- 1974 the YZ250 is born via a backyard experiment in California that yielded the first AMA motocross title ever awarded.
- 1975 the YZ250 debuted the monoshock
- 1977 Bob Hannah was kicking arse and on a lighter bike with improved suspension
- 1982 Yamaha introduced the first water cooled motocross bike
- 1986 the YZ revived new frame and the engine got an overhaul
- 1987 Yamaha unleashes the YZM500 Works bikes
- 1989 The Kayaba upside down fork appears as does the 19” rear wheel
- 1991 The magenta (pink) YZ
- 1992 A new and improved engine
- 1996 New frame
- 1998 The YZ400F blows minds as the first high performance four-stroke motocrosser
- 1999 The mighty engine that we basically still know today is first seen on the YZ250
- 2001 The YZ426 is released and it was brutal
- 2002 With the new chassis was the perfect two-stroke YZ recipe? A lot of people think so
- 2003 The all new YZ450F is released
- 2005 The aluminium frame arrives and the two-stroke YZ as we know it is pretty much complete
- 2006 An all new YZ450F hits the track with easier to handle power and SSS forks
- 2010 The YZ-F receives EFI and the reverse cylinder is introduced
- 2014 An all new YZ450F is released with an emphasis on power and mass centralization
- 2017 The 2018 model represents the seventh generation of the YZ450F
