Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

bike is to ride. One portion of the trek featured a tight, twisty section of pavement that resembled cow trail more than road. It was a somewhat slow and laborious section of pavement (well, semi-pavement) that was also wet in the areas still shaded by trees. It was sketchy, yet cruising along at a fairly slow rate of speed on the R1 didn't present a problem. It didn't lurch and bog even if you were in a gear or two too high - and it showed just how well the R1 carburets. The previous R1s were stable, and this one obviously hasn't lost any of that stability. (In fact, Yamaha says that has also been improved with a different density of aluminum in the frame and a slight re-positioning of the engine in that frame.) My first ride on the original R1 was at the rough-and-tumble Buttonwillow track near Bakersfield, and it even handled those conditions without a hiccup. In comparison, the virtually new Valencia surface is like a billiard table. Naturally, the R1 was able to shine. Early in the day at the track, the fast uphill left that leads to a decreasingradius hairpin was a fairly fearsome spot. If there was ever a place where you could lose the front and crash at a pace that wouldn't be entirely enjoyable, this was it. The R 1, however, quickly put those fears to rest. By midday, I could run through there without fear - even with American Roadracing's Blake Conner and Motorcyclists' John Burns tucked in behind and looking for a place to pass. (For the sake of motojournalist honesty, I will admit that they Point and shoot. The Ri is all that. Aim, pull the trigger and hit the target. did Tind a way past - this time. Must have been the jet lag.) With the R 1, you can trail-brake into a corner as far as your little heart desires. The brakes work well, and there isn't any fade, and the R1's chassis and fork provide all the feedback in the world, meaning the only thing that stands between you and a faster lap time is your bravado (and perhaps a set of race-compound Dunlop D207s instead of the street compounds that were fitted to our R1 s). I rode around Valencia all day as fast as I possibly could and only had one nasty moment when the bike tried to buck me off on the exit of a secondgear corner - and that was only caused by an overzealous right wrist and a somewhat greasy rear tire. There were some complaints with the previous R 1 about the clunk between first and second gear, so Yamaha made some improvements in that area - cleaning up the transition between the two cogs to make shifting smoother. There's also a new shift shaft, an additional bearing and different linkage in the shift mechanism. The bottom line is that I never missed a gear all day at the racetrack, and only mis-shifted once on our street ride. And that was probably more due to the fear of seeing a Spaniard pulling and tugging on the steering wheel of his sportutility vehicle as it rumbled headlong toward two of us in our lane than it was from any problem with the R1's tranny. Fortunately, my Spanish friend was able to work out his problems prior to making at least one of the R1s a hood ornament. They don't make many motorcycles that are too small for my heightimpaired frame, and the R1 fit me like a glove - though the bigger guys on the trip also didn't complain. I didn't notice the redesigned gas tank during our stint at the track, but you do notice that the hump is gone from your chest bone when you spend a day on the road some of which was spent nearly fiat out on the tank while flying down the free- YlF· R SPECS 1 List price .... .. .. . . .. .. . $1 0,299 Displacement 998cc Engine type . . . . . . liquid-cooled. In-line four-cylinder Bore x stroke 74 x 58mm Compression ratio. . . . . 11.8:1 Carburetion (4) 40mm Mikuni Ignition. . . . . . . . . . Digital TCI Transmission 6·speed Starting system . . . . . . Electric Fuel capacity... . 4.7 gal. Wheelbase. . 54.9 in. Rake/trail. . .. 24°/93mm Seat height .. 32.0 in. Fronttire. .. ...... 120/70-17 Rear tire . . . . . . . . . . . 190/50-17 Front-wheel travel. . .5.3 in. Rear-wheel travel .. . 5.1 in. Front brake. . . . . Dual disc Rear brake. . . . . . . . . Final drive . . . . . . Cleimed dry weight . . . . Disc . ..... Chain . .. 