A Japanese vehicle manufacturer that provides all-terrain vehicles and watercraft to US Customs and Border Protection.
Yamaha Motor Company, headquartered in Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan, manufactures road vehicles and boats. The company is separate from music and audio equipment manufacturer Yamaha Corporation, although they both originate from the same company, Nippon Gakki Co. The company has a presence in more than 180 countries.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses Yamaha all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and other equipment to patrol the U.S.–Mexico border. Between 2005 and 2018, CBP purchased over $1.5 million worth of Yamaha vehicles and equipment under 36 contracts. These contracts are not with Yamaha itself, but with third party dealers.
Of these contracts, 23 were specifically for ATVs and motorcycles. Supplied vehicles include the Yamaha Big Bear, Grizzly, Mule, Raptor, and Rhino models. Some contracts specify where this equipment was sent. For example, a 2014 contract designated almost $300,000 worth of Yamaha ATVs for the Border Patrol Sector ATV unit in El Paso, Texas. Other contracts include other Yamaha products, such as engines, generators, snowmobiles, and watercraft.
CBP agents use ATVs to patrol rugged terrain along the U.S.–Mexico border, especially in remote areas that are inaccessible to other vehicles. CBP documented its agents’ use of Yamaha ATVs in 2016 near McAllen, Texas, and in 2017 at an undisclosed location along the U.S.–Mexico border.