I first got to see the reworked 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1 last year when it was revealed by Valentino Rossi when attending a Yamaha dinner while I was at Phillip Island for the Moto GP (and yes I got to meet Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Colin Edwards and James Toseland. See my column in the Nov 08 issue of Motorcycle Trader).
The bike looked hot then and now that I’ve ridden it, it's just got even hotter.
I'm not going to give away too much because I want you to read the comparison I’m writing of the YZF-R1 up against the CBR1000RR which will be published in the July issue of Motorcycle Trader.
But I am going to tell you that it definitely rides like it’s on rails, it’s got so much forward impulsion it made me scream many times with joy!
One of the cool things about this bike is its chip controlled throttle which has a standard setting, B option making it a slightly calmer creature and A for race mode. It’s 180hp, 206kg dripping wet and will make a cool $23,000 dent in your wallet. These are definately magnificent times to be a fan of motorcycles
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