2015 Yamaha R1 unveiled in Milan

Yamaha has officially lifted the wraps off its highly anticipated litre-class sportsbike, the 2015 R1.  The new R1 was unveiled by Yamaha MotoGP riders, Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, at a press conference in Milan, Italy, yesterday, just a few hours after images of the motorcycle were leaked online. The new R1 looks nothing like its predecessor and seems to be a quantum leap for the Japanese manufacturer. It will make its maiden appearance at the EICMA Show in Milan, in the next few hours. 

Yamaha claims that both Rossi and Lorenzo had a major role in the development of the new R1. While earlier reports had hinted that Yamaha was planning to ditch the crossplane crank engine in favour of a conventional design, the company has retained this innovative technology to power the new R1. The new four-pot engine has been named as CP4, and is capable of pumping out in excess of 200hp, without ram-air induction. It gets titanium fracture-split con-rods and a titanium exhaust system. 

The rear subframe and the wheels are made out of magnesium to keep the weight at bay. As revealed before in a teaser, the new R1 gets a fully-digital instrument cluster with a colour TFT screen. The new Yamaha R1 comes loaded with technology and rider assists like traction control, slide control, launch control, wheel-lift control and an ABS system. It also comes equipped with LED headlamps.

Like the Kawasaki Ninja H2, the Yamaha R1 will also be available in two variants – a road-legal version and a highly souped-up track-only version. Called the R1M, it comes equipped with Ohlins Electronic Racing Suspension, a data-logging and a communication control unit (CCU) that will allow the rider to upload custom settings to the R1 and download GPS data.

Speaking about the new R1, MotoGP ace Valentino Rossi said, “It is a great machine and we have been comparing the old model with the new one and the difference is huge. We tried to make this bike rider friendly with the riding position and we also tried to keep the agility of the M1 and bring that to the R1, but at the same time find a good feeling with the front end too and the brakes. The new R1 has a good power delivery when you open the throttle, the bike gives an unbelievable feeling when you ride it and she just wants to go faster!”

The new R1 has been priced at USD 16,490 (Rs 10.13 lakh) for the US market while the R1M is expected to cost around of USD 21,990 (Rs 13.51 lakh). The R1 will be available in three paint schemes - Yamaha blue/white, raven black, and red/white. It will rival the other litre-class sportsbikes like the Aprilia RSV4 R, BMW S1000RR, Honda CBR1000RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000 and the Kawasaki Ninja H2, among others.