'15R1 Quick Spin

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MacRR

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I took a '15 R1 out for a quick spin this morning, it was a 5k mile bike that had been traded in for an R1M. I know a couple of people on here have owned them so my views are just based on a 1 hour ride on local B roads, no I can't ride like Hutchy/MD/McG and don't try to but gave it enough to get well into 3 figures and get the front wheel off the ground a few times.
I've been interested to ride one of these as they arrived with so much press hype last year and since then they seem to have been a bit of a marmite bike that people either take to or don't. I haven't ridden a Yamaha for quite a while but do have a soft spot for them having owned a 125 then 350LC in my youth and later on '99 and '03 R1's.
The bikes got fairly low angled bars and a thin hard seat although I have to say I didn't find them uncomfortable while I was on the bike, in fact the overall riding position wasn't much different from a 1299. The bike has all the latest traction control and comes with 4 riding modes that you can play around with easily and customise, the bike I rode had been owned by a racer and the dealer wasn't sure how much he'd played around with settings so it may well have been different to the out of the crate set up. The bike has a quickshifter but no autoblipper, Japanese non Brembo brakes and was running on Supercorsas.
Setting off in 'B' mode (full power but 'softer' responses) the low speed throttle response was very jerky coming out of town and was a pain in the arse, so I switched it into 'A' mode which is supposed to be the harshest setting and suddenly the low speed jerkiness more or less disappeared on this bike. Once out of town its clear the bike is immensely fast, I'd read that it doesn't do much below 7k and then takes off, full stop this one just felt strong full stop allowing the front wheel to come off the ground easily in first (back to that in a second) and powering at a hell of a rate of knots to the 'red' line on the smart TPT dash. The bike has the highest gearing of any bike I've ridden where I was using first and second far more than I would on my RR on the same road.
The suspension was fairly firm but worked better and better the faster I went, its not active on this model (the R1M is) and you can tell the difference v the active systems on the RR and 1299 where you feel every lump and bump but thats more an observation than a criticism. Turn in was very fast and I can imagine on track it would be fantastic. The bike doesn't have an autoblipper which isn't a disaster but once you've had one a la Sthou and 1299 you do miss it..
Overall I enjoyed riding the bike far more than I thought I would, it's great fun, it has a real raw edge, mega power, very sharp responses and Rossi sound track that I imagine would sound brilliant with an aftermarket can. I'm not sure how comfortable it would be over distance but I have to say todays ride has changed my perceptions of the bike and while its not as rounded as the BMW I could see myself owning one. It has to be said that here are some bloody fantastic litre bike out there at the moment and in the case of R1 you can also currently get it in the iconic 'Roberts' anniversary colours, here's a photo of some yet unbought bikes lurking in the back of the shop, apologies for the slightly fuzzy shot - you also get an akra when you go for this colour...

 
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Yeah, can't get the idea of an anniversary R1 gracing my garage out of my head, particularly as I've found that an autoblipper and remap to sort the throttle are readily available for not too much dollar, another pic

 
I test rode a 2016 R1 today with just 4 miles on the clock, the appears very light from the off, the throttle in the lower riding modes is very fuzzy off the stop and does not seem to have a clear connection with the back wheel, like it does on the BMW. In Mode a the throttle is like an on off switch , the fuzzy nothing happening at the start has gone and then its instant, you can not have just a little throttle.
The bike i tested had a aero can and decat fitted and it was very loud but the sound was addictive. As above the bike is very hight geared and i found that i was using 1st and 2nd most of the time, with the revs around 6k just rising around town. Slow roundabouts were a first gear feathering the clutch experience.

Once on the open roads the bike is very fast from 6k to the red line, the handling is light. the brakes were not bedded in and were shockingly bad. If i purchased one i would have to swap the callipers for Brembo's. The anti lift was very smooth, did manage to get on the slide control as it was on brand new tyres and i did not now the roads.

On searching the net its clear that the throttle is an issue, i asked the dealer if there was a fix or a way to solve the issue and he does not know of any, it looks like it would have to be a remap to save it, or just ride round it.

Would i trade the Bwm for one? No as its not as refined, would i have one as a second bike? maybe

I would like to ride one on the roads that i know and give it a real test ride.
 
I test rode a 2016 R1 today with just 4 miles on the clock, the appears very light from the off, the throttle in the lower riding modes is very fuzzy off the stop and does not seem to have a clear connection with the back wheel, like it does on the BMW. In Mode a the throttle is like an on off switch , the fuzzy nothing happening at the start has gone and then its instant, you can not have just a little throttle.
The bike i tested had a aero can and decat fitted and it was very loud but the sound was addictive. As above the bike is very hight geared and i found that i was using 1st and 2nd most of the time, with the revs around 6k just rising around town. Slow roundabouts were a first gear feathering the clutch experience.

Once on the open roads the bike is very fast from 6k to the red line, the handling is light. the brakes were not bedded in and were shockingly bad. If i purchased one i would have to swap the callipers for Brembo's. The anti lift was very smooth, did manage to get on the slide control as it was on brand new tyres and i did not now the roads.

