What Engine Does Yamaha Use In MotoGP?

Yamaha has been a household name in the bike racing scene for decades. Starting at the 1955 Mt. Fuji Ascent Race, the motorcycle company has secured a place among track champions and the world’s most reputable motorcycle manufacturers. Among its best motorcycles ever made is the YZR-M1, a heavy hitter that has made Yamaha a top Grand Prix contender throughout the 2000s and 2010s. But while the YZR-M1 is a formidable machine, one of the main reasons it’s had a good MotoGP run is its powerful engine, which Yamaha is swapping out.

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Although the YZR-M1 saw its official introduction into the races in 2002, it wasn’t until two years later that it would make a name for itself with Valentino Rossi behind its handlebars. The 2003 iteration of the bike had its fair share of issues, each of which Yamaha was eager to weed out. However, it also had excellent handling and a very good chassis, which would carry over to the following year’s bike. The 2004 YZR-M1 adopted the previous year’s chassis and great handling alongside an all-new 990cc Liquid-cooled four-stroke DOHC in-line four-cylinder engine. But in 2012, Yamaha swapped the engine for a new one: the 1000cc liquid-cooled in-line four-cylinder with cross-plane crankshaft engine, which pushes out over 270 horsepower. 

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The latest YZR-M1 utilizes an in-line four-cylinder engine. This four-stroke internal combustion engine uses four piston strokes (intake, compression, power, and exhaust) to achieve one operating cycle. The YZR-M1 in-line four comes with a crossplane crankshaft (introduced in 2004), reducing inertia torque and improving the bike’s stability and handling. The bike’s transmission is a six-speed cassette-type gearbox with alternative gear rations, and its ECU comes from Marelli.

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While the in-line four has made a name for the YZR-M1 and Yamaha over the last two decades, recent years have been hurling V4 engine bikes onto the track, which has resulted in Yamaha opting for a V4 for its MotoGP motorcycles. The confirmation came in September 2024, with the company announcing its major shift from the in-line four engines that have won it so many victories. 

The main reason for such a drastic shift is that while the in-line four has an excellent corner speed advantage thanks to its longer crankshaft, which stabilizes the motorcycle, the V4s have more horsepower thanks to stiffer crankshafts that allow more high-rpm performance. Earlier, in-line fours had a chance against these beastly engines. However, downforce aerodynamics changed everything, leaving V4 bikes, which previously struggled with corners, with virtually none of these issues.

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Yamaha has had decades to perfect its craft, as evidenced by the impeccable evolution of its bikes. The company had a 500cc V4 bike racing back in 1980, so building V4 engines is familiar territory.