Used Bike Guide
All you need to know about Yamaha’s 2007 R1
In the mid-2000s Yamaha faced a dilemma. Having totally redesigned theYZF-R1 in 2004 to create the ‘underseat pipe’ generation, the firm was being met by an odd reaction from riders. Despite boasting more than 170bhp (it was the first bike to claim a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio), the R1 had developed a reputation for being a very refined – but not actually that thrilling to ride – sportsbike. And that didn’t sit well with the bosses. Yamaha prides itself on its forward-thinking engineering technology, and its sportsbikes have always been the products to show off this prowess and through it stir riders’ emotions. Going back as far as the 1985 FZ750 (which had a five-valve head) through to the 1998 R1 (first vertically-stacked gearbox on a sportsbike) and even the 2006 R6 (first ride-by-wire system), Yamaha’s products were designed to thrill, so being described as dull certainly wouldn’t do.
So they turned their back on old technology, introduced a dash of new tech and looked to the 1998 R1 for inspiration.
In many ways the 2007 R1 is a bit of a stop-gap model. While a lot of it is new, by the same token quite a lot is recycled where possible because the firm knew that the 2009 crossplane R1 was just two short years away.
Why spend development cash on a bike with such a short lifespan?
So what was changed? Yamaha reworked the existing litre bike engine and, looking to its MotoGP team for confirmation, abandoned the five-valve head in favour of a four-valve design with titanium intake valves. A
fairly bold step considering they had been championing the five-valve head for 22 years, this was joined by a ride by wire throttle (YCC-T), and in a first for mass production bikes (the MV Tamburini doesn’t count...) also added variable intake funnels (YCC-I). The result was a motor that had a totally different character and was designed to be far more thrilling to ride. Would this win riders over? That is both the problem and joy of the 2007-2008 YZF-R1.
If you like a litre bike to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, this generation of R1 is more akin in character to the original model than the 2004 generation.
By altering the engine’s construction, Yamaha introduced a far faster revving nature into the way the R1 makes its power – but at the sacrifice of low-end drive. Whereas on the first underseat pipe bikes you can be lazy with the throttle, on the 2007 model there is a decided lack of bottom end, which then gives way (after a bit of a hole in the power curve at 7000rpm) to a searing top-end rush as the YCC-I allows the motor to greedily gulp down air to feed its screaming motor.
Thrilling it most certainly is; however, due to its lack of bottom end, the problem is that to get these thrills, you need to be working the R1’s engine – and that means travelling at a heck of a rate of knots, something that doesn’t sit too well on modern roads and makes the bike awkward and a bit frustrating to ride at legal speed limits. And then there is the chassis...
With a far greater emphasis on track handling, the all-new chassis is firm and unforgiving on anything other than super smooth roads. You can do a bit to take the harshness out by twiddling the adjusters (the suspension is fully-adjustable with the shock having high and low speed compression adjustment), but you are limited in how far you can go and a slightly flighty ride quality (much like the 1998 bike) is just something that needs to be chalked down as ‘character.’ At least the mighty six-piston brakes are more than up to the job of hauling the R1 up should you spot one of the boys in blue on the horizon.
So, is it worth considering a 2007 R1 as a used buy? That depends on what you are after in a litre bike. While there is no
denying it is one of the prettiest R1 generations ever built (especially in the red/white colour scheme), it is also one of the more demanding to own and that’s why it splits opinions.
If you are the kind of rider who likes to take it easy on a litre bike, ride on mid-range and avoid having to tap-dance on the gear lever, the 2007 R1 won’t be for you.
After the initial thrills have worn off, you will be left frustrated at how demanding it is to ride and wishing for a bike with a bit more guts and less aggression.
If, however, you like to take your R1 on track, enjoy working a motor and aren’t too worried about straying on the wrong side of the speed limit on occasions, the 2007 R1 will certainly make you smile, as it delivers an engaging ride that only gets better the faster you go.
It’s a full-on R1 in the purist sense of the word.
AFTER THE INITIAL THRILLS HAVE WORN OFF, YOU WILL BE LEFT FRUSTRATED.