The All-Japan Nationals for motocross always seem to give us a glimpse on what to expect from the Japanese manufacturers’ dirt bike divisions, so much so, that it has become a thing in moto-journal circls.

This year, Yamaha decided to drop some of the pretenses and help the journalists out, and even provided some photos and a statement about its upcoming motocross machines.

As such, the above motorcycle is the 2018 Yamaha YZ450FM – Yamaha’s revised 450cc motocross racing machine, and while actual details on the new motocross bike are thin, we can glean some details from the photos.

Bikes

The 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 is more than just “bold new plastics” as one A&R commenter said, with traction control, ABS, new suspension, and R1-esque bodywork being added to the supersport machine – among other changes. Still very much “evolution” rather than “revolution” for the Japanese manufacturer, the Yamaha R6 however is a very striking machine, visually, and that’s what we wanted to share with you today. Yamaha isn’t shy that the R6 gets its look from its older sibling, the YZF-R1, with both bikes sharing a number of visual elements. The effect though is perhaps the most dramatic change to the venerable supersport, as it takes the 12-year-old design for the YZF-R6 and gives it a modern look and feel.

A&R Pro
MotoGP Race Results from the Qatar GP at Losail, Qatar: Pos. Rider Team Bike KM/H Diff. 1 Maverick VIÑALES Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 165.5 38'59.999 2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team Ducati 165.5 +0.461 3 Valentino ROSSI Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 165.4 +1.928 4 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team Honda 165.0