Yamaha R1M
It costs £22,000, has electronic suspension, carbon fibre bodywork, does 103mph in first gear and sounds like the apocalypse, but what is Yamaha’s R1M like to live with? 1000 miles of trackdays, motorways and Sunday rides will tell
Just thinking about a bike that’s more track focused than the standard R1 is enough to send most road riders running to their osteopaths. The base model is a phenomenal track tool that’s always near the front of Bike’s sportsbike shoot-outs… until we leave the circuit. On real roads it’s too stiff, too focused and too unforgiving.
But here’s the thing: the R1’s more focused brother, the R1M, is a better road bike. Because of its exotic semi-active suspension, you get all the R1 goodness – 197bhp, ace rider aids, Motogp styling and the best exhaust note this side of a WSB paddock – without the crashing pain of too-firm forks. Plus there are magnesium wheels to make the steering sweeter, even more sophisticated electronics, acres of beautifully fabricated carbon and an in-built datalogger. So can the R1M possibly be worth £5000 more than the standard bike? One thousand miles of commuting, trackdays and Sunday frolics will provide the answer.