In 1887, Torakusu Yamaha, a skilled craftsman and watchmaker, was tasked with repairing a reed organ at Hamamatsu, a small town in Japan. Impressed by his work, the local school principal asked him to build a new one, marking the beginning of Yamaha’s journey in the world of musical instruments.
The pivotal moment in Yamaha’s history occurred in 1953 when Genichi Kawakami, the third president of the company, decided to venture into the production of motorcycles.
As early as 1915, Piaggio started repairing and building seaplanes, going on to acquire a Pisa-based aviation company in 1917.
In the late 1940s, with Italy rebuilding its economy and the demand for affordable transportation growing, Rinaldo Piaggio’s son, Enrico Piaggio, envisioned a new mode of personal mobility- the Vespa.
Ducati’s first motorcycle, the Cucciolo, was introduced in 1950. The Cucciolo, meaning “puppy” in Italian, was a small and efficient auxiliary motor that could be attached to bicycles. This marked Ducati’s initial step into the motorcycle market.
As time progressed, Ducati evolved and became renowned for producing high-performance motorcycles, particularly in the sport and superbike categories.