On searching the net its clear that the throttle is an issue, i asked the dealer if there was a fix or a way to solve the issue and he does not know of any, it looks like it would have to be a remap to save it, or just ride round it.

Would i trade the Bwm for one? No as its not as refined, would i have one as a second bike? maybe

I would like to ride one on the roads that i know and give it a real test ride.

How did you find the comfort? Wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be but then I didn't spend much time at low speed... Pretty sure the one I rode had been remapped in mode A (if thats possible) as while not to S1K standards it had none of the jerky throttle response I experienced in modes B or C
 
I'll stick my review here too.
R1 on Donington, 20min taster, no playing with modes but engine was in B (Race to us), TCS was on 4...The others I forget. Tyres were lightly scrubbed SC's. Weather was dry with the odd very light shower. 2nd session of the day so I'm still warming up too. I was behind an instructor but we just went as fast as I could, no limitations. In fact you were actively encouraged to test the electronic intervention.

On initially sitting on it I found the seat pad very wide for standing with 2 feet down, but I did think it would probably be of benefit when moving.
Setting off, it's tiny. So compact I'll post a picture of me on it I looks like an adult on a child's bike! And I'm not a big lad.
You do feel more on than in the bike but when on circuit you quickly find out your focus will be least on that. Coming down Craner Curves straight away I'm moving around the bike with ease, the weight on the front is good and I felt very confident in the front end. Coming out of the old hairpin we swept around the outside of some other bikes as it's so stable in fast sweepers. Piling on the coles on the back straight the power delivery was deceivingly strong, it just added speed clicking off 3 gears. Then came the first big stop into the Esses the brakes were, ok, consistent but not amazing. As I banged down the box 2 things struck me, the back end went lighter than the beemer and the rear was skitting around behind me and I couldn't feel through my boot if I'd really made contact with the gear selector the selector was in a crap place for downshifts for me. A few times I would find down shifting didn't go to plan, but I can't say that some time adjusting the rearsets wouldn't have fixed this. Through the Esses was crisp and easy to flick me and the bike from side to side. Now came what turned out to be the achillies heel, the slow speed hairpin at Melbourne. I would spend the next 5 laps trying to get this right. First couple of times around I dropped to 2nd stuck her into the corner went to add a few mm's of throttle and found the thing damn lurched forwards and totally threw me. Goddards was similar but with a higher corner speed it was more manageable. I tried 1st from then on and the extra rpm's help but didn't remove the issue. It was quite the test of my throttle control to get through there in a way which seemed anything like smooth. Once the Big Bang 4 was back upright with the revs over 7000 it took off like a rocket down the straight with zero fear factor. If the Anti-Wheelie was cutting in, I barely knew it.

Over all, I'd not swap from the BM, A) I don't like the interstellar 1st gear followed by the short grouping of the rest of the gears afterwards, I much prefer how BMW and I think Honda do it. B) Taking mine back out afterwards reminded me how buttery smooth and accessible low rpm throttle inputs should behave, how Yamaha haven't fixed this is beyond me. One of the main Yamaha people there said they can dial it out on the electronics but to me it just says the package is incomplete. The BMW is the better road bike, but if I wanted track only then the R1M would be a real consideration as you're bound to spend the extra on getting the low speed fueling/ignition tuned to sort the throttle.

Great bike, loved the engine, appreciated the opportunity to ride it. If the BMW didn't exist I think this would be a very high on my shopping list.

How is this a litre bike?
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Nice one Alex, thought you'd enjoy it, you look good on it! - shame its just not quite finished, I seem to remember they had the same throttle issues with the MT series when they came out too, has to be something they sort quickly as they must be losing potential sales from it post test ride. Although it feels small believe me its a lot roomier for a 6 footer than that new ZX10!!
 
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How did you find the comfort? Wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be but then I didn't spend much time at low speed... Pretty sure the one I rode had been remapped in mode A (if thats possible) as while not to S1K standards it had none of the jerky throttle response I experienced in modes B or C


The comfort was ok, its a little heavier on the wrists than the BM, its more comfortable than a Panigale 1299. The throttle on the road is poor on roundabouts like you had on the melbourne loop. Its such a shame as the bike nice but i don't think i could put up with the throttle.
 
2015 r1........ I purchased the first one on the island and couldn't fault it to be honest the engine span up like a two stroke but I found it uncomfortable due to breaking my back the year before so adrenalin came into play when I reached Ramsey hairpin but after that agony ? that's why I chose the GEN3 Due to it been extremely comfortable to ride..a short video below of run on the mountain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CwE3TbJBcM
 
2015 r1........ I purchased the first one on the island and couldn't fault it to be honest the engine span up like a two stroke but I found it uncomfortable due to breaking my back the year before so adrenalin came into play when I reached Ramsey hairpin but after that agony ? that's why I chose the GEN3 Due to it been extremely comfortable to ride..a short video below of run on the mountain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CwE3TbJBcM
Very nice video there Madmanx, nicely done and lucky you! It must be dreamcity having that on your doorstep and a good bike to go with... one day one day����
 
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