Yamaha YZR500
From Yamaha Wiki
 | |
| Manufacturer | Yamaha Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Production | 1973-2002 |
| Predecessor | Yamaha YZ634A |
| Successor | Yamaha YZR-M1 |
| Engine | 500 Cubic centimeter Two-stroke cycle |
The YZR500 was the Yamaha Motor Corporation’s entry for 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle racing between the years of 1973 and 2002. Riders who rode it to world championships are Giacomo Agostini (1975 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season), Kenny Roberts (1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1980 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season), Eddie Lawson (1984 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1986 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1988 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season) and Wayne Rainey (1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1991 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1992 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season).
Chronology
| Year | Model | List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champions |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW20: Liquid-cooled, Inline-4, 2-stroke engine, Chromoly frame. Yamaha’s first 500cc factory bike won from the outset at the first round of the 1973 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, ridden by Jarno Saarinen. | 2nd |
| 1974 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW23: Yamaha’s first machine created specifically for 500cc racing. Yamaha won their first 500cc constructor’s championship with it and in 1975 Giacomo Agostini rode it to a world championship as well as giving Yamaha their second 500cc constructor’s championship. | 1st |
| 1975 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | 1st | |
| 1976 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | 2nd | |
| 1977 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW35: Changes were made to the valve intake system, Stroke ratio and Carburator. | 2nd |
| OW35K: Introduction of Yamaha’s Power Valve System (YPVS). Kenny Roberts won his first of three championships with it. | ||
| 1978 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | 2nd | |
| 1979 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW45 | 2nd |
| 1980 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW48: Introduction of an aluminum frame to the YZR500. | 2nd |
| OW48R: At round 4 of the season, the YZR500 returned to a steel frame, and the engine had rear-directional exhaust. | ||
| 1981 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW53: Same rear-directional exhaust as the OW48R, and the aluminum frame used a squared cross-section. Last Inline-4 YZR500. | 2nd |
| OW54: Square-4 engine, rotary disc valve. | ||
| 1982 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW60 | 2nd |
| OW61: The first V4 engine in a 500cc List of Grand Prix motorcycles. Also had a new frame structure that was the basis for the Deltabox frame, which was developed by Spanish engineer Antonio Cobas.[1] | ||
| 1983 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW70: Introduction of the aluminum Deltabox frame and designed specifically for a 17-inch front wheel (from 18 inches). | 2nd |
| 1984 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW76: Crankcase reed valve system. Eddie Lawson wins the rider championship with it. | 2nd |
| 1985 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW81: Re-designed V-4 engine. Eddie Lawson won the rider's championship with it. | 2nd |
| 1986 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | 1st | |
| 1987 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW86: Improvements to the exhaust and cooling systems. | 1st |
| 1988 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OW98: A new exhaust layout of both pipes going under the engine and out the right side required an asymmetrical swingarm. Eddie Lawson won the rider's championship on it. | 1st |
| 1989 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWA8: Introduction of a data-recording device. | 2nd |
| 1990 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWC1: Wayne Rainey won his first rider's championship on it. | 1st |
| 1992 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWE0: In the latter-half of the season, Yamaha introduced their own NSR500 to the YZR500. Second championship for Wayne Rainey. | 2nd |
| 1993 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWF2: An extruded aluminum frame was designed to resist flex from increased power output, though Wayne Rainey complains that it is too stiff, and in round 8 Rainey switches to a chassis used by Team ROC. | 1st |
| 1994 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWF9: Re-design of the fairing and introduction of Ram-air intake. | 3rd |
| 1995 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | 3rd | |
| 1996 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWJ1: New alloy for the engine and new design for the frame. | 2nd |
| 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWH0: The "V" was widened to allow a larger air box. The OWJ1 and OWH0 were developed simultaneously and used in reverse order during the season. | 2nd |
| 1998 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWK1: Move to unleaded fuel. | 2nd |
| 1999 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | 2nd | |
| 2000 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWK6: General improvements to the engine, frame and cowl. | 1st |
| 2001 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWL6 | 2nd |
| 2002 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season | OWL9: The 28th and last generation of the YZR500 had to compete against the newly allowed 4-stroke machines. | 2nd[2] |
Notes
- ↑ Adams, Dean. Antonio Cobas Dead at 52 Superbikeplanet.com 2004.
- ↑ All but 10 points that counted towards the Constructor's championship were scored by Yamaha's YZR-M1 4-stroke machine
External links
| List of Grand Prix motorcycles, 2000–2009
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | Manufacturer | 2000s | |||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||||
| MotoGP 500 cc 990 cc 800 cc | Aprilia | Aprilia RSW 500 | Aprilia RS3 Cube | ||||||||||
| Ducati | Ducati Desmosedici | Ducati Desmosedici | |||||||||||
| Honda | Honda NSR500 | Honda RC211V | Honda RC212V | ||||||||||
| Ilmor | Ilmor X3 | ||||||||||||
| Kawasaki Heavy Industries | Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR | Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR | |||||||||||
| Suzuki | Suzuki RGV500 | Suzuki GSV-R | Suzuki GSV-R | ||||||||||
| Team Roberts | Team Roberts Proton KR3 | Team Roberts Proton V5 | Team Roberts KR211V | Team Roberts KR212V | |||||||||
| Yamaha | YZR500 | YZR-M1 | YZR-M1 | ||||||||||
| 250 cc | Aprilia | Aprilia RSW 250 | Aprilia RSA 250 | ||||||||||
| Honda | Honda RS250R | ||||||||||||
| KTM | KTM 250 FRR | ||||||||||||
