when did yamaha start making 4 stroke outboard motors
Outboard motor Although four stroke outboards have been sold since the late 1920s, particularly Roness and Sharland, in 1962 Homelite introduced a commercially viable four cycle outboard a 55-horsepower motor, based on the 4 cylinder Crosley automobile engine. This was called the Bearcat that was later purchased by Fischer-Pierce who are the makers of Boston Whaler for use in their boats because of their technical superiority and efficiency over two strokes. In 1964, Honda Motor Co. introduced its first four-stroke powerhead.[15] In 1984, Yamaha introduced their first four-stroke powerhead. These motors were only available in the smaller horsepower range. In 1990 Honda released 35 hp and 45 hp four-stroke models. They continued to lead in the development of four-stroke engines throughout the 1990s as US and European exhaust emissions regulations such as CARB (California Air Resources Board) led to the proliferation of four-stroke outboards. At first, North American manufacturers such as Mercury and OMC used engine technology from Japanese manufacturers such as Yamaha and Suzuki until they were able to develop their own four-stroke engine. The inherent advantages of four-stroke motors included: lower pollution (especially oil in the water), noise reduction, increase fuel economy, increased low end torque, and smoother operation.
Honda VTX Series Making amends for years of underperforming V-twins, Honda set out to produce a cruiser with the biggest CID ever and so designed a big bike with a muscular looking body that was long and low to the ground, featuring significant rake and trail.[12] Honda claimed that the 1800 put out 159 N·m (117 lbf·ft) of torque at only 3000 rpm and 75 kW (101 hp) at 5000 rpm, making the VTX1800 one of the most powerful production V-twin motorcycles of its time.[2][4] (See infobox for measured horsepower and torque values.)