Yamaha YZR-M1

The Yamaha YZR-M1 is the factory Grand Prix road racing motorcycle that Yamaha has built for the MotoGP class since 2002, when it replaced the two-stroke YZR500. Its name stands for Mission One. Yamaha chose an inline four engine because it balanced best with a chassis developed from the YZR500 structure, and the first version had five valves per cylinder and began at 942 cc before reaching the 990 cc limit. For 2004 Valentino Rossi joined the team, the engine moved to four valves per cylinder and a long-bang firing order, and the bike won nine races and the riders title in its first year under that setup. The M1 was then carried through the 800 cc rules of 2007 to 2011 and the 1,000 cc rules from 2012, adding fuel injection and electronic engine braking control along the way. In 2025 Yamaha unveiled a V4 prototype, ending more than two decades of crossplane inline four engines. The bike has won five constructors titles and eight riders titles, with Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Fabio Quartararo among its champions.