The older you get, the faster time goes. It’s hard to believe that the Yamaha YZF-R1, the motorcycle that revolutionized the superbike category, is now a quarter-century old.
The original R1, circa 1998, can lay legitimate claim to being the first modern superbike when it comes to everything from engine capacity to chassis design to the impact it made on the industry.
The R1 is just as popular today as it was in its first year of production, but the current iteration is light years from its earliest predecessor. Electronics for every conceivable part of the riding experience abound in 2022, which is a far cry from the analog monster we were presented with in 1998. We look back at each edition of the R1 in a full-throttle trip down this iconic model’s memory lane.
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1998
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe Yamaha releases its new YZF-R1 in 1998, usurping the reign of 750 cc four-cylinder superbikes. Yamaha’s 998 cc machine was unlike anything seen before, as designer Kunihiko Miwa rewrote the engineering guidelines for the category when he came up with the “three-axis” design. With the innovative configuration, the main shaft is offset and positioned above the crank and countershaft sprocket, closer to the crank. This new design for the period was soon adopted by the industry and is now the only way to go if you want to build a serious across-the-frame four-cylinder superbike.
The bodywork was completely out of sync with the style of the time, all pointy and sharp when everyone else was making bikes that were wide and boxy. With a claimed 148 hp, 78 ft lbs of torque and absolutely zero electronics, the R1 built a reputation as a bike to be feared and admired in equal measure. The 2000 edition saw slight changes to the bodywork, a taller first gear and the carburetors were re-jetted, but it was still essentially the same bike as in 1998.
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2002
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe The 2002 edition was notable for many reasons, but the big differentiator was that this was Yamaha’s first fuel-injected production motorcycle. The fuel-injection system was not like your traditional one, rather, it used a CV carburetor slide controlled by the vacuum from the engine. The approach was part of a total machine makeover that included an all-new motor, cooling system and the new Delta Box III chassis that Yamaha claimed increased rigidity by 30 percent.
The bike was wrapped in all-new, even sharper bodywork that made the original look rather portly by comparison. In addition, the overall output was bumped up to 152 hp while torque remained the same.
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2004
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe If the 2002 version of the R1 was a bit edgy, the 2004 edition blew even that one away. Completely redesigned with a new and stiffer Delta Box V frame, the 2004 model was given 171 hp and 79 ft lbs of torque as the 1000 cc superbike game was formally joined by Honda and Kawasaki.
Ram-air induction also made its debut on the R1 in 2004. And Yamaha joined arch-rival Honda by releasing an underseat exhaust system, a style that became the R1’s trademark right up until the 2015 model year.
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2006
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe In 2006, Yamaha released the first YZF-R1 SP edition while keeping the base model the same. The SP (Sport Production) badge had long been used to commemorate special editions of a given street-bike model, and the 2006 R1 got a bunch of updates that included Öhlins suspension, a swingarm that was longer by 20 mm, a slipper clutch, a lap timer, Marchesini forged aluminum wheels and, of course, that stunning yellow-and-black “Speedblock” paint scheme made famous by three-time 500 cc World Champion, Kenny Roberts. Aside from a mint condition 1998 model, the 2006 YZF-R1 SP is one that belongs in any discerning collection.
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2007
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe The next two years (2007 through 2008) saw the final iteration of the screamer-engine format (each cylinder firing separately). Yamaha also did away with its beloved five-valve cylinder head, ushering in a more traditional four-valve design for 2007. The YZF-R6 model of 2006 debuted many production firsts, like the Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle, and now it was the R1’s turn to get it, along with the variable-length intake ducts that adjust depending on engine revs.
The slipper clutch that debuted on the 2006 R1 SP variant was now fitted to the base model, and the brakes went from four pistons to six for more stopping power. Output was also bolstered, increasing to 180 hp and 83 ft lbs of torque.
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2009
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe The biggest shake-up in the history of the R1 happened in 2009 with the arrival of the “Big Bang” motor. The crossplane crankshaft, with its 270 degree-180 degree-90 degree-180 degree firing order produced a sound unlike anything we’d heard before—a flat drone that was the perfect mix of a twin and four-cylinder engine. The 2009 R1 also had Yamaha’s first riding modes integrated into the YCC-T (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle). These comprised A (track), Standard and B (rain) modes. Yamaha claimed 182 hp and 85 ft lbs of torque for the radically different R1.
Everything about the 2009 version was new—the frame, subframe, suspension . . . everything. And the substantially altered bodywork did away with the sharp angles first presented on the 2002 R1. This stylistic departure made for a polarizing aesthetic. In 2012, Yamaha fitted its first traction-control system and the model then remained untouched until 2015.
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2015
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe Much like the 2009 edition, the 2015 R1 was a ground-up redesign, but this one focused heavily on electronics integration. The 2015 R1 had multilevel traction control, slide control (a production first), wheelie control, linked ABS brakes, launch control, an up-and-down quickshifter and selectable power modes. Another production first was the Bosch six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), something that’s now ubiquitous on any sport bike worth its salt. The IMU enabled the traction control to be lean-angle sensitive, meaning that the rider was given a much finer degree of control over rear-wheel slip.
For the 2015 R1, Yamaha boosted the bike to 197 hp while dropping its torque to 82 ft lbs. As an added bonus, 15 pounds were stripped compared to that of the previous model year.
2015 also brought about the first YZF-R1M, a variant that would go on to be Yamaha’s homologation special for superbike racing. Full carbon-fiber bodywork, Öhlins semi-active electronic suspension, data logging via the Y-TRAC system and track-specific Bridgestone tires separated the R1M from the base model, as did the $5,000 price difference.
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2020 to Present
Image Credit: Yamaha Motor Europe The current generation YZF-R1 came into being in 2020. It is far from a ground-up redesign, more an evolution of the dramatically different style Yamaha took in 2015. At a glance, the fairing took design cues from the YZR-M1 MotoGP machine. There was new suspension, a new steering damper and Bridgestone RS11 tires. Delving deeper into the tech, Yamaha utilized the new Brake Control system that bleeds the ABS off in conjunction with lean angle. Also new was the three-stage engine brake control algorithm, the launch-control settings, two levels of ABS and an Accelerator Position Sensor Grip (APSG) to improve feel from the throttle.
The R1M, however, got a few more goodies in the new Öhlins ERS NPX gas-pressurized, semi-active electronic forks, along with the carbon-fiber-bodywork changes and all the electronics updates of the standard model. It also received a slightly wider 200-section rear tire compared to the base model’s 190-section rubber.
The YZF-R1 has gone on to become a motorcycle that’s moved not just the superbike class but motorcycles in general into the new millennium. So many technological firsts, so many magnificent editions, the R1’s heritage is almost impossible to replicate given the impact the 1998 original and the influence the model still has today. Here’s to at least another stellar 25 years.
