CARLOS’S COMMENTS...

This R1 is just legendary, isn’t it? Like the ‘Blade, it just oozes style, class and history. It’s not quite as sharp in its aesthetics, but it still looked so damn fine, glimmering in the sunshine with the finesse of an old school pin-up model. Even the build quality of the R1 still looked smart after all these years. The cockpit felt slightly more dated on the Yammy as everything was a bit more rounded and old school, but it was still mightily usable. I actually found the riding position to be a fair bit softer as well; my ass was planted firmly in the bike, rather than on it. The R1 started on the button, which was always going to be a bonus, and was a hell of a lot smoother than the ‘Blade – it was like comparing silk and sandpaper at the bottom end of the rev range. With that being said, however, it didn’t quite have the same energy or urgency when absolutely blasting the throttle. Yeah it’s quick, but the age was more noticeable on the R1, although it did sound like the stereotypical howl of four cylinder sports bikes from the 2000s, which will definitely play on your nostalgia. As far as the ride quality goes, it felt softer than the Honda, but definitely a little less precise; from the squidgy suspension, to the pretty piss-poor brakes it was cosier, rather than painstakingly fast. I’ve heard a lot of stories about near enough every incarnation of R1s through the years, and although it didn’t disappoint, it wasn’t as mental as I’d hoped, although a good service and a pipe would

help massively.