2012 Yamaha Yzf-R1
2012 Yamaha YZF-R1
QUICKRIDE
Traction and control
JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS after traction control debuted on a production sportbike, the race-derived electronic wizardry has become mainstream. Following Kawasaki’s lead, Yamaha is the latest of the Japanese Big Four to implement TC on its flagship superbike.
I attended a two-day YZF-Rl press event staged in Indian Wells, California. There, I was treated to an afternoon street ride into the local mountains followed by a full day on the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway road course. The bike wore its stock-fitment Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier II radiais for the street portion, while Michelin Power One racecompound rubber, featuring a V-shaped front profile, provided added grip and notably sharper steering characteristics for the track.
A rocker switch located on the left handlebar allows toggling through six levels of traction-control sensitivity, while the familiar D-mode toggle on the right bar pro-
vides a choice between three newly refined drive-mode (response) settings—A, Standard and B—that alter throttle, fuel and ignition mapping. The bike must be at a standstill for TC to be switched off; otherwise, changes to D-mode or TC levels can be performed on the fly as long as the throttle is fully closed. With 21 available combinations, it wasn’t possible to thoroughly sample them all during my initial test rides.
On the street, I settled on TC Level 5 or 6. This, in combination with the Standard power mode, allowed me to see that TC was engaging without riding overly aggressively. I use the word “see” because at higher TC settings, Yamaha’s system is more of a visual experience than a tactile one: A yellow indicator light on the dash illuminates whenever TC intervenes, signaling that power output is being trimmed via a combination of ignition retard, fuel cut and YCC-T (throttle-by-wire) intervention. Even when the light
flickered midcorner, I didn’t feel the slightest hint of rear slippage at these higher TC settings, indicating that the system was acting as a very good safety net on the street.
The following day’s track sessions provided an optimal environment for flirting with the Rl ’s limits. At the lowest TC setting, I felt consistent and controlled degrees of slippage. Once again, the TC indicator light proved instrumental in helping me discern when and where TC was saving my bacon. End result being, I quickly gained trust in the system and had
the confidence to start my corner-exit drives earlier than I would have imagined possible. My initial impression is very positive, with refinement at least on par with the Kawasaki ZX-lOR’s excellent system but with the Rl offering more adjustability. Compared to the lOR, the Rl is similarly priced at $13,990 for the base color/'graphics package, while a limitededition World GP 50th Anniversary model (below) costs $500 more.
Don Canet
