Yamaha YZF-R1 First Ride

2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 Photo

So Yamaha engineers working on the 2007 model uttered a collective sigh and went back to the drawing board to produce a variable-length intake tract comprised of two sets of tubes joined end to end. At lower engine speeds (up to 10,400 rpm) the stacks act as long runners. Beyond that speed, an electric motor pops the four upper funnels off the lower set, opening a gap of just over an inch between them through which air passes on this now-shorter course.

The long runners beef up the engine’s low-end torque while the short runners encourage the bike’s usual manic scream to the redline, thus offering the best of both worlds to those who dared criticize the previous arrangement. In truth, the new R1’s tall first gear still takes a little clutch slippage to move the bike off aggressively, but the engine feels singularly muscular the rest of the time, able to lug convincingly in heavy traffic, and pick up briskly from comparatively low engine speeds.

Although the 2006 R1 has only been around for about a year, the new 2007 bike’s engine and frame have been comprehensively revised. Most noteworthy is the switch to four-valves per cylinder from the much-publicized “genesis” five-valve engine design, primarily due to the demands for lower emissions. So-called quench areas created by pockets in multi-valve combustion chambers prevent complete combustion, but Yamaha’s new smooth and clean four-valve design—along with a new exhaust-stream oxygen sensor and dual exhaust catalysts—has undoubtedly taken care of any emission questions.

2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 Side View

2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 First Ride