Used buyer’s guide
We look back at the 2007-2008 Yamaha YZF-R1
As anyone who has grown-up kids will tell you, 22-years is a long time. Especially, if after all this time your sofa is still being taken up and the fridge regularly emptied by your now fully fledged offspring. But in 2007 Yamaha turned their back on 22 years of technology and for the fifth generation of YZF-R1 created a radically new sportsbike. Well, radically new for Yamaha in terms of its motor…
Ever since the launch of the FZ750 in 1985, Yamaha had championed the five-valve head where most of their rivals had instead relied on a more traditional four-valve design. According to Yamaha they were all wrong as the five-valve head was clearly the best way to get power out of a motor because the smaller intake valves (three intake and two exhaust valves) allowed the engine to rev higher as there was less mechanical stress. While this theory may have held true in the 1980s and 1990s, by the 2000s engineering techniques had moved on and when Yamaha’s own YZR-M1 MotoGP bike made the switch, it was only a matter of time until the firm’s cutting-edge road bike followed suit. With the launch of the 2007 YZF-R1, Yamaha made this change.
In many ways the 2007/08 YZF-R1 can be viewed as a stop-gap model as it only lasted two years until the 2009 total model revision saw the crossplane motor introduced. However, by the same token it is actually a very significant version of the brand – not only in terms of technology,
but also character.
Like all of the manufacturers, Yamaha just love an acronym to launch a new bike and sure enough they rolled out the philosophy of GENICH (which stood for Genesis in Electronic engineering aimed at New Innovative Control technology based on Human sensibilities) with the R1.
More than a mouthful, it was basically a bunch of marketing crap that demonstrated the fact Yamaha had noticed the previous generation of R1 was getting a bit dull and they needed to reignite that spark of wildness that made the original R1 such a popular model. And they believed the four-valve head, along with some new tech, was the perfect way to achieve this.
Having introduced their YCC-T ‘ride-by-wire’ throttle on the YZF-R6, Yamaha slung another acronym into the mix with YCC-I, the firm’s (and the two-wheeled world’s) first variable intake system. This new technology allowed Yamaha to inject into the R1 that dose of excitement they were so desperate for. But did they go too far?
If you look at the R1’s rev counter the clues are there to be seen as the numbers are pretty crunched up and only really start to be legible at 6000rpm. And there is a reason for this – there ain’t much bottom end until you get to this point! Where the previous generation has a strong low to mid-range, in 2007 Yamaha deliberately made the R1’s new motor far more top-endy in its tune. Basically you get an asthmatic wheeze until 6000rpm, a bit of enthusiasm until 9000rpm and then bat-shit crazy drive until the 14,000rpm redline. Does that sound like fun to you? Well, the answer is key to ownership of this particular generation of R1…
While the fifth generation of R1 did gain a visually far more striking look, which includes the wonderful 1998-mimicking iconic red/white paint scheme complete
with its red seat, as well as a new chassis and some mammoth six-piston radial brakes, it is a generation dominated by its new motor. And more precisely its wild power characteristics…
On the road this generation of R1 both excites and frustrates. When you want to get your pulse racing it has an impressive 155bhp on tap, which is delivered in a way that fires you back in the seat as the motor shrieks and the revs rocket skyward. Not only this, there is a bit more noise from the airbox as the YCC-I does its thing and a lovely vibration that ensures it feels a complete contrast to the smooth and overly refined previous generation. However, this thrilling ride does come at a cost.
In town or just bumbling
around on the 2007/08 R1 isn’t great and that can often make it annoying as a road bike. The light switch character of the motor is all very well and good, but how often do you get to unleash a litre bike on the road? And properly unleash it, not just tickle the double-figure revs and run away with a slight giggle. In all honesty, very little, and that’s the issue with this generation of R1.
If you like your sportsbikes to thrill, as well as create an interesting talking point, the 2007/08 YZF-R1 certainly meets this brief. It’s a rip-roaring litre bike with stacks of attitude and (in red/white) a cracking paint scheme with a fresh and aggressive look. However if you want a bit of refinement, then its calmer rivals such as the Suzuki GSX-R1000 or ultra-smooth ‘stubby nose’ Blade are better buys. A Marmite bike – but in many ways this attitude works in its favour as it has won it a passionate fan base.