MBK Motorcycles

MBK traces back to Motobecane, founded in France in 1923, which grew into the country's largest motorcycle and moped manufacturer for much of the 20th century. When Motobecane went bankrupt in 1981, Yamaha bought the business and relaunched it in 1984 as MBK Industrie. Yamaha spent the following years working directly with MBK's management to modernize production, quality control, and plant culture, laying the groundwork for popular scooters like the Yamaha BW's and MBK Booster, both launched in 1990 and hugely popular with young European riders. From 2004 the factory expanded into larger-displacement motorcycles, and by 2015 Yamaha was building the XSR700 there, followed by the Tracer 700. MBK's factory in France is now one of Yamaha's key European production sites, alongside continuing to sell scooters and mopeds under its own MBK brand.