Best Streetbikes

Yamaha YZF-R1 Super Sport Motorcycle Review

So, you've decided to dust off the ol' leathers and hop on the back of one of the hot new streetbikes, have you? Be forewarned, the Yamaha YZF-R1 isn't for the meek, or the faint of heart. Straddling Yamaha's numero uno hot bike power trip might make you feel comfortable enough to tackle the daunting curves of Deal's Gap, or blast down highway one with the long, beautiful tresses of a shapely passenger billowing out from under her helmet, but the Yamaha YZF-R1 is a cunningly disguised motorcycle. A singular piece of machinery which is as comfortable running MOTO GP on Saturday afternoon as it is carving up mountain roads with ease. So much ease, in fact, that it is relatively easy on the Yamaha YZF-R1 to overestimate your own abilities. For an experienced rider, however, the Yamaha YZF-R1 is a thrill which is second to none.

The heart of the Yamaha YZF-R1 is its 998cc DOHC four cylinder torque monster. Yamaha engineers must have felt that nicknaming the Yamaha YZF-R1 "rocket sled" would have been a travesty, and so decided that only the very best cutting edge technology would be harvested from R&D to make the YZF-R1 go. The sixteen valve liquid cooled engine is electronically controlled by a 32-bit ECU fuel injection system and is force-fed air through the Yamaha Chip Control Throttle and a special airbox mounted in the front of the fuel tank which creates a ram-air fed airbox, which as we all know, makes for more power at full speed than a standard airbox. The combustion chambers of the Yamaha YZF-R1 are a narrow-angle four-valve configuration and deliver 12.7:1 compression ratio, making the Yamaha YZF-R1 highly efficient and enormously powerful. A six speed transmission with a multi plate slipper clutch ensures you never run out of speed, and a standard one year warranty keeps you covered, though the Yamaha YZF-R1 is a notoriously dependable motorcycle.

The suspension and frame of the Yamaha YZF-R1 are easily as advanced as the DOHC engine is, and provide a ride quality that is both confidence inspiring and crisp. The frame of the Yamaha YZF-R1 is a Deltabox frame which is specifically tuned to provide just the right amount of flex, and carries the lay-down four cylinder engine in the perfect manner to provide excellent handling, weight distribution and aerodynamics. The swingarm is a truss-type which is very strong compared to the competition and the use of hollow bolts and lightweight fasteners throughout help keep the Yamaha YZF-R1 among the lightest super sport motorcycles on the market today.

With a price that is as appealing as is the Yamaha YZF-R1 itself, Yamaha has created a street fighter worthy of the title "class leading." Look for a price tag of $11, 699 MSRP in any of the three colors available- Raven, Candy Red, or Team Yamaha Blue and White, leaving you plenty of cash to take that back seat vixen out for dinner, too.