Yamaha Yzf-R1

Yamaha YZF-R1

NEW FOR'02

Smaller, lighter, faster

ONLY ONE ASPECT OF THE 2002 Yamaha YZF-R1 remains unchanged from its popular predecessors: the original mission statement.

When Yamaha rolled out its segment-shattering Open-classer in 1998, project engineers alleged the radically styled inline-Four would be the quickest, fastest, lightest, best-handling repli-racer on earth. And it was, offering outstanding acceleration and handling, and garnering moto-joumalist praise from Boston to Beijing. As Road Test Editor Don Canet put it, “The R1 makes some 600s feel like trucks.” Ditto the ’00 model with its umpteen refinements.

That was then. Now, the fouryear-old R1 faces even stiffer competition. Suzuki’s 144horsepower GSX-R1000 has rewritten the class rules, and Honda is said to have a more powerful version of its beautifully balanced CBR929RR waiting in the wings. Which is why Yamaha pulled out all the stops. “Everything is changed,” confirmed a company spokesman. “No stone was left unturned.”

Topping the lat est list of mods are a 30 percent more rigid Deltabox III frame and electronic fuel-injection. Besides getting the black-out-paint treatment, the aluminum twin-spar frame boasts revised steering geometry mimicking that of the track-only YZF-R7 Superbike, as well as a removable subframe. To all this is mated an equally rigid, heavily braced swingarm, also aluminum and sprayed black. Bigger 43mm forks, updated shock and linkage, lighter tn-spoke wheels and a smaller-diameter rear disc brake with a more compact pin-slide caliper (now mounted atop the disc rather than below it) complete the chassis overhaul. Wheelbase is said to be unchanged at 54.9 inches.

Engine displacement remains 998cc, but refinements made to the airbox, cylinder head, exhaust system (now fully tita nium with a catalytic converter in the re-done muffler) and midrange-power-enhancing EXUP system complement the new EFI. Also, the engine was repositioned in the chassis for improved mass centralization. Don't look for a dramatic increase in peak output, though-engineers focused their attention on the quality of the already prodigious power; throttle response is said to be the smoothest going. No major changes to the stacked six-speed gearbox or its ratios, either, though shifting reportedly requires a tad less effort.

Speaking of shifting, the new gauge cluster incorporates a programmable shift light. Racy!

As if that's not enough, every stitch of bodywork is new in an effort to create a more edgy, sleeker look. The whole package is smaller, too. "One of the goals was to make the bike feel ultra-compact," explained the spokesman. "And it is. It feels tiny." Much of this may be due to new one-piece handlebars and a flatter gas tank. "It's a more natural sport riding position," adds the spokesman. "You sit on it, not in it." Also of interest is the tailsection, which now boasts an LED taillight, a slick undertray painted to match the rest of the body panels and a track-day-friendly YZF-R6-style license plate/turnsignal assembly that is removable as a unit via three screws.

Colors? Three choices: blue, red or silver. We dig the sil ver. Suggested retail price hasn't been announced. Figure on a slight increase over the current $10,299.

So, will all these changes put the RI back on top? Impos sible to say, though the tuning-fork folks are absolutely giddy with anticipation. Comparison test, anyone?

Matthew Miles