Hitcher
8th March 2010, 21:30
I have an ambition to take a latest model superbike for a squirt on my 80th birthday. There are still a few years to pass until that milestone and probably a few more visits to my chiropractor too.
Today, thanks to the inimitable Stu at TSS Red Baron, I mounted the latest Yamaha R1 and took it for a spin. Resplendently black pearl it was, with gold rims to match its front suspenders. Black engine. Black seat. As Baldrick may have noted, “even its white bits were black”. Well, almost.
When I say “mounted” I use that term somewhat liberally. More in the cow on a bicycle sense, than the Valentino Rossi sense. In my defence, I spend somewhat less time hunched over the controls of an R1 than does The Doctor. Perhaps if I was a more frequent participant in this form of riding, my lumbar region may be more amenable to it.
Enough of this middle-aged bleating and some more pertinent discourse about what is a Japanese thoroughbred. Given that Mr Yamaha has now had several goes at the R1, one would expect this to be a pretty sorted package. And that it is.
Stu pointed out the controls. Clutch. Brake. Gears. Mode switch. Being the proud owner of an Aprilia Shiver, I knew about all of those. However unlike the Shiver, the mode switch on the R1 can be activated whilst moving, albeit on the off throttle. A mode, B mode and Standard mode. Stu noted that the A mode was the full noise real deal, B mode was to stop the thing getting itself out of shape in the wet, and Standard mode was, well, standard.
A sunny afternoon in Wellington. Let’s go and see what’s at the end of the Wainuiomata Coast Road. A favourite ride of mine, encompassing everything any bike could realistically be expected to encounter, including Wainuiomata. I use that term carefully, as if Tana Umaga doesn’t know where I live, I suspect it wouldn’t take him long to find out.
The Wainui hill road is famous for its somewhat interesting curves, all of which are off camber. It could be described euphemistically as a “technical” ride. In ambiguous conditions, it’s lethal. Enough said.
Today the R1 went up and over it as though it wasn’t there. I wish I could say the same thing about my back. Five km into my test ride and my lumbar region was screaming “Let’s go home Hitcher!” However I was now becoming besotted with the exhaust note of what the brochure says is an inline four. It certainly doesn’t sound like one. Nor does it sound quite like a V twin nor a triple. It’s a lovely growly thing though, even through the Euro compliant cans.
Here’s the thing. It doesn’t feel like an inline four to ride either. I have ridden sprotsbikes™ before. Usually what happens is bugger all until about 7,000rpm when somebody stuffs a redhot poker up the thing’s arse and it’s all on for man and boy. Inline four sportsbikes usually fart and wheeze around town with all the grace of Susan Boyle on a Swiss ball.
Not so the R1. It pootles beautifully. Even in A mode, which was actually my favourite of the three on offer. It’s smooth, responsive and even nana-ish. I can feel a hit squad from Yamaha’s PR department being armed as I type. But it does.
There’s no Jekyll and Hide redhot-poker-sphincter-cauterising nonsense, just a lovely progressive power delivery from 2,500rpm onwards. I didn’t trouble the rev limiter, but I did see some warp numbers arrive. Very quickly. Indeed one understands that the second 100km can be rolled on about as quickly as the first.
The brakes are delicious. I must admit to having had a bit of a love affair with R1 brakes in a past life. The FJR1300 I travelled over 80,000km on had R1 brakes, albeit from an earlier generation R1. These are the latest radial-mounted version and are stunningly good. Lots of stop with lots of feel. I love bikes that stop like this. One day I may ride an ABS equipped bike that stops as well. Perhaps before my 80th birthday too.
My ride today even had a reasonable stretch of twisty new seal. The Yam’s power delivery is superb. It never for a moment felt like wanting to go anywhere other than where I wanted it to. Indeed one wonders why this new-fangled traction control is such a big deal for some. Indeed some bikes even boast three modes: possibly left fairing, right fairing and upside down?
The suspension on TSS Red Baron’s demo was probably set up for a rider several kg slimmer than my ripped physique. But again it wasn’t doing anything that troubled me after I had got its intentions sorted after the first few corners.
By the time I reached the end of the Wainui Coast Road I was starting to quite like this bike. I hopped off, stretched and had a stroll around to have a closer squiz at what laid beneath.
Build quality is superb, as is attention to detail.
If I had had a set of hex keys, I would have adjusted the clutch and brake lever position, but that’s about all.
After some more stretching it was back on the R1 for the return trip. Interestingly my back wasn’t screaming as much anymore, and I was starting to relax into the usually unfamiliar sportsbike riding position. Indeed I was now starting to contemplate taking it for a longer squirt to Wairoa and back, a mere hour or so away…
This isn’t a bike to be thrown around like a Shiver or Street Triple. But it is amazingly agile nonetheless.
Switchgear, apart from the mode switch on the RH grip, is predictably and typically Japanese and easy to come to terms with. A big analogue rev counter sits up and to the left of a digital multidisplay that is all easy to understand. The onboard trip computer even shows fuel realtime consumption – which is surprisingly high at 12,000rpm in third gear. I put some fuel in it for you, Stu.
One would need a PhD in Mindnumbing Stupidity to get into trouble on this latest R1. It is a very accomplished and predictable ride, even at average speeds beyond which middle-aged men in flannel usually travel.
