With Yamaha celebrating its 70-year anniversary, the Japanese manufacturer has unveiled a series of 70th Anniversary Edition bikes to go with the standard 2026 model year lineup. They will become available starting October.

Anniversary models will be released for the YZ125, YZ250, YZ250F, and YZ450F.

The anniversary bikes sport a red-and-white livery, the color palette primarily used by Yamaha factory teams before switching to blue in 1998. The specific design was on Doug Henry’s YZM400F that scored the first AMA Supercross win for a four-stroke bike at the 1997 season finale in Las Vegas. Despite the livery change soon after, the previous look returned to Yamaha’s factory bikes on occasion in the years since such as the 2014 MXGP Italy.

Officially, Yamaha described the Anniversary Edition’s scheme as a “modern take on Yamaha’s iconic white and red speed block livery, combining with the sleek, aggressive YZ bodywork for a standout look sure to draw attention on any starting gate.” Speed Block is a livery pattern consisting of a line of rectangles, and has been used by Yamaha since the 1970s.

In the United States, the YZ450F will carry a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $10,499. The YZ250F is to go for $9,099 followed by the YZ250’s $8,299 and YZ125’s $7,399.

By comparison, their regular blue counterparts’ MSRP sit at $10,299 (YZ450F), $8,899 (YZ250F), $8,099 (YZ250), and $8,299 (YZ250).

Interestingly, this marks the second time in three years that the Yamaha YZ got commemorative models. In 2023, Yamaha introduced a 50th Anniversary Edition for the line with a white, purple, and pink livery inspired by the two-stroke motocross bikes used in the 1990s. The YZ250 was the first in the series, debuting in 1974.

Yamaha Motor Company was founded in 1955 as an offshoot of the Yamaha Corporation music and audio manufacturer but has since become a separate entity. In January, to commemorate the anniversary, Yamaha Motor changed its corporate logo for the first time since 1998 by simplifying the tuning fork emblem from a 3D shape to a flatter look; a 70th anniversary logo was also introduced based on the number plates used by Yamaha’s first competition bikes.

Featured image credit: Yamaha Motor Co.