2018 YAMAHA YZF -R1 AND YZF -R1M
FULL TEST
P110
Where the big bang engine
used to struggle in previous
generations was with a nervous,
twitchy throttle response at low
rpm exiting hairpin corners, but
that's a thing of the past with the
2015-'18 models. Throttle re-
sponse from fully closed to wide-
the-f-open is almost seamless,
as the R1 builds speed effort-
lessly. There's nary a dip in that
torque curve—you can whack
the throttle open at almost any
engine speed and you'll be met
with serious forward momentum.
The new up and down quick-
shift mechanism works well
but you need to be careful not
to overwork the system on the
downshift. This is still a produc-
tion system—not a finely tuned
race one that you can belt down
the gears super fast and expect
the system to work out your
rough shifts for you.
Be gentle on the downshift
and the system will work well,
although I did get three false
neutrals going from fifth to sec-
ond during my ride on the base
R1. I put this more down to rider
error/lack of sympathy rather
than any mechanical glitch,
because once I slowed the shift-
ing process down everything
worked as it should and I didn't
get any unwanted neutrals at
some ridiculous speed.
On acceleration, the new
wheelie control algorithm is a
welcome addition to the IMU
platform. It's adjustable up to
three different settings, with level
one the least intrusive and three
at full intervention.
The new autoblip
downshift feature is
a welcome feather in
the R1M's (and base
model R1's) cap.
