Yes, you’ve read the title correctly and the rest of the motorcycling world, regarding the manufacture of large capacity superbikes, now has one hell of an act to follow. Why? Well in my mind this all-new, and long overdue R1, is THE most exciting, accessible, crutch- swelling, nose-dribbling, mouth-opening, eye-widening and bum-clenching one-litre superbike I’ve ever ridden – so, oh yes indeed, have some of that!
Now I’m not going to drone on about all the technical attributes of this incredible connection to the world of MotoGP (go back to our News section if you want all that stuff), but computer power is definitely the name of the game with the new R1, so much so that I was a little confused with the plethora of options available on the new super-fancy laptop like instrument pod thingy. I actually changed nothing, because I’m too idle and was having way too much fun around the Killarney circuit in Cape Town to care about fookin’ i-Pod trickery. But I did fiddle with the four power modes and eventually left that in full power ‘A’ macho-man mode, because I liked the way the throttle response was and it made women want me in the pub. Well not really, but it sounds good, right?
When I climbed aboard the R1 for the first time I thought it was small, with quite a high screen for a pure race derived machine, but look at the MotoGP M1 and you’ll notice a similar sized screen, so that has to right then. The R1, with me on it of course, rolled onto the track and into the first bend, WTF! It immediately cut into the apex with nothing more than a twitch of the shoulder and most certainly not like the previous R1. Some people have said (no names mentioned) that it feels like, ‘a R6 on steroids’, which is a load of bollocks. The new R1 feels like, what I presume to be, the closest thing to a MotoGP bike available on a showroom floor and not some mere ‘fast 600’, so ignore all of that garbage please. You want to be Lorenzo at the moment, then go buy this weapon, simple as that folks!
Anyway, onto the back straight for the first time after reveling in the ‘absolutely no effort to turn’ handling extravaganza, I then opened the throttle wide and again, WTF! Nothing can prepare you for the shocking top-end rush as the second injector wakes up! Wheel crossed through third and fourth (just Like Lorenzo), with a seamless perfect quick-shifter to help you through obscene g-forces pushing your greedy and unnecessary oversized breakfast to the back of your stomach, and I didn’t even have a second (read dare) to look at the clocks to see what speed I was doing. I felt the R1 had fooled me into, well, believing this was just a ‘new R1’, but I’ve never been more wrong since I inexplicably drank a pint of Southern Comfort and thought it would stay inside me for more than three minutes!
Oh yes, this fukker is fast, and then some. But it’s not just about the speed and power of the R1 because the whole package is so effortless to use it makes you feel you’ve come from the same womb as Lorenzo, which sounds weird, but after a few laps to get used to the outrageous performance you feel you should change your name to Jorge.
I loved the new R1, wanted one, didn’t want to get off it and struggled to find words to transmit what just happened inside my aging head. A bit like the guy who invented the first Penny Farthing bicycle and had his first ‘lock-to-lock’ wheel shake from the 76-inch front wheel and love/hated it, but couldn’t wait to get on it again.
Then I decided to ride last year’s R1 for a comparison. Er, take off the Yamaha badge and swap it for an Evinrude badge, which means it feels like a boat compared to this 2015 R1. Still a nice motorbike for sure but not even in the same league as this rocket in any department.
After dribbling and frothing over the R1 I was informed I could then ride the posh R1M. Same words you’ve just read go for this as the ‘normal’ R1 but it’s very pretty and shiny and has fancy Ohlins electronic suspension, which meant the front end felt even better, if that’s possible. I was lost in track lust and the Yamaha dudes had to eventually pull me off, and I don’t mean in a sexual manner, but I might have needed a bit of help in that department because my arms were now numb and tired after completing more laps than I’ve done in the past five years in one session, which says it all really.
Both bikes aren’t cheap with the R1 at R240,000 and the mighty M version at R330,000 but you are buying a proper MotoGP experience and not just another four-cylinder superbike, yawn, yawn. The 2015 R1 is without doubt the best superbike money can buy, if you can get one that is, because supply is still a bit slow. But remember when you were young and desperately trying to lose the ‘I’m still a sad little virgin’ badge? Well, was that worth the wait? For sure, and again followed by ‘Have some of that!’
Go to www.centurionyamaha.co.za to buy your new R1 today.
Also have a visit to www.yamaha.co.za
