The first R1 - Global Feedback

There’s no-one better to talk to about R1s than the people who ride them – that’s the owners who use their R1s every day and the journalists who test bikes for a living. We travelled the world to find out what these people really think about Yamaha’s R1: how the bike changed their lives, how it gave them the purity of performance they’d always dreamed about and why it’s topped sales charts all over the globe, from Europe to Australia to North America.

Thierry Traccan

“The R1 is a motorcycle of passion and an object of fantasy. When the bike was first launched in 1998 it was a new concept of hypersport machine – more radical, more effective, more powerful, lighter and with excellent braking. It set astonishing standards, offering top-level sports performance.”

Shunji Yatsushiro

“I would say that the incredible sense of satisfaction you get when you’re able to fully control this bike is something that only the R1 offers. The unwavering desire of the R1 development staff to build their ideal bike without compromise has resulted in a very high-level fun bike that owners really appreciate. The purity of the passion of its creators has communicated itself straight to the hearts of the users. I believe that is what makes the R1 a truly revolutionary motorcycle.”

Kent Kunitsugu

“Look up the word ‘groundbreaking’ in the dictionary, and you’ll find a photo of the Yamaha YZF-R1. Sure, there were plenty of sportbikes introduced before the R1 that offered a similar combination of litre-class power in a 600-size chassis. However, none had been melded together into a package that not only established benchmarks for performance, but also set a new standard for engineering innovation and styling as well. Even some of Italy’s best engineers and designers admitted they were impressed by the creativity displayed by the R1.
“Actually, all that doesn’t really mean diddly-squat to me. I just wanted a bike that can scythe through twisty tarmac like the proverbial hot knife through butter. And that’s exactly what the R1 does.”

Ken Wooton

“Australia in general, and myself in particular, seem to have developed an ongoing love affair with Yamaha’s R1. For me, it began at the world launch in November 1997. Back then I wrote: ‘Here’s a bike with the physical size, light weight and nimbleness of a 600-class machine. It’s also got a super responsive engine that has the horsepower to take it to the top of the class, but with enough grunt that you don’t have to use your left foot like a flipper to get there.’ Boy, was I on the money. “So, has the R1 helped redefine what a sportsbike should be? As a three-times winner of the Australian Motorcycle News, Motorcycle of the Year, and three times Australia’s top-selling streetbike, you betcha!”

Carlos Checa

“My R1 is my hobby, away from the bikes I race for a living. It’s a turned machine, with many special parts from Yamaha. I enjoy riding my R1 and also adapting it for the racetrack with special tuning bits. It’s a really incredible machine, I use it for fun on racetracks around Spain, and I have to say that I enjoy riding the bike as much as my YZR500 I raced over the last few years! My R1 has incredible performance, both from the engine and chassis, I have a lot of fun with it!”

John Ulrich

“The YZF-R1 seemed to break all the rules when it was introduced to the press at Alicante, Spain, in November 1997. It made 150 horsepower, met ever-tightening emissions standards, ran without a hitch and carved its way around racetracks. And for gearheads, it was a neat technical package, so it was no surprise that the R1 immediately became the must-have big-bore streetbike and also took over the racetracks of America. The bike was a sales hit, so when I wrote about the R1 after the press intro, I concluded: ‘The lesson seems to be, build the best sports bike, and the buyers will come.’ Now, four years later, I think that still sums up the lesson the R1 taught the motorcycle industry at the time.”

Jim Crooks

“My R1 was the first to be registered in Australia and I’ve been out to play on the bike pretty much every day since. I’ve clocked up 80,000 km and each time I ride my R1 I’m still as crazy about her as I was the day I first picked her up – the power, the build, the quality, the reliability. My R1 has never let me down and that’s really important as I use the bike when I’m conducting training courses at my motorcycle riding school. The R1 goes, stops and turns better than any motorcycle I’ve ridden. I can never see me wanting any other bike. Can’t wait to try the new one out!”

Jason Palmer

“The R1 moved everything on, it was a big step forward for sports bikes. It was the bike’s power, light weight and looks that made me buy one, plus it’s small and compact. I can’t see myself buying anything different for a while, there’s nothing around that’s been such a leap forward as the R1. I use it on the street all the time, plus for track days now and again. Mine’s stock, apart from an end can and steering damper.”

Jason McVicar

“I first started riding at Bonneville Speed Week in ’96. In ’99 the buzz was all around the R1 so I purchased one and started preparing it for speed runs. The engine wasn’t even cold from my first ride home when I started the stripdown, marvelling at the craftsmanship within the engine. That year at Bonneville we set records for production bikes and altered gas, then we went to El Mirage in California and set the production-bike record there too. “Since then we’ve continued to set records with no mechanical failures, even though the engine was sealed in August ’99 and hasn’t been apart since. That’s very impressive considering the number of miles I’ve travelled at red line. My R1’s three-year evolution culminated with my entry into the Bonneville 200 mph club at Speed Week in August 2001. There’s only 36 riders in the Bonneville 200 club – that’s less than the number of people who climbed Everest last year!”