VOLUME 57 ISSUE 18 MAY 5, 2020 P67
and not much else. The R1M is Yamaha's
top dog of superbike technology, so you
could almost forgive it if it were rubbish at
anything other than going as fast as pos-
sible. Thankfully, this is not the case.
WHAT'S NEW?
The YZF-R1 and R1M came in for a
thorough overhaul for the 2020 model
year. Engine-wise there was a top-to-
bottom evaluation, with a new cylinder
head, valves, cams, throttle bodies, the
fuel injectors reduced from 12 holes to
10, and the oil pump rotor was reduced
2mm in diameter to 20mm.
The exhaust now holds a whopping
four catalytic converters throughout its
various bends, which is Yamaha's only
real option to keep power up in the high-
190 horsepower region and still make it
through the Euro 5 emission regulations.
That adds weight to the equation, with
the 2020 iteration topping the scales
at a claimed 450 pounds, some seven
pounds up on the 2018 model.
It may have gained a few pounds, but
it's also gained some special new hard-
ware. In a first for a production motor-
cycle, Ohlins has fitted its gas-charged
NPX-EC fork and TTX36 shock, both
semi-active. Yamaha claims the new
gas-charged fork reduces cavitation of
the oil, where tiny air bubbles form and
reduce the damping efficiency under
hard track use.
To ride an R1M on the road is an
exercise in restraint because this is a
motorcycle you can ride
at jail speeds and feel
you could get off and run
faster. Two factors come
into play here—the first
being that flat droning motor, but the
second is how smooth the ride is via
that electronically controlled suspen-
sion.
First, the motor. Although it sounds
very much like the old one, the 2020
R1M's now cable-less ride-by-wire
throttle is creamy smooth, even if the
engine falls a little flat if you're lazy away
from the lights. Put a bit of zest into
leaving the line, have the motor above
3000 rpm, and drive is magnetic. The
motor doesn't feel dramatically differ-
ent from what was on offer before—the
revs still rise with a ferocity that makes
you think you've got a 600 underneath
you, and the four different riding modes
allow you to dial in as vicious a throttle
response as you like. I preferred the
B Mode of the four power modes for
street riding, simply as the initial power
hit was a little easier to manage than in
full-blown A Mode.
Go on, stare.
We don't mind.
Ohlins gas-
charged
NPX-EC fork is
a first for any
production
motorcycle.
