Yamaha R1
Last year, Yamaha announced that they’d be no longer making an R1 sports bike, at least in Europe anyway, owing to the increasingly strict emissions regulations that were getting harder and harder to meet, especially with such a high performance engine.
And that news generated a bit of an outcry from the Yamaha loving motorcycling public, with the R1 having been an iconic run of bikes, both on the track and on the road, with the cross-plane inline four engine being unique on the market and one of its most cherished features.
And look, while we are expecting a replacement for the road, perhaps in the form of an R9 triple, well, there is some other good news this week for anyone who was particularly mawn in the loss of this bike, for you will still be It’s still to buy an R1 in 2025, but it’ll be solely for track use where those strict emissions laws simply don’t apply.
In fact, not only have they announced a race edition of the R1 in Europe, but also a super-spect GYTR edition.
we’ll go through all of the details with everything that you need to know about them.
R1 Engine and Design Features
Now, naturally, a lot of the fundamentals are similar to the previous generation roadgoing R1, like the 999 cc inline 4 engine with its usual firing intervals.
The result is a phenomenal sounding bike, but it also packs a Punch 2 with 200 PS peak, and wrapped around it, you’ve got the same aluminum Delta box frame, the aluminum swing arm, and the magnesium subframe.
Ducati Multistrada V4 Pikes Peak
the bodywork and all the styling is pretty much the same, too, along with most of the tech being carried over with the same 4.2-inch TFT display, through which you can manage a whole bunch of lean-sensitive rider aids where the data comes from their six axis this inertial measurement unit.
You’ve got corner in traction control, slide control, break control, lift control, launch control, three modes of engine break management, and also Yamaha’s quick shift system and power selection modes.
Yamaha R1 Track Focus
The thing is, though, with this In a track-specific version, they’ve removed all the road equipment, and it does give you a rather nice clean look.
So gone are the headlights, the indicators, the mirror, the license plate holder.
And what you’re left with is this really aggressive-looking bike, especially in that stealthy black, but probably more importantly, it’s as light as possible and also immediately ready for your next track session.
There are a few little enhancements, though, to take the R1 race up a notch, and one that I’m sure you’ve probably noticed already is the addition of those carbon fiber Aero winglets.
Now, there is plenty of conversation about how worthwhile they can possibly be on road bikes, and also whether they add to or detract from the looks.
But I think on a track special like this with 200 horsepower, it’s probably fair to include them, and they do give it a bit of that moto GP look.
On the performance front, though, Yamaha claimed in their own words that the new winglets maximize the effect of the R1’s anti-wheelie electronics, as well as improving front-end feel and feedback when braking and cornering.
Now, there are no specifics on downforce figures at certain speeds, but I’d love to know what you think of them and whether they improve the looks or not down in the comments below.
Yamaha R1 Front Side
Up front, we’ve got probably fundamentally a pretty similar fork.
It’s a 43 millimeter upside down KYB branded fork, but they have redesigned it to make it more appropriate and customizable, specifically for track use.
You’ll now see individual adjusters for compression and rebound on each fort leg so they can be adjusted separately for both high and low speed.
And there’s now a base valve which they say limits or entirely prevents oil from flowing into the bottom of the fork, leading to better damping response, enhance contact feeling, and better all-round stability.
From a visual perspective as well, it’s got a new coating, a Kashima coating, which is a goldy, bronzy color, and Yamaha claims this gives it true performance esthetics.
Brembo Braking System Enhancements
Now, braking also gets a bit of an upgrade with Brembo’s top drawer style Leopard calipers and also a Brembo radial master cylinder.
And this is a bit of a deviation from the norm for Yamaha because they usually run those Advix made calipers, which are really recognizable with the anodized and star-shaped piston cap things.
But you do occasionally the brembos on Yamaha’s with the up-spect SP versions, for example.
Here they’re saying the radial master cylinder is going to give the rider a little more feel and control, but also those style of calipers are lighter.
They’ll give you plenty of power, and also they’re optimized for airflow to keep them nice and cool under heavy use.
So there should be a little bit less break fade on the track.
Lastly, on this R1 race, they’ve also given it a new more grippy seat, and that’s said to help the rider to hang on when they’re hanging off.
Yamaha R1 Pricing
No price on this one as yet, but I’d expect it to be fairly spendy, and bikes will be in dealers or at least available from dealers from April 2025.
If this all looks a little bit slow for your taste, though, then there is the GYTR edition, and basically it gets all of the same upgrades, but it just gets tricked out with a whole bunch of special BYTR performance parts.
They’re saying more performance across the entire rev range with a wide range of adjustability from the ECU, and this is also aided by the Akropovitch silencer, which is track-specific.
On top of that, you’ve got rear sets and handlebars that offer more adjustability to get the rider’s position absolutely dialed and also a racing seat.
Then you’ve got a bunch of weight savings all across the bike, owing to these lighter GYTR components, such as the carbon-reinforced fiberglass fairing.
Now, brakes are also said to be boosted with Brembos Z04 breakpads and also some GYTR break hoses.
Then to make it more convenient for the track, this GYTR edition is fully keyless.
You’ve got an on/off switch, a racing fuel cap, and then it’s also got GYTR bobbins, and you get a GYTR stand as well. To me, both look pretty phenomenal.