2012 Yamaha R1 W/ TC now.

[Sniper_308]

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelhome/6/0/home.aspx#.TnDv9BneIwM.facebook

New for 2012:

Seven-level Traction Control System allows the rider to get more traction and drive while exiting corners.

New ECU settings provide excellent drivability during low and mid rpm acceleration.

New top triple clamps add to the appearance of the YZF-R1, reminiscent of the MotoGP® powerhouse YZR-M1.

The footrests have been redesigned for great boot sole contact and advanced rider/motorcycle interface.

New headlight cowl styling and LED position lights enhance the YZF-R1’s unique styling.

New silencer heat guards and end caps are re-styled to give the rear end of the bike a more compact look ,while at the same time making the individual parts look more mechanical.

[redkow97]

"appearance?" "styling?" and "look" twice in the last last sentence?

for shame, Yamaha.

[Sniper_308]

Yeah, I'm pretty disappointed in Yamaha. I have always been a big fan, but they need to step up their game to compete with the other liter bikes. Don't get me wrong, I love my 09, but I thought we would be looking at a new bike this year.

[CBBaron]

That marketing blurb was 90% style, and 10% function. And usually marketing over sells function which basically nothing really new

Sad given the pace of technology in liter bikes.

Craig

[Squidy]

You have to admit though, those new paint jobs are pretty secks!

[2talltim]

Can't say that im a fan...paint job almost looks retro

[cmh_sprint]

Paint job looks nice, the look of smuggling an oil drum under the tail horrible.

[DreamNofR1]

That marketing blurb was 90% style, and 10% function.

Couldn't agree more. However, I'll still take an R1 over anything any day. I remember reading somewhere that 2013 is going to be a completely redesigned bike. We shall see...

[Hoblick]

mmm cross plane goodness...

love that sound

[Sniper_308]

mmm cross plane goodness...

love that sound

Me too! I'll second that.

[Sniper_308]

I remember reading somewhere that 2013 is going to be a completely redesigned bike. We shall see...

I would like to think so, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

[Hailwood]

Those 50th anniversary colors are t3h secksay - saw them in person on the KR bike @ Indy.

[Joey614]

That back seat looks pretty Damn aggressive lol

[redkow97]

I read an interview with Josh Hayes after he won the Superbike championship (this year), and he was saying that the Suzuki just KILLS the R1 in a straight line.

Josh can turn faster laps on the R1 if he gets out in front, but it's really hard to pass the Suzuki because it makes better power.

Now it's a totally plausible argument to contend that the cross-plane crank that smooths out power delivery is what helps Hayes get through the turns quicker, and preserves tires longer for better handling - I'm just not sure I would agree.

The cross-plane crank thing is a good idea, but for whatever reason, it isn't dramatically better. If it were, I feel like BMW and Kawsaki would have copied it on their liter bikes.

I almost liken it to Buell's single-disk front rotor. It's innovative, and it's different, but if it was that great, the competition would be following suit.

[Sniper_308]

I read an interview with Josh Hayes after he won the Superbike championship (this year), and he was saying that the Suzuki just KILLS the R1 in a straight line.

Josh can turn faster laps on the R1 if he gets out in front, but it's really hard to pass the Suzuki because it makes better power.

Now it's a totally plausible argument to contend that the cross-plane crank that smooths out power delivery is what helps Hayes get through the turns quicker, and preserves tires longer for better handling - I'm just not sure I would agree.

The cross-plane crank thing is a good idea, but for whatever reason, it isn't dramatically better. If it were, I feel like BMW and Kawsaki would have copied it on their liter bikes.

I almost liken it to Buell's single-disk front rotor. It's innovative, and it's different, but if it was that great, the competition would be following suit.

Yamaha took a different approach with the crossplane, make it easier to ride and really not try to compete with the other companies at peak power, while trying to refine the bike they had. But, you do bring up some good valid points. I'm waiting to see how the new Ducati 1199 turns out.

[OSUYZFR1]

The cross-plane crank thing is a good idea, but for whatever reason, it isn't dramatically better. If it were, I feel like BMW and Kawsaki would have copied it on their liter bikes.

.

