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BIKES: 2009 Yamaha R1 Tested At Road Atlanta
Written by: Neale Bayly   
10/18/2009
Charlotte, NC
 
Although not the top of the liter bike class, the R1 cranks out around 180 at the crank with the engine spinning 12,500 rpm. (Photo: Yamaha) ยป More Photos

Scratching around Road Atlanta’s twelve turns recently, I was doing my best imitation of a mobile chicane. Riding at a NESBA (Northeast Sports Bike Association) track weekend to get some seat time on the new 2009 Yamaha R1, I was in some fast company. Returning to the pits after each session progressively more frustrated with my inability to get the motorcycle round the racetrack at a respectable pace, things weren’t going according to plan. My kids were still excited at Dad’s performance even if I wasn’t, and it wasn’t till a while after looking at their smiling faces it suddenly clicked.

The only problem I was having on the new liter bike from Yamaha was my ego. I just wasn’t able to cope with the bike’s variable engine response map set on full power mode. At least not during my first couple of sessions out on the challenging Georgia circuit. Heading back to the track I set the bike to the “B” mode, which restricts power by 30% at all throttle settings and took off. Peeling seconds off my lap times faster than Brittany Spears losing articles of clothing in a music video, the whole experience was transformed as I got my head down and started to ride. Now the throttle response felt less abrupt in the slower corners, allowing me to progressively get on the gas earlier and smoother. Taking a peep at my speed on the digital speedo at the fastest part of the track, I had quickly picked up some major mph. Now it was reading 181mph, where before it was floundering around 167mph or
so. The difference in being able to pick the throttle up early and drive off the corners with more confidence was starkly apparent.

All new for 2009, the biggest news around Yamaha’s latest R1 is the cross plane crankshaft. Giving the motorcycle the most incredible intake roar, I spent the first half of the day thinking there was another rider inches behind me in the slower turns on a noisy V-four. The Yamaha is that evil sounding on and off the throttle. With the cross plane concept being introduced on Valentino Rossi’s M1 in 2004, this is the first time this technology has been used on a production motorcycle. Where a traditional flat plane four cylinder has two pistons up and two down, 180 degrees apart, the new cross plane engine has the pistons all set 90 degrees apart on the crankshaft’s rotation. This is not a big bang engine, as only one piston is being fired at a time, but one that allows much smoother power pulses with its 1,3,2,4 firing order. Apparently, this smoother output is less likely to cause high sides also, and judging by the performance of Mr. Spies this year in World SBK Yamaha has got right. There is also less vibration with the new engine thanks to the use of a counter balancer, even if we are used to the current crop of inline four cylinder bikes and don’t find it unpleasant.

Check out the R1 Photo Album

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