Yamaha R1 and R1M 2020 test: hell of a blow … and salty extra cost !
Yamaha is taking advantage of the change to the Euro5 standard to perfect its Superbike: the "short" R1 benefits from multiple improvements which should justify a tiny price increase. The R1M is also evolving … enough to justify the surge in its price? MNC tested the two sports bikes in Jerez (Spain). Verdict.
2020 R1 test page 2: Test on the Jerez circuit
Contact: the dashboard of our 2020 R1 lights up. A little too compact but very complete, the color TFT screen is renewed in its functions for the next seasons, as are the controls on the handlebars, including the clever notched wheel on the right and the large buttons on the left.
It does not take more than a few seconds for Site to regain its bearings and scroll through the different options available to the pilot: driving modes, engine behavior, traction control, drift control and engine braking (new!) Are easily accessible. . You have to tweak a little more to modify the anti-abrasion and the ABS.
For its first session, Le Journal moto du Net keeps the A mode pre-selected by our Japanese hosts: PWR 1 out of 4 (maximum power and response), TCS 3 out of 5 (moderate traction control), SCS 2 out of 3 (drifts of the ‘rear limited) and EBM 1 of 3 (standard engine brake).
Engine: due to its new Euro 5 homologation, the R1 sings a little less loudly than before … but still very true! For MNC, the Yamaha clearly retains the best soundtrack of Japanese Superbike production and competes with the much louder Italian V4s, therefore drunk in the long run..
In slow motion, the jerky rhythm of the explosions already gives a certain temperament – animal? – to R1. The new fully electronic throttle control is sensitive but its use is very natural: small rotations of the handle sharply increase the speed and the sound volume. However, maintaining a thin stream of gas to launch into the pit-lane is no problem..
Action: Getting started with the R1 is just as obvious as ever. Of course, its small size may tire prematurely on the road, but on the circuit we appreciate this format which really gives the impression of driving a Supersport, with the agility and ease that comes with it. The takes and angle changes seem dazzling.
In addition to its rumbling sound, the engine immediately seduces by its strong-willed and assertive character: it growls and pulls from mid-revs, then vociferates and catapults higher. By maintaining the digital tachometer above 9000 rpm, we take advantage of "oddly" effective reminders.
Be careful, if the experienced pilot is laughing under his helmet, the one who lacks taxiing on the track risks being more tense! The CP4 is not the most explosive of Superbike engines (some of which cubed much more than 1000 cc, cheaters!) But it is already putting a strain on the scholarly chips responsible for taming it..
In terms of electronics, the Yamaha was already at the forefront of the category. Traction-control and anti-wheeling are deployed with incredible discretion: you have to watch out of the corner of your eye for the orange indicator at the top left of the dashboard to detect all of its interventions.
In the heat of the moment, it is indeed difficult to discern the actions of the many assistance: the revs are finely controlled and never stopped, even when you pull the first three gears fully to attack the short straight line of the stands.
Under these conditions, the front wheel leaves the ground, but never too high or for a long time: you keep perfect control of your trajectory! Hence the pleasant feeling of never being overwhelmed by the 200 horses. The best pilots are free to let them go, or even to give them back their complete freedom … Assistance on "off": good rodeo !
By reducing the engine brake (EB2), the 2020 R1 is a bit more docile in long curves. However, the feeling that the motorcycle goes a little forward (decreases the speed less) when the throttle is cut may surprise some. Site for example, prefers standard setting without help (EB1).
Early in the morning on the R1
The "up and down" quickshifter fitted as standard on the R1 gives complete satisfaction on the circuit: upshifting the throttle fully, or lowering them without resorting to the left lever (gas cut off, imperatively) greatly facilitates the work of the pilot who can then focus on your trajectories.
In town or on the road, on the other hand, the operation of the device may be a little less satisfactory: Site finds it a little too bumpy when you chain speeds in low and medium revs. The selector is also a little hard.
By selecting driving mode "B" for its second session, MNC has a motorcycle that is just as powerful and lively but a little easier: the character of the 4-cylinder is – a little – tempered by the softer go-arounds ( PWR2, same settings elsewhere). It is better to put a little gas on the angle, just before completely wringing out the handle again..
Le Journal moto du Net does not take the time to test the other engine modes, which are gentler and more considerate: the perfect driving conditions make you want to put on big gas … and heavy brakes, too! This is where Site focuses.
The Jerez track includes three – very – heavy braking on which the R1 is very convincing, if not bluffing. This was not the strong point of this machine when it was released in 2015, but the change of pads does not completely correct the situation for 2020.
By braking behind other drivers – some more timid, others much better, let us admit it humbly – Site realizes that the dosage is difficult to criticize. It is rather in terms of feeling to the right lever that the R1 remains perfectible: it would benefit from being a little more consistent.
On the other hand, the Yamaha does not lack either bite or power: the "house" calipers (of Advics origin) do not have to be ashamed against more trendy "Made in Italy" models. The pilot must have strong and enduring arms to enjoy the full potential of the R1 for more than 20 minutes !
