The Evolution Of The Yamaha YZF-R1
| February 12, 2015
Yamaha’s YZF-R1 is more than just another 1000cc sportbike. This is a machine that ever since its release to a bewildered public back in 1998, has transcended classes, genders and generations. The name R1 is as famous as Harley. People know the R1 even if they have little or nothing to do with motorcycles.
That’s because the Yamaha YZF-R1 is a true benchmark motorcycle, a technological masterpiece. We knew this immediately on its release, just like we did the Honda RC30, the Kawasaki Z1 900 and the Honda CB750 before that.
This year Yamaha is bringing a new weapon to the superbike gunfight, one that’s packed with more technology and gizmos than a weekend with Bill Gates. It’s indeed a far cry from the analogue, fire-breathing monster that was released in the early months of 1998.
That red and white missile is burned into motorcycling’s collective subconscious. Up until that time the top roadbike dog (not racer) was the Honda CBR900RR, and had been since its first year on the market in 1992. The mid-90s were a confusing time for motorcycling. FIM racing rules dictated Superbikes to be either 750cc inline fours or 1000cc twins, and we also had the emergence of the 600cc Supersport class to deal with. However, Yamaha was one of the first to recognize its superbike (the YZF750) didn’t make as good a roadbike as it did a racer. FIM-spec superbikes were prohibitively expensive to build and race if you wanted a good one plus the firm had its pudgy–but still fast–YZF-1000 ThunderAce still on the books, which was a good mile eater, if a little uninspiring to the weekend warrior.
This was set right by Kunihiko Miwa, the now Senior Executive Officer of Yamaha Motor. As YZF-R1 Project Leader, Miwa-san’s vision was to create the ultimate ‘no-compromise’ road motorcycle, a catchphrase that would become synonymous with the YZF-R1. In the process, Miwa-san changed the course of not only road-going sportbikes, but racing as a whole, and influenced his fellow Japanese engineers to create ever-more powerful and exciting machines over the coming years.
To read the rest of the evolution of the Yamaha YZF-R1 feature in this week’s issue of Cycle News, click here