I don't think anyone is claiming it is dramatically better but having ridden both, regular I4 and crossplane I4, I can say the crossplane is easier to ride fast and it is easy on tires. The crossplane is winning championships though. For all the power of the BMW and Kaw, they can't even win a (dry)race let alone compete for a championship in WSBK, so it's not all about power.

Here's a clip of an interview with Masao Furasawa talking about how the crossplane crank was chosen.

It can be really hard to convince everyone to go in the same direction. So I did some trick. I came up with a pretty good idea - the crossplane crankshaft [utilising 'big bang' technology] - and then right after I joined MotoGP I started a design. Half a year later the first prototype ran on the racetrack near the Yamaha headquarters.

Everybody was looking and the first thing the test rider said was 'this bike feels slow'. So everyone looked at me, thinking 'Hmmm. You are the guy who thought of this...' And then he said 'But the lap time is so fast. It just feels slow because it is very, very smooth and stable.'

That was Christmas time in 2003. Then Valentino Rossi came to Yamaha and rode for the first time here [at Sepang] in January 2004. He is really a genius. He rode the crossplane bike for just five or six laps and then came back and said 'this bike is the best one'. Even though it was slow, because the power was not so much. I had prepared lots of combinations for him to try: Four-valve system, five-valve system, crossplane, single plane. And he pointed to the crossplane crankshaft bike with four-valve.

Before, everybody was so scared to look at a new engine, because for a long time Yamaha had been successful with the five-valve. People said 'How can you throw away the five-valve system?'

I said 'It is a very interesting system. It's lots of fun for a production bike, but the purpose of racing is not fun. Fun is ok, but the first thing we have to do is win. The problem we have had is Yamaha is losing the game for over ten years. So we have to change.'

So the four-valve system and crossplane crankshaft was the best, but it was also a brand new engine design, which is why the power was so slow. But despite that, Valentino still pointed to that engine and said 'this is it'.

[Sniper_308]

I don't think anyone is claiming it is dramatically better but having ridden both, regular I4 and crossplane I4, I can say the crossplane is easier to ride fast and it is easy on tires. The crossplane is winning championships though. For all the power of the BMW and Kaw, they can't even win a (dry)race let alone compete for a championship in WSBK, so it's not all about power.

Here's a clip of an interview with Masao Furasawa talking about how the crossplane crank was chosen.

It can be really hard to convince everyone to go in the same direction. So I did some trick. I came up with a pretty good idea - the crossplane crankshaft [utilising 'big bang' technology] - and then right after I joined MotoGP I started a design. Half a year later the first prototype ran on the racetrack near the Yamaha headquarters.

Everybody was looking and the first thing the test rider said was 'this bike feels slow'. So everyone looked at me, thinking 'Hmmm. You are the guy who thought of this...' And then he said 'But the lap time is so fast. It just feels slow because it is very, very smooth and stable.'

That was Christmas time in 2003. Then Valentino Rossi came to Yamaha and rode for the first time here [at Sepang] in January 2004. He is really a genius. He rode the crossplane bike for just five or six laps and then came back and said 'this bike is the best one'. Even though it was slow, because the power was not so much. I had prepared lots of combinations for him to try: Four-valve system, five-valve system, crossplane, single plane. And he pointed to the crossplane crankshaft bike with four-valve.

Before, everybody was so scared to look at a new engine, because for a long time Yamaha had been successful with the five-valve. People said 'How can you throw away the five-valve system?'

I said 'It is a very interesting system. It's lots of fun for a production bike, but the purpose of racing is not fun. Fun is ok, but the first thing we have to do is win. The problem we have had is Yamaha is losing the game for over ten years. So we have to change.'

So the four-valve system and crossplane crankshaft was the best, but it was also a brand new engine design, which is why the power was so slow. But despite that, Valentino still pointed to that engine and said 'this is it'.

^ Good read! It seems that people who never rode the crossplane crankshaft, are so quick to put it down. You either love it or hate it, I personally love it. It's a cross between a high revving I-4, and V-twin. I let two guys ride it last year, out at Nelsons. They both couldn't get enough of it. Anyways, I was hoping for a new R1 this year. Oh well, there's is always next year.

