YAMAHA R1
ONE LAST BLAST…
When we heard Yamaha’s R1 was to be dropped as of this year, rather than crying over spilt milk, we decided that a final all-out assault on the senses was the best way to reflect and send off what has been one of the most iconic family of sportsbikes ever made.
WORDS: BIG M AC PICS: C HIPPY/CHAPPO
Imagine a world without the R1. We can’t.
PUT SIMPLY, IF LOTS OF PEOPLE WERE STILL BUYING R1S, YAMAHA WOULD STILL BE MAKING THEM.
So, that’s it, the arms race is over – for now, at least. Following Suzuki’s lead, we kick off 2025 without Yamaha R1s… and it’s probably fair to say the ZX-10R must be at a crossroads. That’ll leave Ducati, Honda, BMW and Aprilia still in the game, but as far as anything radical happening any time soon in the superbike class, don’t get your hopes up. Expect small upgrades here and there from Honda, BMW and Ducati, depending on what their race teams want, and not much else. In other words, small changes to engine internals, aero, or maybe the odd tweak to chassis geometry, none of which will move the game on.
The question ‘where will it all end?’ has been answered. It ended at just over 200bhp and just under 200kg with a ton of electronic rider aids.
I can barely believe I’m typing these words, but on this day in history, the most powerful road-going sportsbike in Yamaha’s line-up is claimed to make 120(ish)bhp, and that makes me sad. That said, I suppose it could be worse, because the most powerful sportsbike in Suzuki’s range has about 80bhp. Of course, Yamaha will point to the GTYR R1, and Suzuki will point to the Hayabusa, but neither of those qualify as road-going sportsbikes.
You’ve got to go all the way back to 1985 for when Yamaha’s range-topping sportsbike had less power – the FZ750 – so, while I am firmly in the camp of welcoming the new R9 to the world, I’m also mourning the loss of the R1. I mourn its loss not just because the world needs mad 200bhp bikes, but because a world where the Yamaha range doesn’t include an R1, or indeed any kind of ‘Halo Bike,’ is not a world I ever thought I’d see. I sort-of got it when Suzuki pulled the plug on the GSX-R, because it had already pulled the plug on superbike racing and MotoGP so clearly decided that the whole arena wasn’t for them. However, Yamaha remains as a factory in World Superbike and MotoGP, so obviously still very much interested in the hardcore sportsbike image.
The CP4 motor traded outright power for torque and tractability.