Yamaha is one of the very few manufacturers to offer a model in the supersports 600 class with EU-4 specification which is required from 2017 onwards. Why, and what is changed on this new model?
Read MoreOur engineers made a radical change: instead of starting from the previous R1, they took the YZR-M1 MotoGP bike as a basis. This resulted in a new R1 that is about 80 % similar to the MotoGP machine, with crossplane engine design, super sturdy chassis and extensive electronic support systems. The differences are in components that are designed to be street legal, more durable or more affordable.
"Traction control is working very well in racing, so at a certain point we started to develop it for road bikes" says Product Planning Manager Oliver Grill. "It really helps you to go faster. Whether you're a professional or not: if you have to concentrate less on grip conditions you can focus more on your speed".
“The ultimate cornering Master” was the key phrase in the development of the 2009 YZF-R1. Yamaha engineers took this challenge so serious that they developed a revolutionary new engine layout, with a cross-plane crankshaft and irregular firing order. Read about the technical background in this story!
“After we had launched the fourth generation of the YZF-R6 in 2006, I was often asked, what would be next.” Takeshi Higuchi, responsible for Product Planning in Europe smiles as he continues: ”The R6 can be used on the racetrack for competition without modifications. Most of the technical solutions we used come straight from our competition bikes.”
“We made the new YZF-R125 deliberately as a real sport bike and the similarity to its bigger sister the YZF-R6 is intentional, “ explains Hiroshi Komatsubara, President of Yamaha R&D development centre in Milan, Italy. “There are only a few real super sport bikes in today’s 125 cc class. And we felt that our young riders still think like the generations before when it comes to motorcycles. They like serious machines with exciting performance and many of them dream of a bike like the R6.”
A decade ago, the YZF-R1 set new standards in the world of supersport bikes. Ever since the R1 has become an icon and embodies Yamaha’s racing DNA with the spirit of competition in every component. In the last 10 years, the R1 has undergone 4 major model changes in 2000, 2002, 2004 and in 2007. Of course a lot of other improvements have been made almost every year during its lifecycle so far.
'The modifications to the new R6 are entirely done for racing', says our European test rider who is a former racer himself. 'In those conditions, we really needed the bigger brake size, and for a long time we have been racing the 70 (height) tyre because the best race tyres are only available in that size. In the past we had to cut the fairings ourselves to fit the tyre.'
"I believe that the new R6 represents the state of the art in 600 cc supersport technology", says Tony Maeda with a convincing expression on his face. As product planner at Yamaha Motor Europe headquarters near Amsterdam he pushed for use of the latest technologies. "This machine is completely new. For the first time we used a special casting process, (called "CF casting") for the rear arm and parts of the frame, which enables us to decrease the wall thickness dramatically. Next to the all new chassis we did lots of modifications to the engine too."
It all started with a white sheet of paper at an informal meeting in the paddock building at Killarney circuit near Capetown in South Africa. The world’s best motorcycle journalists were just testing the newly launched YZF1000R Thunder Ace. While the media was focused on this new Yamaha sportbike in the hot and sunny South African environment, a group of Yamaha Japan’s key engineers took the opportunity to discuss some new ideas with Yamaha’s European product planners in this relaxed atmosphere.