Okay, it’s not new from the ground up, but it’s close. The 2002 R1 from Yamaha has a revised, fuel-injected engine riding in a new frame on new suspension and new wheels.
While three pounds less weight and two additional horsepower don’t sound like much, according to one Yamaha representative who has ridden the bike, the new body work makes the new R1 feel much smaller and lighter. Handling should be significantly different, with different steering geometry and the engine more than 10mm higher in the frame than last year’s model. You may recall that Aprilia raised the engine height of its Mille to improve handling, as well.
To make the new R1 handle better, Yamaha focused on user-friendliness, a must in this mega-horsepower class. Throttle response is said to be very linear, and handling improved with a more rigid frame (called Deltabox III) and beefier, 43mm forks (last year’s were 41mm). The new styling can be seen in these photos, but the “tiny” feel of the new bike will have to be experienced by riders.
Yamaha already had a titanium muffler, and the new R1 has a titanium exhaust header as well. The LED taillight follows the lead of Yamaha’s own R6 last year.
Yamaha concentrated on losing weight where it counted most — unsprung weight. The wheels are lighter to improve acceleration, braking and overall handling.
Other touches include a removable subframe (almost demanded by racers) and a programmable shift light (again, similar to the Mille).
To sum up Yamaha’s goals, it wanted the new R1 to have better handling and smoother, stronger acceleration. Moving the mass of the machine closer to its “rolling axis”, and giving it an ultra-compact feeling, were means towards this end. We can’t wait to ride the new bike.
