04. Guardians of Quality
Takayanagi Kenji works in quality control. His role is to establish, maintain and manage quality standards for each new-model assembly process. He plans and implements measures to prevent defects and recurrences, and drives improvement activities by analysing quality data.
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Two influences led him to Yamaha Motor. One was his older brother, who worked for the company and was involved in motorcycle inspections. The other was personal history: Takayanagi attended Yamaha Motor’s soccer school as a child—back in first grade, over 30 years ago. That familiarity helped shape his desire to join.
He rode a big scooter once, but doesn’t ride now—and he says he’s never ridden a YZ (with a shy laugh) because his feet probably wouldn’t reach. Still, his connection to the YZ runs deep.
After joining the company, he started at the engine factory in Iwata Minami, assembling the Para 4 series. He spent around five years in quality control before transferring to the YZ body assembly line, preparing for new model production across the range—YZ65 through 450F, plus WR and FX models. He later returned to engine assembly (again covering YZ and WR), and when he moved into the quality control department, he was still working on YZ. In total, he estimates 11 or 12 years involved with the YZ.
For Takayanagi, the stakes feel personal. The YZ is a competition bike—meaning, in his view, you’re entrusting the rider’s body to it. That’s why quality can’t be compromised. The team keeps improving until there’s no sense of incongruity—until it’s truly OK—and they focus on shipping only good products.
One 2026 YZ450F feature that demanded special attention was the new hydraulic clutch—first time the series has used it. On the production floor, there was a clear understanding that no mistakes could be allowed. When they compared the drawings with assembly methods, inconsistencies surfaced. Design and quality control worked together to resolve them and launch production. Takayanagi believes the force behind that collaboration wasn’t just quality and start-up—it was a deeper desire to contribute to the motorcycle lives of everyone waiting for a new YZ, felt across the production floor.
Part of what keeps that customer-focus real is seeing the bikes out in the world. Takayanagi says you can recognise a model you helped build by its colour and shape, and it’s genuinely satisfying to see people riding it. But the YZ is different: you rarely get to see it “in action” because it lives in competition environments.
That’s why moments shared by the development team hit hard—like footage of kids overseas riding YZ65s and YZ85s seriously while still having fun. It makes the impact tangible. And when a YZ wins, and development expresses gratitude, Takayanagi says it brings a powerful sense of responsibility: he feels he’s carrying the dreams of kids, and the wins and losses of riders worldwide.
He recalls hearing how much trust riders have in the YZ during discussions about YZ125 and YZ250 assembly. That trust made him happy—but also reinforced the obligation: never compromise, never lose that trust, and never stop trying to raise the standard.
In 2025, Cooper Webb won the 450SX AMA Supercross title and Hayden Deegan took the 250SX West title. Both sent messages of thanks to the Japanese employees involved with the YZ. Takayanagi says it was a surprise—top riders don’t often send direct words to the people on the manufacturing front line. But it made the connection real between those who build the YZ and those who race it, doubling the joy of victory.
With many 2026 models now in production, you might assume quality control would plateau. But the YZ development cycle moves quickly. Even as the YZ450F completes a major update, development continues—driven by riders who want to win and go faster. Takayanagi says new ideas will keep coming, and the shop floor has to accept them and find positive ways to incorporate them into assembly while building quality into the bike.
He says the production floor has started to feel like part of the team—and going forward, the mission is simple: keep building bikes that are even one gram lighter and even one second faster, so they can win.
Takayanagi is proud of the professionals on the floor: whatever the challenge, they’ll make it. And with that confidence, he signs off with a message to riders—look forward to the next YZ.