Yamaha might launch the new YZF-R1 by May 2015

Last month, Yamaha lifted the wraps off its new litre-class superbikes, the YZF-R1 and the YZF-R1M, at the 2014 EICMA Show in Milan, Italy. While both these motorcycles have already gone on sale in Europe and America, rumour mills suggest that Yamaha India will start accepting bookings for the road-legal R1 sometime around March, next year and deliveries will commence in May. 

The new R1 is built around a new aluminium frame , which gets a magnesium rear subframe. It employs a new four-cylinder engine, christened CP4. This revised crossplane crank engine is capable of pumping out in excess of 197hp, without ram-air induction. The engine gets a modern construction with titanium fracture-split con-rods, forged pistons and a titanium exhaust system.

Aerodynamics has played a major role in influencing the design of the new R1, and it might not suit everyone’s tastes. The electronics package includes traction control, slide control, launch control, wheel-lift control and ABS. The new R1 also gets a fully digital instrument cluster with a coloured TFT screen.

The new R1 has been priced at USD 16,490 (Rs 10.19 lakh) for the US market, which means we can expect Yamaha to price it in the Rs 18 lakh to Rs 20 lakh bracket. It will rival other litre-class Japanese superbikes like the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade and the Suzuki GSX R1000.