Yes, that's the all-new 200bhp Yamaha YZF-R1, with a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. Boom!
Yamaha have unveiled the hugely anticipated 2015 YZF-R1 at the EICMA in Italy. The 2015 Yamaha R1 gets a new crossplane crank inline-four, new aluminium twin-spar chassis with shorter wheelbase, and upgraded electronics. The R1’s 998cc engine now produces 200PS (that’s 197 horsepower) at 13,500rpm and 112Nm of torque at 11,500 revs. With a wet weight figure (including oil and fuel) of 199 kilos, that should mean the new R1 has tremendous performance potential.
If you think a 197bhp/199kg YZF-R1 isn’t, somehow, enough, Yamaha have something else in their arsenal that might make you happy – the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1M. While the power output remains the same, the R1M only weighs 180 kilos – that’s 19kg less than the regular R1! Plus, like the new R1, the R1M also gets a brand-new ‘6-axis inertial measurement unit’ (IMU, which sense chassis movement in 3D) that integrates and unifies the bike’s traction control system, wheelie control, braking and launch control.
There’s a communication control system with integrated GPS that gives you precise lap times (which you can access on an Android-based tablet provided with the bike!), carbonfibre bodywork, Öhlins electronic racing suspension (ERS), and a 200-section rear tyre as compared to the regular R1’s 190-section rubber. Yamaha have announced “limited availability” for the YZF-R1M, without saying anything about what that really means. Will production be limited to a certain number of units? Will the bike only be available for a certain period of time? We don’t know at this time.
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