Would I buy one? No. But I had a lot of fun on the R1 today and understand it a lot more than I did before.
Today, thanks to the inimitable Stu at TSS Red Baron, I mounted the latest Yamaha R1 and took it for a spin. Resplendently black pearl it was, with gold rims to match its front suspenders. Black engine. Black seat. As Baldrick may have noted, “even its white bits were black”. Well, almost.
When I say “mounted” I use that term somewhat liberally. More in the cow on a bicycle sense, than the Valentino Rossi sense. In my defence, I spend somewhat less time hunched over the controls of an R1 than does The Doctor. Perhaps if I was a more frequent participant in this form of riding, my lumbar region may be more amenable to it.
Enough of this middle-aged bleating and some more pertinent discourse about what is a Japanese thoroughbred. Given that Mr Yamaha has now had several goes at the R1, one would expect this to be a pretty sorted package. And that it is.
Stu pointed out the controls. Clutch. Brake. Gears. Mode switch. Being the proud owner of an Aprilia Shiver, I knew about all of those. However unlike the Shiver, the mode switch on the R1 can be activated whilst moving, albeit on the off throttle. A mode, B mode and Standard mode. Stu noted that the A mode was the full noise real deal, B mode was to stop the thing getting itself out of shape in the wet, and Standard mode was, well, standard.
A sunny afternoon in Wellington. Let’s go and see what’s at the end of the Wainuiomata Coast Road. A favourite ride of mine, encompassing everything any bike could realistically be expected to encounter, including Wainuiomata. I use that term carefully, as if Tana Umaga doesn’t know where I live, I suspect it wouldn’t take him long to find out.
The Wainui hill road is famous for its somewhat interesting curves, all of which are off camber. It could be described euphemistically as a “technical” ride. In ambiguous conditions, it’s lethal. Enough said.
Today the R1 went up and over it as though it wasn’t there. I wish I could say the same thing about my back. Five km into my test ride and my lumbar region was screaming “Let’s go home Hitcher!” However I was now becoming besotted with the exhaust note of what the brochure says is an inline four. It certainly doesn’t sound like one. Nor does it sound quite like a V twin nor a triple. It’s a lovely growly thing though, even through the Euro compliant cans.
Here’s the thing. It doesn’t feel like an inline four to ride either. I have ridden sprotsbikes™ before. Usually what happens is bugger all until about 7,000rpm when somebody stuffs a redhot poker up the thing’s arse and it’s all on for man and boy. Inline four sportsbikes usually fart and wheeze around town with all the grace of Susan Boyle on a Swiss ball.
Not so the R1. It pootles beautifully. Even in A mode, which was actually my favourite of the three on offer. It’s smooth, responsive and even nana-ish. I can feel a hit squad from Yamaha’s PR department being armed as I type. But it does.
There’s no Jekyll and Hide redhot-poker-sphincter-cauterising nonsense, just a lovely progressive power delivery from 2,500rpm onwards. I didn’t trouble the rev limiter, but I did see some warp numbers arrive. Very quickly. Indeed one understands that the second 100km can be rolled on about as quickly as the first.
The brakes are delicious. I must admit to having had a bit of a love affair with R1 brakes in a past life. The FJR1300 I travelled over 80,000km on had R1 brakes, albeit from an earlier generation R1. These are the latest radial-mounted version and are stunningly good. Lots of stop with lots of feel. I love bikes that stop like this. One day I may ride an ABS equipped bike that stops as well. Perhaps before my 80th birthday too.
My ride today even had a reasonable stretch of twisty new seal. The Yam’s power delivery is superb. It never for a moment felt like wanting to go anywhere other than where I wanted it to. Indeed one wonders why this new-fangled traction control is such a big deal for some. Indeed some bikes even boast three modes: possibly left fairing, right fairing and upside down?
The suspension on TSS Red Baron’s demo was probably set up for a rider several kg slimmer than my ripped physique. But again it wasn’t doing anything that troubled me after I had got its intentions sorted after the first few corners.
By the time I reached the end of the Wainui Coast Road I was starting to quite like this bike. I hopped off, stretched and had a stroll around to have a closer squiz at what laid beneath.
Build quality is superb, as is attention to detail.
If I had had a set of hex keys, I would have adjusted the clutch and brake lever position, but that’s about all.
After some more stretching it was back on the R1 for the return trip. Interestingly my back wasn’t screaming as much anymore, and I was starting to relax into the usually unfamiliar sportsbike riding position. Indeed I was now starting to contemplate taking it for a longer squirt to Wairoa and back, a mere hour or so away…
This isn’t a bike to be thrown around like a Shiver or Street Triple. But it is amazingly agile nonetheless.
Switchgear, apart from the mode switch on the RH grip, is predictably and typically Japanese and easy to come to terms with. A big analogue rev counter sits up and to the left of a digital multidisplay that is all easy to understand. The onboard trip computer even shows fuel realtime consumption – which is surprisingly high at 12,000rpm in third gear. I put some fuel in it for you, Stu.
One would need a PhD in Mindnumbing Stupidity to get into trouble on this latest R1. It is a very accomplished and predictable ride, even at average speeds beyond which middle-aged men in flannel usually travel.
Would I buy one? No. But I had a lot of fun on the R1 today and understand it a lot more than I did before.