Since 1955 Yamaha has grown from being one of dozens of Japanese manufacturers struggling for domestic survival into a global brand. Yamaha built and sustained a profile of design creativity and technical innovation, responsible over the last fifty years for some of the most iconic and ground-breaking street bikes of our time. With descriptions of all the major models, from the YA125 of 1955 to the VMAX of 2009, an analysis of their impact, backed up with specifications and a wealth of photographs and reproductions from period brochures, this book covers the complete story of the successes and failures and their effects on the company's fortunes.