385 Ibs. (Abovel Naked gun. The Ri in all its glory. The Yamaha lost nine pounds, then gained four more pounds with the addition of the new air-intake system. Damn Feds. (Leftl Trick, trick, trick. The Ri now comes with a titanium exhaust canister. Our street ride also took us smackdab through some Spanish villages (especially when we ended up a tad lost), and it was there that you could also notice the changes made to first gear. On previous R1 s, first was virtually unusable. But on our road ride there were times when I found myself idling through villages in first gear, without the feeling that I was riding a pogo stick. If you're at all competent with a clutch, taking off from the stoplight with the taller first gear also won't present a problem. A slip here and there and you're off and running. Overall, the taller first gear is an improvement. Again, Yamaha didn't have to change the R1 at all. It was a proven way. The seat is also a bit more forward, and it wraps around the tank more than on previous models. We rode the bike some 250 miles, and the only problem I had was a bit of pain in the wrist. So far, I've yet to find a sport bike that was completely comfortable for a long haul on the road - at least not one that still managed to perform well on the racetrack. I guess it's called compromise. Originally, I had some complaints about the wind protection, or lack thereof, but my mind was changed when I returned home and rode a naked bike for several hundred miles. It made me realize that the R1's protection from the wind is perfectly adequate. Yes, I'd like to order 400 new parts, please According to Yamaha, over 150 components on the Rl were reengineered for the 2000 model, using some 400 new parts along the way. Most of those changes were in an effort to reduce weight, though some were reserved for giving the R1 more punch than the earlier model. At the risk of skipping over a few of those 400 parts (they did give us a parts list), here's a quick overview of what was changed on the 2000-model R 1. In an effort to make the engine package lighter, Yamaha engineers have used a magnesium pickup coil rotor cover, the shiftshaft cover is also now magnesium and the exhaust silencer is now titanium (and it's the best looking part on the bike). The suspension has also gone on a diet, with reduced-diameter springs, aluminum seal washers and a forged shock body making the package lighter. The spring rate of the front fork is unchanged, though the springs themselves are smaller (a tenth of a millimeter). The diet didn't stop with the engine and suspension. In fact, most of the weight loss comes from a simple housecleaning of some hardware. The rotors on the disc brakes have been thinned by .5mm, down to 5.5mm from the 6mm on last year's R1; the rear caliper now uses a lighter torque stopper that's been integrated into the swingarm; the size of the reservoir has been reduced; and the brake pads themselves have been upgraded with a different pad winner, both on the racetrack and in the showroom. It was fast and light, and it handled well. It was also one of the most stunning-looking sportbikes on the market. Still, Yamaha made changes whether they needed to or not, and I think it will be difficult to find a better open-class sportbike than this one. The Honda CBR929 will be tested shortly, but for now the R 1 is still the one. eN material that is designed to help wet-weather feel. (Fortunately, our weather was impeccable.) Yamaha has also used forged footpegs, slimmer mirrors (they say the visibility is increased. If that's the case, then I'd forgotten just how bad the other ones were;) a single-fan radiator; a slimmer tach, hollow bolts and lighter fasteners. They've also taken some bolts off the bike to save weight. After all, if it can be held on with five bolts, why use seven? In addition to taking some weight off the bike, Yamaha also reworked the gearbox on the R I. What was a somewhat clunky transition from first to second gear has been cleaned up considerably, and first gear is now taller (making it closer to second gear) than it was on the previous Rl. Leaving the line may require a bit .more finesse, but at least first gear is now one that can be used while actually riding the bike. The gears have also been cleaned up, and they, too, are now thinner and lighter. The fairing on the already impeccable-looking Rl has been changed. The windscreen and mirrors are slightly higher, and the headlights are wider, but Yamaha claims that the overall drag on the bike has been reduced. The gas tank on the Rl is also 5mm lower than last year's model, taking a bit of the hump off the rider's chestbone. The seat has also been moved forward, getting the rider up and around the tank a little more. So many parts, so many changes. cue. e n e _ S • JANUARY 26, 2000 21

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