As sportbike enthusiasts anxiously await the debut of the 2002 Yamaha R1 in mid-September, speculation continues about the bike.
The R1 started a wave of development in the open-class sportbike category several years ago, and the 2002 model year is expected to be the first dramatic re-design of the machine. It is strongly rumored now that the 2002 R1 will not only feature an R7-like frame, but an entirely new engine (rather than simply a fuel-injected version of the old engine, as some have suspected).
Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 has set the new standard in the open-class, and Yamaha wants to move back to the top spot in this category.
