2009 Yamaha R1 Launched

Old news now, but I’ll post it anyways.


Yamaha have given the venerable R1 a thorough upgrade. In fact it’s not an upgrade at all but a completely new motorcycle. The former king of the liter class is back to rest its crown from the CBR. And from the looks of things, it just might do it.

Leading the charge of this all out attack is the all new engine. Displacing 998 cc the engine gets a whole bunch of tech inputs from the lessons learnt in MotoGP. There is a cross plane crankshaft, not the big bang design from the M1 though. The crank puts each connecting rod at 90 degrees from the other and hence an uneven firing order. Yamaha says it help low down torque like a twin and still has a high rev power of a four. Brilliant! The YCC-T (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle) and YCC-I (Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake) continue.

Taking a leaf out of Suzuki books, Yamaha have given the R1 a D-MODE switch which gives the rider a choice of three throttle control maps. The B Mode is for less sharp responses (wet conditions) while the A Mode lets the rider enjoy the quick responses in a low and mid range. The normal mode is the regular maniac mode for those brave souls who want to really exploit the capabilities of the R1.

Chassis parts have been upgraded as well. The frame is all new and the swing arm is new as well as more rigid than before. The subframe is now made entirely out of magnesium, thereby reducing weight. Another thing making its way to the R1 from the M1 is the SOQI front suspension. Here the compression duties are handled by the left fork while rebound duties are handled by the right fork. The steering damper is electronically actuated unit. The footrests are adjustable with a 15mm height and 3mm front to rear adjustment.



The ram air intakes are now integrated with the headlights and the whole look of the bike is a bit too Kawasaki for my liking. Also there is a gear position indicator and a programmable shift light. The later comes handy on the track.

So a lot of new features at only a little more than before make the flagship Yamaha a winning proposition. So those of you who have got the dough and have been itching to get one, wait a little longer and you can have the very latest by the beginning of next year.