So this weekend saw a break in the weather and a chance for me to give the new (old) girl its first shake down . My initial thoughts of bringing the R1 home when purchased on Tuesday (it was dinging down and getting dark) was the riding position wasnt very Yamaha that Im used to (rode a few 2004 / 2006 R1s and had an 08 R6 before the blade) the brakes seemed pants and it had no grunt what so ever. First job was to get it out, give it a clean and check over and drop the raised clip-ons he had installed by 15mm back to stock height, this instantly put my weight forward and felt like the riding position felt a bit more purposeful . So off I went for a quick blast round the lanes, met lisa then went and found Dave V at his pals place (I wont mention they were in Garys garage, Dave in full leathers and Gary half naked) so that we could have a ride home, tbh it was slightly damp, and I was still getting used to it and putting my recent off demons to bed so didnt really get a chance to play that hard. Sunday morning was greeted by brilliant sunshine and bone dry roads so headed out to sample some of kents finest down to Rye and back the R1 instantly came alive, no bottom end is replaced with a insane rush for high revs and a mental surge of power post 8k in the rev range, quite hard to get used to as gear selection is more vital out of corners and I didnt realise the low end of the blade had made me quite lazy with my gears, also emphasised with the old skill of proper down shifts without the aid of a slipper . Struggled at first, and always weary of it, but once accustomed great fun dropping down and letting the rear step out a little ( Im talking mm here lol) Handling wise, I cant fault her at all, at speed and on smooth A roads the Maxton front is truly awesome, Id say as good as the blade, and with the bars lowered it gave a slightly more aggressive, committed position which felt like my old r6 so instantly felt at home, getting both knees down on the open road so cant complain at all . If Im honest, knee down felt so much more easier than the blade did at first which I was surprised at, my only negative would be on bumpy B roads its nowhere near as plush as the blade and you certainly have to work for your money to maintain a quick pace . The brakes in the dry and I guess bedding in some more were good (the previous owner had fitted braided lined and ebc pads and disks quite recently so might not have been bedded properly), they lack the initial bite of the blades but increase in braking power fantastically and offer quite good feel under hard baking so I was pleasantly surprised. All in all I can honestly say that Im chuffed with my decision to buy an older bike for the road and convert the blade for the track as the R1 is still a very real world bike out there on the queens highway, Id give it a good 8/10 against my much missed hrcs 9/10. Just need to get the blade sorted and in track trim sitting next to each other in the man cave so that itll all seem worth it
Sounds great, I still think my 1999 R1 was fantastic and I loved my mates 04 so think it was a great choice by you glad your bonding with your new toy. Let the HRC track transformation begin
i know Jamie - cant wait - bit of pressure though, as it's originally a HRC so she's used to be the fastest and I dont want to let her down.
You won't let her down matey, she's race bred it's in the blood ..... spoil her with a new dress and some shiny bits she will do whatever you want her to !! and she will be happy doing it
Glad you are liking the R1 and have to agree about lack of bottom end grunt even with the later 08 model but like you said get them up in the rev range and hold on for dear life lol
Have to say i love R1's, had a brand new one in 98, loved it to death. Yours looks stunning mate, I love the aggressive style of it. Like you say, you have to put a bit more into them than a Blade in terms of riding fast (safely) but well worth it.
