eurotuner magazine and our website are dedicated to the modification and glorification of Europe’s best performance cars on sale in North America. However, we’re speedfreaks at heart, and whatever gets the pulse racing is fine by us. So we enjoy nothing more than pulling on an Arai and carving the canyons around our Southern California location. As it happens, we know many of you are two-wheels aficionados as well, since we invited you to send in photos of your own machines a while back.
So when we get the chance to throw a leg over something new, we thought we might as well blog about it to share our enthusiasm with likeminded readers.
A while back we had the opportunity to ride the then-new 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1. This is the version with the cross-plane crank that alters the firing order of the in-line four-cylinder engine to provide vee-twin style power delivery. It’s also what AMA champion Ben Spies has been using to devastating effect in the World Superbike Championship, where he’s battling for top honors with Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga.

I’ve owned several of Japanese motorcycles, including the CBR600 and GSX-R600 as well as the European Ducati 748 and Aprilia RSV Mille R. More recently, I owned a 2005 Yamaha R1, until some bacteria living on the parasites breeding on the scum in the bottom of stagnant ponds decided to relieve me of it. I’ve since replaced it with a ’08 R1, which gave me an excellent benchmark to compare against the new bike.
As luck would have it, my ’08 is an ex-press bike. It was carefully maintained and its suspension set-up by Andrew Trevitt from Sport Rider magazine, making it one of the better examples of its kind. Check out our blog on his book Sportbike Suspension Tuning for an easily-digested explanation of the black art.

As you can see in the photos, the ’09 R1 has a blunter nose with more pronounced nostril intakes. At first, I wasn’t a fan but it’s grown on me. However, the biggest change for the rider is the new instrumentation, with its digital speedo, temp readout and gear indicator (another the array of possible settings). It presents a great deal more useful information and while I initially found it harder to use, familiarization overcame any doubts.
After a few hours onboard, I found the width of the saddle incredibly uncomfortable. It was digging into the bottom of my thighs, making it unpleasant for long distances. This could, of course, be caused by my stature, riding position, etc but it was a relief to get off.
One of the biggest complaints I’d heard was of very high under-seat exhaust temps, and while it certainly seemed to run hotter than my ’08, I didn’t find it intolerable. I guess years commuting on a 748 and several R1s has acclimatized me…

On the positive side, the ’09 machine has good low-down poke. This makes it more useful in traffic, where it responds more instantaneously than the ’08 model. You can also ride it in a higher gear since it’s able to pull effortlessly from lower revs. The brakes also felt remarkably sharp (although I’m prepared to admit mine could need servicing…).
To further hammer home the improvements, I felt the ’09 Yamaha turned-in better than the older model. Again, this could be down to set-up and tires, but it appeared to change direction with less effort. Combined with its throttle and braking responses, these attributes made the new R1 very easy to ride. It quickly became second nature to ride, allowing you to concentrate on the road.
However, it’s not all roses. The ’08 model may have felt a little clumsy alongside the ’09, but it had an ace up its sleeve. The older engine may lack some of the cross-plane crank’s pep, but it compensates with sledge-hammer performance in the upper rev range.
The ’09’s power delivery is strong at low revs, good in the mid-range and smooth at the top end, but it can’t match the brutal force of the ’08 model. There’s a rush of speed and adrenaline from the ’08 that makes it positively addictive.
So while the 2009 R1 is better at low speeds, has sharper handling and brakes, a smoother gear change and is ultimately easier to ride, the 2008 model is more aggressive, more comfortable, lighter and more powerful. You could also argue its better looking, but that’s subjective.
The 2010 R1 has changed little from the ’09 model we rode but we can’t help feeling that with a little more development, this cross-plane concept is going to be a winning formula. Once they sort out the heat issues, lose some weight and gain more power, it’s going to revolutionize the liter sportsbike class. How long before Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki follow suit?
Greg Emmerson