN appears in four standard locations: dashboard at the windshield base (driver side), driver-side door jamb sticker, the engine bay (firewall or engine block stamping), and the vehicle's title, registration and insurance documents.
How many Yamaha models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 290 Yamaha nameplates. Any 17-character Yamaha VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Yamaha warranty?
Basic: 1 year / unlimited miles. Powertrain: 1 year / unlimited miles.
How to check Yamaha recalls by VIN?
Enter your VIN in the decoder above. ForCar.org queries NHTSA's open-recall dataset for that specific VIN and returns any safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that affect your vehicle.
Disambiguation: This page covers Yamaha Motor Co., the powersports manufacturer — not Yamaha Corporation (the still-existing parent musical instrument and audio company, with which Yamaha Motor remains affiliated but operates independently).
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