VOL. 52 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 10, 2015 P75
were a confusing time for motorcycling. FIM
racing rules dictated Superbikes to be either
750cc inline fours or 1000cc twins, and we
also had the emergence of the 600cc Supers-
port class to deal with. However, Yamaha was
one of the first to recognize its superbike (the
YZF750) didn't make as good a roadbike as it
did a racer. FIM-spec superbikes were prohibi-
tively expensive to build and race if you wanted
a good one plus the firm had its pudgy–but still
fast–YZF-1000 ThunderAce still on the books,
which was a good mile eater, if a little uninspir-
ing to the weekend warrior.
This was set right by Kunihiko Miwa, the now
Senior Executive Officer of Yamaha Motor. As
YZF-R1 Project Leader, Miwa-san's vision was
to create the ultimate 'no-compromise' road
motorcycle, a catchphrase that would become
synonymous with the YZF-R1. In the process,
Miwa-san changed the course of not only road-
going sportbikes, but racing as a whole, and
influenced his fellow Japanese engineers to
create ever-more powerful and exciting ma-
chines over the coming years.
A NEW YAMAHA YZF-R1 IS UPON US.
SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS DYNASTY
OF TWO-WHEELED EXCELLENCE.
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
LIFE
THE
1
