Welcome to Australia the eastern Creek now called the Sydney Motorsports Park circuit in Sydney Australia. We are here for the 2015 Yamaha r1 and r1 M press launch. You’ve probably heard a lot about this bike already. Let me just tell you that everything you’ve heard so far all the hype is it’s true it’s unbelievable. Let’s just start the Yamaha tagline is its MotoGP technology for the street. Normally literbikes or Yamaha R1 Super Sport Bike class motorcycles are built with Street priority. You know a little bit softer suspension a little bit softer engine character, not with the r1.
Yamaha representatives have been up and down saying this is built for the track with very little concessions for the street. You’ve got mirrors and lights of course but this is an all-new bike engine 998 cc four-cylinder with a cross-plane crankshaft. It’s narrower it’s 9 pounds lighter than the previous model. The real highlight of both the r1 and the r1m is the number of electronics on both of them. Completely MotoGP derived technology it all stems around the six-axis IMU. The inertial measurement unit what does that mean you’ve got traction control launch. A lift control could also be called wheelie control ABS slide control which is the major talking point here.
The real cool feature is the lift control the wheelie control feature Eastern creeks. Front straightaway has a really fast left-hand turn that leads up to it. There’s a crest on the front straight and so your Chuck second gear third gear. You know really fast and the front tire is coming up off the ground and so really control will kick in. Just keep it floating and then I just kind of rest back on the ground just to be sure I wasn’t being a wimp on the gas. I turn lift control off for a session I’m sure enough coming around that straight back on the gas again. The front tires are going look straight up and you happen to modulate the throttle which is fun. It’s not conducive to quick lap times with the lift control on it. Just drives you over to the tiny lift of the front tire it puts it back down gently the entire time.you’re just full throttle go.
It’s ABS incredible Yamaha’s claiming approximately 195 ish force at the crank and we’re toughness as a whole. The ballpark of leader bike super sports is unbelievable in 2015 and the the r1 just might be at the top of that pile. It’s hard to say right now but rest assured once we get all the contenders together we will do a shootout. As far as I can tell for right now the r1 is a fantastic motorcycle it’s going to be a real threat that may be a real weapon switching gears. Now to the r1m most of the technologies are the same you’ve got all day like same electronic a rider aids. It also has the electronic: suspension which is a fantastic feature. I mean it’s semi-active it can adjust rebound compression all on the fly several times a second. If you need it will help prevent dive on the brakes will help reduce squatting you’re accelerating. It’s quite a cool feature both bikes have quick shifters which aren’t a new technology but this one whatever reason it just works really well. Street speeds race track you click it and there’s almost no difference.
I mean you can’t really tell it’s working it’s a fantastic feature some other cool bits magnesium wheels titanium fracture-split connecting rods aluminum gas tank. I picked one up earlier today there’s one behind me on display. it’s incredibly light it’s super fast 195 horse about but the power delivery is so smooth. The cross-plane crankshaft technology lets you put the power to the ground really well. You can meter it precisely there are A B C and D power modes that I use A and B throughout the day at the track. That was pretty awesome it’s A and B gives you the same amount of top-end power. The meters is just a little bit differently for track settings a pretty spot-on. I did some laps in the B mode too and it was almost hard to tell a difference the magnesium wheels and the aluminum gas tank.
Several different weight-saving procedures on these bikes helping change direction super fast. You can flick it from left to right really easily but then Yamaha places a lot of emphasis on front-end feel and so you’re in the corner. I swear I cooked on my elbow down if I were to better a rider but you crank her in there. It just feels so planted on the front end there’s so much to say about these bikes it’s incredible. I try and find some kind of fault whenever we’re testing a bike. The reaction of all the journalists here today including myself we’ve been getting off the bikes. I’m thinking wow this is a fantastic motorcycle to get the full scoop you got to go to the bar cycle. Calm read my whole story and as soon as we can get all the contenders together at home. We’ll do a shootout and suppose we can get especially these two guys at home we’ll do it even further evaluation. For now, rest assured Yamaha has really raised the bar.
