Yamaha unveils the YZF-R1S for the US market

Yamaha has silently updated its US website with the new YZF-R1S. This motorcycle is a budget version of the YZF-R1. 

The YZF-R1S features much of the same technology built into the R1 and the R1M, however, few changes have been made to bring down the cost. With this, the Japanese manufacturer plans to cater to a wider set of buyers. 

This version gets steel conrods and exhaust headers instead of titanium ones. It uses aluminium for the wheels, engine covers and sump instead of magnesium. All these changes have resulted in an extra weight of 4kg over the R1. The R1S misses out on the quick-shifter but retains the high-spec traction control with its inertia measurement unit (IMU). Yamaha hasn't stuck the 'S' badging anywhere on the bike to avoid the cheap bike perception.

Yamaha hasn’t also  revealed the power figures of the YZF-R1S yet, but we are expecting it to be the same as the R1. Just look at the price tag of $14,990 (Rs 9.8 lakh), it is $2000 (Rs 1.3 lakh) cheaper than the R1. And the kind of components that have been removed or replaced, this price justifies it. The R1S will go on sale from February 2016 and will be available in two colours – matte grey and intensity white.