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| | | 2007 Yamaha YZF R1 road test-Yankee Zulu Foxtrot Romeo 1 calling earth! |  Written: 19/02/2007 : 11:29. Read 36051 times (20/day). | The 1000 info’s per second throttle lift the front wheel at less than a half revolution. It interacts with new for Yamaha 4 valve technology and variable length intake to build an out of this world hectic acceleration above 10K’s. So hectic that even in stealthy black the R1 attracts more unwanted attention from the law than bloodsuckers by Lake Victoria.
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At the very first ride on the motorway with the 07 R1 everything went so fast that my adrenaline hungry brain didn’t understand that even spaceship Romeo 1 needs fuel to fly! The range at warp-like speeds is 130 miles and that is a hard learnt fact! Luckily it’s only 177kg to push with no fuel. That is actually slightly heavier than last year’s model due to Euro 3 requirements. Not that you’d notice as both power and torque has been increased too.
The new chassis makes the R1 rock solid on fast motorways-As it would be on a racetrack straight basically. On the road this gives an immense sense of safety and coupled with a very agile and responsive steering geometry the R1 is a dream to ride on fast motorways. Through the fully adjustable suspension I can feel every movement from the grippy Pirelli Corsa tyres. A few times I went sideways but all I needed to do was to keep feeding the fly-by-wire throttle until the Pirelli’s found grip on the very slippery tarmac I spent much time on. It was so slippery one day on the motorway that the rear wheel started spinning up in sixth gear! That’s not everyday stuff and tells a tale both about how slippery it was but also about how powerful the new R1 is. In sixth gear at motorway speeds the new and bigger ram-air starts having an effect. Yamaha are claiming 189bhp with ram-air and that is huge horsepower for a Euro 3 compliant motorcycle. The acceleration is instant even in top gear and we are soon flying low-Perhaps too soon for a roadbike and the safety of your license.
The 07 R1 sounds louder than I had expected, the underseat exhaust might be placed ideally for listening to the engine notes coming out the back. The seating position is sporty and high (835mm) but not as extreme as the R6. As a roadbike the R1 is a good deal better than the R6 in several areas. Slightly better at ergonomics, much better midrange and the variable intake fallows for the best of both worlds in a much cheaper package than let’s say the MV F4. Best of both worlds because the system allows for a strong midrange punch with long intake funnels before varying to a shorter intake length above 10.000 rpm too boost top-end power. And what a boost! The top speed acceleration is absolutely massive and the last 3K’s of revs are supremely superior to most motorcycles. When the white light on the instrument panel starts flashing you are quickly running out of revs and your left foot needs to react super quickly to avoid the rev limiter. The six speed gear box is as good as it always was. My left foot was never ever left high and dry with false neutrals or resistance gearing up or down the box. Gearing down fast has now been made easier than ever with a new slipper clutch that feels better than any other slipper clutch I have ever tried. This is very confidence inspiring and saves both the rear tyre and chain and sprockets from unnecessary tear and wear. But the main reason for a slipper clutch is of course to allow you to enter the hairpin corners on a racetrack with the front wheel preferably in front of the rear tyre in a composed manner. And no one has done it better so far than Yamaha. Chip controlled inlet and throttle and this slipper clutch are all MotoGP M1 technology dripping down. The 2007 Yamaha R1 is so rich in high tech features as a cause of this.
To brush all that speed off on the front Pirelli tyre Yamaha has re-launched the six-pot calliper. But this time mounted radial to the front wheel. The Sumimoto’s has been developed for the 07 R1 and it looks like they have been mounted inverted rather than usual since the familiar Sumimoto rings are facing inwards towards each other rather than outwards. It shouldn’t make a difference as there are three pistons on each side of the brake discs anyway. But perhaps one side is slightly heavier and that side has now been tucked inward towards the wheel for marginally quicker steering? The new 310mm brake discs have been reduced by 10mm in diameter to save weight made possible by the new six-piston callipers. However the new Six-pot radial block looks very solid and I am not sure whether any weight have ultimately been saved or not. They are very powerful with a slightly careful initial bite on the road. As soon as the discs and callipers are warmer as they will be on a twisty road with plenty of braking opportunities the feel gradually becomes really good through the lever. Squeeze the lever really hard and the rear end will lift up at insane speeds if the front tyre is warm.
