When you think about it, anniversaries are pretty dang arbitrary. What makes a year ending in 0 or 5 more notable than any other?
The upside of this nonsense, however, is that brands tend to step up their game during anniversary years, and consumers win. That sure seems to be the case with Yamaha lately, anyway.
While the parent company emerged way back in 1887 as a reed organ manufacturer, motorcycle making did not begin until after World War II, with Yamaha Motor Corporation officially spinning off as its own separate brand in 1955.
Thus the company is celebrating turning 70 this year, and fresh off its big LED Matrix headlight news a couple weeks back, Yamaha is rolling out the 2026 edition of its biggest, baddest dirt bike, and the new YZ450F looks like a beaut.
What makes it superior to its already excellent predecessor? Let’s take a look.
