2014 EICMA: 2015 Yamaha R1 Video
For as much buzz as the Kawasaki Ninja H2 is drawing, arguably the real show stopper seen during EICMA 2014 comes from the Yamaha booth and the new R1 and R1M. Derived directly from the M1 MotoGP machine Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi pilot, Yamaha said bluntly the R1 was designed for the track first, street second. The Crossplane crank inline-Four is back, but that architecture is about the only thing retained from the previous R1.
The new R1 makes considerably more power and weighs significantly less, the latter achieved through the use of aluminum, carbon fiber and magnesium in strategic areas. All the power is harnessed through a very advanced electronics suite, with the more track-focused R1M receiving even more trick bits. E-i-C Kevin Duke is live at EICMA, where he filed this report about one of the most advanced sportbikes to come out of Japan.
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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Another nice bike for the vertically challenged crowd. Guess they're focused more on the Japan/Asia market.
The Bike performance figure is superb but they lost the charming, evil headlights.
Overall gud competitor in 200+ category.