The White Yamahas..

As far as I know, white and red is the global corporate colors for Yamaha Motor Co. The yellow/black was a USA racing scheme or something to that effect. And then eventually the blue. I thought for sure the anniversary '26s would be the yellow and black, as that's what they've been doing since I think '06, for anniversary models? But the white and red is still very cool and since it's an anniversary of Yamaha the brand, I guess it doesn't need to be yellow/black. I bought a '14 YZF special edition (back when they were new) because I loved the white and red retro. I thought the Star bikes this weekend looked great. If I were to get a '26, I'd go with the white/red. I still think I liked the '93 throwbacks that Star ran in '23 and then again several times after in '24. The stock white '24s were cool too but it was a bit plain without the purple wheels. Either way, it's cool that they mix it up and the blue is still the main color, which I also love.

Personally, I think the white/red/black Yamahas look amazing! MUCH better in their international color scheme that the blue/black colors of the Monster Star/US Team Yamaha look. 

Of course, I think yellow/black is the only color that should ever be on a Yamaha...but I'm officially an old-school geezer! 

The white plastic was to help with heat, the black plastic absorbed too much heat from the sun.  🤣

Notice no DNF's this week?

The 91.92 was sharp the look was hip with day glow colors being huge back then . And Rad looks like the 92 rm.  I was offered a 92 yz125 to ride hv to give it back . He didn’t want to pay for mods so I passed .  My 87 cr125 with a hill climb port job I bought it like that , was soo much faster.  I broke the shock in big whoops , a WP shock Really improved my bike .  The white bikes remind me of Henry on a DGY yz125 . He lead Millville in 91 so they got them fast.  Emigs 125 had external porting a square welded on the outside . Anyone remember that ?  He ran no pilot jet I tried that my bike wouldn’t start & when it did it blurbed bad & wouldn’t rev up.  Emigs bike was radical .  Jimmy Button rode a DGY 125 also he snapped a side off his protaper bars . 

the only thing the 2026 bikes are missing are the gold rims!  

That would be incredible. 

I always thought the white with red seat Yamaha's that raced in Europe and elsewhere were cool.  But then in the mid 80's when we got them in the US they didn't seem as special.  I think of yellow YZ and blue IT were some of their best colors.  

I always loved the look of the first YZM400

Black and White gear with red numbers? Not impressed. 

Personally - THOR has 3 other sets of gear that would have hit much better with the Yamaha theme. 
Sport Mode Riot - Red/Black, Forge - Red, Hallman - Red.

The more I thought about it, I knew there was a bike that sort of inspired me with my graphics kit, after I wanted something other than stock, for my '14. And this was the bike. I ended up not doing something exactly like it but still I just remember seeing this bike and thinking how awesome it looked. Turns out, it's pretty similar to what Star ran this weekend and what the '26s Annv looks like. Figured I'd post.

Also, for what it is worth, this gen of YZF still looks amazing to me, when done up right, like this one. 

When I was a kid in the early 80s, Yamaha was yellow/black.  But in the moto magazines they would have some pictures of the European Yamahas that were white/red.  Those things looked like they were from another planet, they seemed so cool.  I didn't (and still don't) understand why they were a different color in Europe.  And then they released white/red in USA and that was cool.

Australia 

My first White Yamaha, and my last

How are the decisions made as to what color and when?