[redkow97]

Easier to ride is awesome, and I would probably love it, but I have trackday/club racer mid-pack talent.

at the professional level, "easy to ride" matters a lot less, because the riders are amazing. What's dangerous with me at the helm is potential with a pro behind teh bars. I think the lack of top-end power hurts the R1 the slightest bit. Clearly not enough that Hayes couldn't overcome it, but the R1 as a package hasn't been dominant this year. Hayes won 2 races this year. He won that championship through SMART racing, and by busting his ass to get poll points, and points for most laps led. In other series, I don't believe the R1 has been on the top of the box in WSBK since Spies rode it in 2009!

So it's good engineering, but not ideal marketing, which is a real shame.

As for BMW and Kawasaki not winning, the Kawasaki had known front-end chatter issues that have been substantially addressed. They also built a hell of a motor during the redesign. Steve Rapp put on quite a show on the ZX10 in New Jersey. I think the package has a LOT of potential next year. I would actually argue that the ZX10 did better this year than the BMW did last year (when both were new models).

BMW disappointed me in some ways. I never thought of it this way until I read an article about a guy building his own race bike, but BMW has always had revolutionary engineering. To see them go out and build a copy of a GSX-R 1000 is kind of disappointing. The S1000RR is a freakin' amazing first effort at a superbike, but it shouldn't be surprising that they're finishing mid-pack. The Japanese manufacturers have been refining that design for 20 years now. BMW has maybe 5 years total of testing and production time. They're just 15 years behind the curve. Catching up quickly, but the race results speak for themselves. The BMW isn't the fastest bike in a road race.

[SpeedTriple44444]

Sometimes it's all about area under the curve, rather than the highest peak.

I don't like the looks of the Yamaha, but I appreciate that it's a nice bike. I could say that about their whole lineup... never did anything for me.

[OSUYZFR1]

I hear what you're saying but the crossplane was a new Model in 09 and won wsbk and Hayes went on a tear at the end of the year once they figured it out. They have also won 5 races this year in wsbk. Melandri is second in points.

Everything is relative and I do think easier to ride matters at all levels. Look at stoner this year on the Honda vs the ducati last year.

Easier to ride is awesome, and I would probably love it, but I have trackday/club racer mid-pack talent.

at the professional level, "easy to ride" matters a lot less, because the riders are amazing. What's dangerous with me at the helm is potential with a pro behind teh bars. I think the lack of top-end power hurts the R1 the slightest bit. Clearly not enough that Hayes couldn't overcome it, but the R1 as a package hasn't been dominant this year. Hayes won 2 races this year. He won that championship through SMART racing, and by busting his ass to get poll points, and points for most laps led. In other series, I don't believe the R1 has been on the top of the box in WSBK since Spies rode it in 2009!

So it's good engineering, but not ideal marketing, which is a real shame.

As for BMW and Kawasaki not winning, the Kawasaki had known front-end chatter issues that have been substantially addressed. They also built a hell of a motor during the redesign. Steve Rapp put on quite a show on the ZX10 in New Jersey. I think the package has a LOT of potential next year. I would actually argue that the ZX10 did better this year than the BMW did last year (when both were new models).

BMW disappointed me in some ways. I never thought of it this way until I read an article about a guy building his own race bike, but BMW has always had revolutionary engineering. To see them go out and build a copy of a GSX-R 1000 is kind of disappointing. The S1000RR is a freakin' amazing first effort at a superbike, but it shouldn't be surprising that they're finishing mid-pack. The Japanese manufacturers have been refining that design for 20 years now. BMW has maybe 5 years total of testing and production time. They're just 15 years behind the curve. Catching up quickly, but the race results speak for themselves. The BMW isn't the fastest bike in a road race.

[optimoprime]

glad i bought mine in 09, that means i can get new model when it comes out

[redkow97]

They have also won 5 races this year in wsbk. Melandri is second in points.

I did not know that. Haven't paid nearly as much attention to WSBK this year for some reason.

I was rooting for Rea this season, and he had such a crap start that I kind of lost interest I guess.

Plus i don't like Biaggi, and the RSV-4's were just KILLING people on the straights.

Gotta hand it to Checca though. Oldest design on the grid, and just walking away with it. Good for him.