Description
Yamaha YZF-R1 – Blade Hunter – Published March 2014
The Yamaha R1 is – believe it or not – entering the realms of classic biking. Some 16 years ago this bike took the leading edge of sports motorcycling and moved it on a fair hunk. Without question, now as then, this was a bike that asked if you’re a rider made of the ‘right stuff’.
Honda had redefined the superbike with the CBR900RR FireBlade in 1992. the Blade’s top end performance may not have been much different to the existing superbikes of the day, such as
Yamaha’s class-leading FZR1000EXUP, but by creating a litre-class superbike a reputed 34 kilos lighter than the big Yam, Honda had changed the dynamic of getting there. the Blade was much as Honda suggested, a 900 in a 600-dimensioned package.
the Blade killed the EXUP, but it also laid waste to Yamaha’s newly arrived WSB-replica YZF750R. The YZF had a similar power to the Blade (despite the capacity handicap), only it weighed a good 11kg more – and really that did it for the YZF. Yamaha must have been left smarting. not even James Whitham’s 1993 British Superbike title and three more (1996-98) with Niall Mackenzie could turn around the YZF’s fortunes and, on the world WSB stage, the YZF was well beaten by Ducati’s 916 and Kawasaki’s ZX-7r. the truth was BSB race bikes, like WSB, were nowhere near the spec of the street counterpart, and the public knew it. With no 750cc capacity rule for the highways the Blade won the
sales war hands down.
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