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Posted by Brad Puetz
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Tuesday, 21 November 2006 |
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Page 2 of 4
| The front is all new with layered cowling designed to create a vacuum to draw hot air away from the engine compartment and increased air intake flow to improve power and reduce air resistance. There is a bit of the R6 in the styling but this bike is still unmistakably R1. There is a look to this bike that seems to separate it from the rest of the Japanese bikes available, it just seems to have that touch of an exotic look to it |
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When it came to the motor Yamaha decided to stray from their traditional 5-valve motor in favor of an all new 4-valve design. The new 4 valve head design has an increased compression ratio (12.4 : 1 to 12.7:1), new titanium intake valves, greater air intake volume due to high lift cam shaft and improved combustion efficiency to improve low, mid and top end power.
Yamaha's engineers have also incorporated the YCC-T “Yamaha chip controlled - throttle” (Same basic system as the R6) to ensure precise throttle and engine management along with a seamless power delivery. They have also applied the YCC-I "Yamaha Chip Controlled - Intake" the R1's variable intake system. These are computer-controlled intake tracts that switch between 65mm and 140mm in length to optimize power output at all RPM's. |
The R1 now also comes standard with a back-torque-limiting slipper clutch previously only available on last years limited R1 and a curved radiator with a 13% larger surface area for increased cooling efficiency. Yamaha claims a 5 horsepower gain on top without any ram-air effect.
But wait, there's more... (in my best cheesy infomercial voice). There’s an all new frame redesigned to maximize rigidity cradling the motor. There is also a new truss aluminum swing arm which is 16mm longer rear arm. Torsional rigidity is increased by 30% and lateral rigidity is slightly decreased. There is also more room out back for race tire fitment. A new rear shock with separate high- and low-speed compression damping is coupled with a new 43mm fork sporting larger-diameter pistons. |
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All right then let's get to the good part. How do all of these changes translate to performance on the track? By noon the sun had broke out and the madness was about to begin. The first thing I noticed on track was just how fast the bike felt up in the top end. I spend most of my time on race bikes with race gearing so street bikes can sometimes feel a little subdued in comparison but not this R1. There is a big top end hit which had the front wheel pawing the sky seemingly out of every corner. Very impressive on a stock street bike. |
| Despite the front end getting light I was surprised at how composed the bike felt while hard on the gas. When the front wheel came back down to earth, it was totally in control never causing me to have to back out of the throttle or check my shorts. |
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