Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542014
P146 FEATURE I CELEBRATING YAMAHA'S FIRST PRODUCT tion to mark 100 years since the first reed organ was built. Under new CEO Chiyomaru Amano, the company prospered and by 1920 had over 1000 em- ployees. However, a disastrous fire destroyed two of the facto- ries, and following more prop- erty losses in the Kanto earth- quake of 1923, the company was on the edge of bankruptcy. It was rescued by Kaichi Kawakami, the director of Sumitomo Wire Company, who became president of Nippon Gakki in 1927. In August 1938, the company's management was taken over by the mili - tary, and the main factory was repurposed for war production, specializing in variable-pitch wooden and metal propellers. Following the Second World War, the sole remaining plant was confiscated by the govern - ment and returned to the pro- duction of musical instruments, specifically harmonicas, which were exported to the USA. Following Kaichi Kawakami's death in 1950, his son Genichi Kawakami became president of Nippon Gakki. As the economy improved in Japan, he became As can be expected after 70 years, few examples of the YA-1 exist, and of these, New York State Yamaha dealer Bob Weaver has not one, but two of the seminal models. He explains how this passion came about. "I'm an avid motorcycle enthusiast. I've ridden, collected and restored motorcycles for 60 years. I've been a dealer for 55 years. Over the years I've sold Hodaka, Montesa, DKW, Husqvarna, Maico, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Buell, Ducati and others. I bought my first Yamaha YA-1 from Tamworth Yamaha in the UK in May 2008. I was looking to buy an original R7 from them, and I saw the YA-1 in the background in the A YA-1 FAN STATESIDE (Above) A post-war DKW RT125 on display at Sugo. (Right) Japanese- made Amal carb. The ex-UK YA-1 outside Bob Weaver's office.