We didn't get to ride Yamaha's new superbike, the 2009 YZF-R1, earlier in the year, but if I was hoping to get some idea of what to expect from the motorcycle press, I was in for a surprise.
While the authoritative weekly Motor Cycle News rated it as the top bike in its road and track superbike comparison tests, some of the monthlies rated it last, while others put it somewhere in between. It aroused my curiosity at least…
I was keen to try the bike as it's the first transverse four-cylinder motorcycle to feature a cross-plane crankshaft. The R1's crankpins are staggered at 90‑degree intervals so no two pistons are doing the same thing at the same time.
The idea is to eliminate inertial torque, a powerful cyclic "shuddering" that comes from all four pistons slowing, stopping and accelerating at the same time in a conventional four, producing large energy transfers to and from the crankshaft which speed it up and slow it down twice every revolution.*
Even so, the R1 is an electrifying machine, shockingly animate and hugely exciting with class-leading performance. A few impracticalities, such as the lack of any storage space, and an exceptional thirst that will have you struggling to best 34mpg – the range to reserve is only 110 miles or so, and another 25 to empty – will steer some riders towards the Honda Fireblade, which is almost as quick.
But for sheer adrenalin-pumping thrills, this is the one. You don't have to change the tyres and adjust the suspension but, for the ultimate performance, you should.
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