From a personal standpoint the 09-present Yamaha YZFR1 is the bike to own if you’re in the market for a new super sportbike in the liter class. Riders today fall into many different classes though many are attracted to the same class of bike. There’s the cruisers- the riders that want a bike with an insane amount of power and potential, but don’t intend to really use it, or they can’t use it. This doesn’t bother them for they are more satisfied with simply having the ride. There’s the Street Dwellers – the riders that buy that bike with power and potential, and without any advanced knowledge of riding, try take the bike to the max any chance they can get. Usually the Dwellers have a hard time keeping their hobbies alive, due to insurance, medical bills and law enforcement. Then there’s the Track Riders. These people have taken extra time to get themselves out to the racetrack and start learning the real potential of the super sport bike. Though the R1 has clearly been designed for the track, it has something to give to all three of the classes.

 

For the cruisers the R1 has aesthetics that stand out, but don’t have a tacky sense to them at all. You have a smooth bike with aggressive lines that can’t be mistaken for any other manufacturer or trim other than the Yamaha R1. With D-Mode, your aggressive R1 can be as forgiving as physically possible. This feature allows the rider to control how quick the throttle response is on the bike. Basically when you want just a smooth ride for the passenger of your choice and you don’t want to be tossing them off the bike every time you shift and twist the throttle again, you can switch the bike to “B” mode. There’s always the “Standard” mode also which sits in the middle of A and B and will give you a slightly slower response than A and is a good choice soon as those roads get slick from the drizzling rain. But if you’re at that red light at 2 in the morning looking down the longest straight away of your area, you flip the bike into “A” mode and every time you crack that throttle you’ll have the immediate and powerful throttle response that will make you swear the bike can break the sound barrier.

 

For the speed demons/street dwellers welcome to the R1! Welcome to your match. You’re new challenge is to harness a motoGP inspired monster on your public roads. You’ll never be bored with the bike, and honestly it’s hard to say that you’ll ever be confident. The new R1 wants to see just how strong your forearms are. The massive and constant amount of torque put out by your R1 will have no problem putting the $100k sport car sitting 2 inches off the ground that only shows up during perfect weather and once a year to shame. The R1’s personality will take you to a new level of riding and make you dedicate your life to it. You’ll never be interested in anything else in life but your YZFR1 the second you roll an inch from your driveway. You could settle for what everyone rides, and stay in the comfort zone of all the standard in-line 4’s out there, or you could jump into cross-plane mode and ride an R1!

 

At this point in the article one might argue that many bikes have mode selectors for throttle response, a lot of liter bikes are fast, and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so why the R1? This argument is valid, but has just as valid of an answer. The reason why is the R1 is different! Who wants to ride something that doesn’t stand out? Without swinging a leg over the seat, and blindfolded, one can tell the R1 from another bike. It doesn’t even idle the same as any bike on the market! It does meet the four cylinder standard that you might expect from the Japanese super sport bikes, but Yamaha as introduced crossplane crankshaft technology to their R1 which according to Yamaha will “give the rider more linear throttle response with awesome power and and traction out of corners”. And on top of giving you the upper hand in performance, the crossplane crankshaft technology gives the R1 the most unique rumble going down the road that is utterly unmistakeable for any other bike. When you’re riding with your buddies, your bike will sound like the big block V8 in the midst of a few Corollas. So to the rider who must stand out, here’s your bike.

 

 

 

 

On the street your 1000cc bike is automatically respected over the 600cc and 750cc classes because the engine is bigger. As a Track Rider you wouldn’t get caught up in that hype at the track, for you know someone will probably show you just how much easier it is for the smaller bikes to pull away from you in those hairpin turns. Unless you have an R1. Welcome to the realm of nimble 1000’s. SQQI front forks that split the compression damping duty to the left and the rebound damping to the right to reduce oil caviation (formation of gas cavities in your forks), SQQI rear shock with high and low speed compression and easy hydraulic adjustment for pre-load, adjustable footrests, and a press-formed fuel tank that allows a neat fit with the frame of the bike to promote concentration of mass, it’s hard to believe this is a street legal machine.

 

It’s hard to believe anyone in their right mind would make something so refined to be driven from point a to point b. You’re basically on Yamaha’s M1 motoGP champion! Now it’s time to step up to the world and prove that just because you have the heavier bike and a 190 tire in the back, that hairpin leading to the final straightaway to the finish line is where you and you’re R1 will bid your final goodbyes and depart from any 600cc or 750cc that thought you had an Achilles heel.

Any angle you look at it, it’s perfect for you. The 09-present Yamaha YZFR1 is ready to be your bike, the question at hand is- Are you ready to ride the R1?

 

Specifications

Engine
Engine Type	4-stroke DOHC 16 valves (titanium intake valves)
Displacement	998 cc
Bore and Stroke	78.0 mm x 52.2 mm
Cooling	Liquid
Compression Ratio	12.7:1
Fuel System	Fuel Injection with YCC-T and YCC-I
Ignition	TCI: Transistor Controlled Ignition
Chassis
Front Suspension	43 mm inverted fork; fully adjustable, 4.7-in. travel
Front Brakes	Dual 310 mm disc; radial-mount forged 6-piston calipers
Front Tire	120/70ZR17
Rear Suspension	Single shock w/piggyback reservoir; 4-way adjustable, 4.7-in. travel
Rear Brakes	220 mm disc; single-piston caliper
Rear Tire	190/55ZR17
Dimensions
Dry Weight	Curb Weight: 454 lb.
Fuel Capacity	4.8 gal.
Wheelbase	55.7 in.
MPG	33 mpg
Seat Height	32.8 in.
Trail	4.0 in.
Rake	24.0 deg.
Transmission
Transmission	6-speed w/multiplate slipper clutch
Final Drive	#530 O-ring chain
General
Speedometer	Standard: Digital
Tachometer	Standard: Analog
Colors	Raven, Team Yamaha Blue/White, Pearl White/Candy Red, World GP 50th Anniversary – Pearl White/Rapid Red
Warranty	1 Year (Limited Factory Warranty)