The Pirelli Diablo Corsa tyres come in the sports dimensions of 120/70-ZR17 at the front and 190/50-ZR17 at the back. They are of the crème de la crops in sports tyres and it is no coincidence that these amazing tyres found its way onto the R1 this year. I can’t brag enough about these great tyres. They have grip in abundance, feel and a fair bit of life in them. True, they sit on a bike with one of the world’s best standard suspension and chassis fitted, but they still contribute to the R1’s positive steering and stable feel at all speeds. I was surprised a few times accelerating on half throttle in third to get past or away from traffic when the front tyre lifted a little just by doing that. I wasn’t even sure how warm that rear tyre was at that point, but warm enough to grip early. Rest assured that by keeping the tyres and chain/sprockets fresh on the 07 R1 you will not loose many bhp’s between the engine and the tarmac! The steering damper takes care of any headshake that can be an issue with such big horsepower.
Contributing to these positive effects is the new aluminium hybrid asymmetric swingarm. It has been widened a bit to accommodate world superbike teams and the need for a 200mm rear tyre from time to time. Yamaha have also developed its Deltabox frame, as a matter of fact it is brand new for the 07 bike. More flex for extreme lean suspension have been added-Also directly from Rossi and Edwards escapades in MotoGP. On rotten British roads I can’t honestly say that I have experienced that extra flex, but I can give evidence that the 07 R1 is a damn good sportsbike that handles like a wet dream!
Conclusion
When 180bhp rips up the tarmac so that the tarmac is bleeding tar in agony is when I am at my happiest. -A chassis like this with an engine like this with high tech controls that work like this. There is not one single thing about the 07 R1 that should not be the way that it is. It made me happy and it made me sad. Sitting on it, riding it hard felt good, but made my back hurt. Just like a gorgeous woman…
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Engine with more power over the whole power band can’t be ignored!
Handling World Superbike style
Powerful brakes
The best slipper clutch on any roadbike
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Too fast for you (and me)
Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: Tor Sagen & Martin Leyfield
ENGINE
Type : Liquid cooled, 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valve, forward inclined,
parallel 4-cylinder
Displacement : 998 cc
Bore & stroke : 77.0 x 53.6 mm
Compression Ratio : 12.7:1
Max. power (without direct air induction) : 132.4 kW (180 PS) @ 12,500 rpm
Max. power (with direct air induction) : 139.0 kW (189 PS) @ 12,500 rpm
Max. torque (without direct air induction) : 112.7 Nm (11.5 kg-m) @ 10,000 rpm
Max. torque (with direct air induction) : 118.3 Nm (12.1 kg-m) @ 10,000 rpm
Lubrication : Wet sump
Carburettor / Fuel supply : Fuel injection
Clutch type : Wet multiple-disc coil spring
Ignition : TCI
Starter system : Electric
Transmission : Constant mesh, 6-speed
Final transmission : Chain
Primary reduction ratio : 65/43 1.512
Secondary reduction ratio : 45/17 2.647
Gear ratio: :
Gear ratio-1st gear : 38/15 2.533
Gear ratio-2nd gear : 33/16 2.063
Gear ratio-3rd gear : 37/21 1.762
Gear ratio-4th gear : 35/23 1.522
Gear ratio-5th gear : 30/22 1.364
Gear ratio-6th gear : 33/26 1.269
CHASSIS :
Frame : Aluminium die-cast Deltabox
Front suspension : Telescopic forks, Æ 43 mm
Front wheel travel : 120 mm
Rear suspension : Swingarm
Rear wheel travel : 130 mm
Caster angle : 24°
Trial : 102 mm
Front brake : Dual discs, Æ 310 mm
Rear brake : Single disc, Æ 220 mm
Front tyre : 120/70 ZR17MC (58W)
Rear tyre : 190/50 ZR17MC (73W)
DIMENSIONS :
Overall length : 2,060 mm
Overall width : 720 mm
Overall height : 1,110 mm
Seat height : 835 mm
Wheelbase : 1,415 mm
Min. ground clearance : 135 mm
Dry weight : 177 kg
Fuel tank capacity (reserve) : 18 litres (3.4 litres)
Oil capacity : 3.83 litres
Specification are subject to change without notice, in accordance with national regulation and legislations :
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