5 Of The Fastest Motorcycles Yamaha Ever Built, Ranked

Yamaha has been in the motorcycle business for a long time, with a huge number of models to fit every category. The brand has evolved a lot through the years, but whether you need one for long trips or just to the end of the quarter mile, there's a Yamaha that will fit the profile. It's no wonder some of the most successful racers of all time rode Yamahas primarily with greats like Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Freddie Spencer, and, of course, Kenny Roberts. The very look of those yellow sports bikes with the black racing stripes from the '70s and '80s was enough to bring about fear in all competitors.

Much of the tech Yamaha learned from those racing engines translated to many street-legal bikes in the following decades. Some were meant to take after those early racing bikes, but others could be touring bikes meant for the long haul. Check out some of the fastest Yamaha motorcycles ever built throughout the years.

While the Yamaha V-Max wasn't the fastest of the company's motorcycles, it's extremely worthy of mention because it offered another kind of speed: acceleration. It was a beast of a bike until the company stopped production in 2019, and it had one heck of an engine. Its 1,679cc V4 engine turned out up to 200 hp, but it was also quite heavy machinery. It didn't have the agility of other bikes and preferred to travel in a straight line than to quickly get through corners. Still, it was a trendy bike in its time simply for its raw power.

This bike was made for 0-60 and the quarter-mile times, so it should be no surprise it could go 0-60 in 2.65 seconds and run the quarter-mile in a respectable 10.29 seconds. For a huge cruiser-style bike, those times are amazing by any measurement. The top speed is a different story, with the bike topping out somewhere between 140 and 150 mph. But with its enormous acceleration for such a big bike, it deserves to be in "the fastest" category.

The Yamaha FJR1300 sports a 1,298cc, inline-four cylinder engine pumping out 144 hp and a 0-60 time just under three seconds. As a sport touring bike, it is a little more rider-friendly than racing motorcycles, walking that line between racing and comfortably tooling down the highway. But when you need it, it can reliably give you plenty of power throughout all its rev zones, making it a balanced bike. For all of its sensible accessories like the glove box and added storage space, its top speed is just under 155 mph.

The FJR1300 is a bike that does everything well, with power, comfort, and handleability. So much so that it was adopted as a police bike in many European countries. It has outstanding high-speed stability, quick acceleration, and an imposing look, making it perfect for the police force and escorting international dignitaries. After receiving feedback from the police riding them, Yamaha added several features to make it an even better fit for the force.

The YZF-R6 is more of a middle-weight motorcycle than others in this category, with a much lighter frame and just a 600cc engine. But don't be fooled by the displacement; this bike packs a lot more punch than you might think. It's all about the materials used to put this great-looking motorcycle together with a lightweight magnesium subframe and an aluminum gas tank. Even with a full tank of gas, it comes in at just under 370 pounds, which is extremely light, even for a sports bike.

One thing about this speed demon is that it's not really made for long trips. It was a successful attempt by Yamaha to make a race bike street-legal, but as such, it's not the most comfortable ride you can get. With that said, the YZF-R6 tops out at 161mph, and it will do 0-60 in three seconds. It's important to note that you can't buy a YZF-R6 new that is street legal. There is a 2023 model available, but it is for closed courses only. While it had plenty of street legal models throughout the years, this should be your signal that this was a race bike through and through.

Initially released in 1987, the FZR1000 packed a lot of power into its sport bike frame. It had a 135 hp liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine. But the upgraded version in 1989 improved upon an already great sport bike. Yamaha introduced a new exhaust control system that year, which tempered gas flow based on the current revolutions of the engine. The company managed to up the ante with the engine as well, making it a 1,002cc that turned out 145 hp. The new name for the bike became the FZR1000 EXUP to denote the new exhaust control system.

This 1989 version became what many believed was the sport bike of the decade. Along with its engine and exhaust improvements, further frame and ergonomic tweaks made the FZR1000 a much more comfortable ride. But it also had all the power you could want with a 0-60 time of 2.7 seconds. This legendary bike topped out at 170 mph and rose to the top of the sport bike heap in its time, and it's still an amazing piece of machinery to this day.

The YZF-R1M took a lot of queues from an earlier legendary Yamaha motorcycle, the FZR1000 EXUP. It offers a 998cc, inline four-cylinder engine that produces 197 hp. But beyond all the spec sheet stats, this bike just looks intimidating. Its sweeping, stylish lines and faring design make it look both aggressive and powerful. The YZF-R1M doesn't disappoint once you get it out on the road or racetrack either, with a top speed of 185 mph and a 0-60 time of under three seconds. What's important to note is that many bikes across all the motorcycle companies top out at this same number after the EU made a gentleman's agreement with the companies that they could sell them if the bikes didn't cross that threshold.

With the evolution of motorcycle tech, the YZF-R1M owes a lot of its power and stability to advanced electronics. It has everything from anti-wheelie control to stability improvements that make the bike run off the line as smoothly as possible and at high speeds. It is currently the top-of-the-line sport bike from Yamaha and one of the best sports bikes in the world.