Yamaha Yzf R1

YAMAHA YZF R1

Riding the Yellow Brick Road

DON CANET

LANDING IN SYDNEY, Australia, in the middle of summer (our winter) is an adventure to be experienced. So, too, is riding Yamaha’s all-new 2004 YZF-R1. With the bike’s world press launch staged at Eastern Creek Raceway in the Land of Oz, I was treat ed to both.

Never mind that my brief four-day stay Down Under was book-ended with tiresome air travel.

You can even dismiss the relaxing harbor cruise, lavish accommodations and fine dining arranged by my hosts in a not-so-subtle attempt at enhancing the impression of their latest product.

Truthfully, the bike could have been introduced at Prairie Dog Speedway in Cornfield, Kansas, .with sawdust burgers and soggy fries as the entrée, and the same conclusions would have been drawn: In terms of raw performance and meticulous refinement, the ’04 R1 is the finest sportbike Yamaha has ever built. Not to berate past classics such as the original YZF-R1, which redefined Open-class sportbikes when introduced in 1998, but times are good and the new Rl’s fresh innovation reflects the current state-of-theart. This became apparent before I’d even merged onto the Eastern Creek racing line.

CW RIDING IMPRESSION

First impressions stick with you, and mine is of the silky-smooth upshift from first to second gear along pit lane as I headed out for my first stint in the saddle. Yamaha FZR and YZF gearboxes have never impressed me as the sweetest of shifters, yet tranny action w ith the new Rl’s close-ratio box proved flawless throughout two days of circuit Hogging and spirited road riding.

Another important area-one in which the previous-generation R1 w’as unsurpassed in its class-is throttle control. Equipping the '04 model with an entirely new’ fuelinjection system posed some risk of sacrificing the “sensual” throttle response characterizing its predecessor. The liter-class landscape has changed dramatically in the past couple of years, however, into a no-holds-barred battleground requiring the sharpest weapon a company can wield. Last year’s 40mm throttle bodies-with cleverly simplistic CV-operated secondary slide valves-have given way to 45mm heavy-breathers featuring a servo-motor-controlled secondary butterfly much like that used on Suzuki’s GSX-R.

I could sense a different kind of butterfly fluttering within a Japanese engineer inquiring what I thought of the new’ Rl's throttle response. No worries, mate, still best-in-class!

Another aspect elevating the bike’s controllability above its peers is minimal drivetrain lash. Whether coming back on throttle while leaned over full-tilt in one of Eastern Creek’s first-gear hairpins, or dialing-in an uncertain on-off-on application of gas through an unfamiliar bend riding the “wrong side” of an Australian road, the chassis never felt unsettled. Clean throttle response, lack of lash and slick shifting equates to a very efficient powertrain that can be fully appreciated on the street or track.

Such user-friendly manners come in handy w hen unbridling a claimed 180 horsepower. The new engine not only barks out 28 ponies more than its predecessor, but revs to the moon, as well. Being the skeptical sort that I am, I questioned two separate R1 project leaders to verify that peak rpm is, in fact, 13,750 as indicated on the large-face tach. Both assured me that the redline is no lie-past experience running bikes on the C\V dyno has revealed as much as 1000 rpm of optimism isn’t uncommon in today's marketing game.

Achieving astronomic revs w ith a 998cc production inline-Four is no small feat, underscoring the rewards of four-stroke engine development reaped from Yamaha's YZR-M1 MotoGP program (see sidebar). The new engine uses more oversquare dimensions; its 3mm bore increase has in turn reduced stroke by 4.7mm, not only keeping piston speed in check, but allowing each cylinder’s five valves populating the expanded real estate to grow in size for increased airflow. Steeper valve angle has flattened the combustion chamber for a more efficient burn while compression has been bumped from 11.8 to 12.3:1. Valve lift, timing and duration have also been tuned for upper reaches of the rev range.

An all-new crankcase measuring 56mm narrower-the generator now rides piggyback rather than off one end of the crankshaft-has improved cornering clearance. The bore increase cut space between each

cylinder by nearly 50 percent, requiring use of a closed-deck design to insure adequate rigidity and proper ring seal with the elevated power loads. Manufacturing limitations don’t allow a closed-deck block and upper case half to be cast as a single unit, so old-school cylinder studs are back in business here. The cylinders now slant at 40 degrees-10 degrees more than before-allowing the frame spars to route over the top in a more direct path between swingam pivot and steering head. The new frame boasts a 200 percent increase in vertical rigidity that places far less emphasis on the engine being a load-bearing member. The frame is also nearly 3 inches narrower than the perimeter Deltabox design of old. Sleek stuff!

Waistline reduction is not the only ergonomic change. The clip-ons have been raised 10mm while the footrests have been moved slightly forward and 7.5mm lower than on last year’s machine. Long-legged riders should find their knees more readily slot into the cutouts on each side of the fuel tank. Although quite roomy, the saddle could stand for a little more padding and perhaps a Shuttle-grade ceramic seat pan to repel the rump-roasting effects of the new up-and-under exhaust. I also found it difficult to stay forward in the seat while accelerating hard off lower-gear comers around the circuit. At times I caught myself pulling on the bars in an effort to maintain forward body position, thus inducing a bit of headshake and chassis wiggle over bumps in the asphalt.

I never encountered so much as a twitch throughout the following day’s street ride, even on some particularly rough stretches of road. The bike comes equipped with a steering damper-an R1 first-that while non-adjustable, features a checkball valve that serves as a fluid bypass to allow free and easy steering movement until a sharp jolt is encountered. It’s a simple solution to retaining slow-specd handling integrity, much like Honda has achieved with its more complex electronic damper used on the CBR1000RR.

Steering response and feel is both lighter and more precise than with last year’s chassis. Wheelbase remains 54.9 inches, rake stays at 24 degrees, while trail has been reduced from 4.0 to 3.8 inches. Weight has been pared from the wheels and front brake rotors, despite rotor diameter growing from 298mm to 320mm. Keeping with current trends, radial-mount four-pot calipers have increased the front brake’s power and feel. Another welcome change is the switch to a Brembo radial front master cylinder. Aside from the benefit of offering improved controllability, it’s the first time I’ve ever been able to adjust a Yamaha sportbike’s front lever in close enough to my liking, although I did find performing lever adjustment while on-thefly more difficult than before.

Rls sold in the States are slated to wear Dunlop D218 Sportmax radiais while the Euro-spec bike I rode at the launch was fitted with Michelin Pilot rubber. Barring any differences in tires, I was impressed by how little the R1 tried to right itself when trail-braking into comers. Grip was superb.

One thing that certainly will not be affected by tire choice is acceleration, and based on what I experienced in Oz, the new bike is capable of making even the Tin Man’s pulse race. While it’s impossible to tell how the new YZF-R1 will stack up against the competition until we conduct a head-tohead performance shootout (tune in next month), having now ridden the 2004-model ZX-10R, CBR1000RR and GSX-R1000,1 feel confident that none will match the Yamaha’s competence as a streetbike.

Now it’s time for the dyno, the dragstrip and the stopwatch to fill in the rest of the story... □