To effectively slow down the beast (201 kg all full), we must also take advantage of the – good! – length of the saddle and move back as far as possible. This makes it possible to delay the lifting and then the sweeping of the rear wheel on the track … The R1 continues to facilitate the task of its jockey in the turn and then on its exit, thanks to its perfectly cut tank, its handlebars and its footrests. well positioned.
The ergonomics of the bike in bends is particularly appreciable: you wedge yourself on the angle in a flash and you then "fully" benefit from the disconcerting stability of this little Superbike! The suspensions which take the big loads in braking as in acceleration, filter very well the rare irregularities of the Andalusian tarmac.
Site is clear: the R1 boosts the confidence of the pilot who does not hesitate to negotiate the breaks at the end of the course at more than 170 km / h, knee on the ground, on a trickle of gas. Likewise, we allow ourselves to open the throttle wide in long curves, without ulterior motive: the electronics are no longer content to keep an eye on the grain, it manages the hair. !
Thanks to the drift control (SCS), the short, smooth glides from the rear out of turn 4 never jerk the tire, nor does it worry or affect the optimism of the pilot: the suspensions see their job considerably facilitated. The same is true for accelerated and fluidized gear changes by the quickshifter….
A nice afternoon on the R1M
After his three morning sessions at the helm of the 2020 R1, Site is spending three more sessions on the new R1M. The latter remains a kilogram heavier than the "short" R1 (ie 202 kg all full) and has exactly the same engine…
Unlike the Italians, the Japanese scrupulously respect World Superbike regulations, at least as far as cubic capacity is concerned: don’t count on Yamaha to produce an R1M of 1100 cc and 220 hp. The acceleration and sensations at the controls of the "luxury" R1 are therefore the same as on the "standard" R1..
Paradoxically, electronic suspensions banned in WSBK are part of the original equipment of the "top" model Yamaha. Modified for the next commercial season, the Ohlins fork and shock absorber are working perfectly well on the circuit – resurfaced last year … – in Jerez.
When braking the main straight, that is, in the rare portion where a few bumps are already starting to appear, the R1M may be able to clear bumps a little better than the R1. On less well-paved circuits, owners of the M may find better settings faster….
With electronic suspensions, no need to take out your tools and look for that damn notebook ("did you look in the truck’s glove box?") To find out where we are with the settings: everything is indicated on the screen, and everything is editable with a simple push. MT-10 SP owners know that the time spent setting manual modes is not wasted.
Thanks to its 200 mm wide rear tire (against 190 on the R1), the R1M should allow you to go through curves faster and accelerate harder. MNC indeed observes that in large curves in particular, our second machine transfers power to the ground better. But it’s not just the tire or the suspensions.
"To ensure that you get the most out of the grip on the track, we put on the R1M Bridgestone V02," Yamaha officials told us. Fans of track days will have recognized the benchmark for Japanese slick tires … No wonder the TCS and SCS are used less. !
Already in the morning, Yamaha had replaced the original equipment (the all new RS11s fit the 2020 R1 and R1M) with a sportier shoe: the "low pressure" R11s, approved for the road but intended almost exclusively for the track (2 , 3 bars at the front and 1.7 at the rear, under electric blankets!).
It is very difficult in these conditions to judge the contributions of electronic suspensions or of a larger tire … It is even more complicated to measure the progress made between the R1M 2015 and the 2020 thanks to the new pressurized fork. What is perfectly quantifiable, however, is the price.
On this point, Site is categorical: the rise in the price of 2000 euros on the R1M does not seem absolutely justified! Unfortunately for them, owners of the old model (at 23,999 euros) will not lower their lap times by 8% thanks to the new version (to 25,999 euros).
Likewise, the argument of the carbon tail – like that of the numbered plate elsewhere – seems very thin to renew its R1M. The appearance of unprecedented "MotoGP-style" fins would undoubtedly have had more impact, but Yamaha did not see fit to equip its luxurious machine with such appendages..
Verdict: should we crack or not ?
On the contrary, the new larger and encompassing fairing of the R1 2020 legitimizes on its own – according to MNC – the slight price increase (+300 euros). In the straights, the pilot is frankly less tossed about: the purchase of a high bubble is no longer strongly recommended by Site !
Despite this, and although the heat surges seem lessened by the fairing sides now rising over the aluminum frame, the comfort on board remains spartan. But this radicalism is fully claimed by Yamaha: the R1 is above all a racing machine..
According to Yamaha Motor Europe, moreover, their sports car represents 42% of the workforce in Superbike and Superstock 1000 in the championships in France, Italy, Great Britain, Spain and Germany … against 3% in 2014 for the previous generation! More revealing than market shares in a segment that has become tiny, this indicator is sufficient for the happiness of the brand’s managers..
Incidentally, the Euro5 mention of the R1 and R1M 2020 will allow them to travel in the city – or to arouse on the road? – a little longer than the previous Euro4 stamped models … A quarter of R1 / M owners drive exclusively on the road, and more than half still have mixed use of their hypersport (road / circuit).
The new Iwata Superbikes will also perhaps be a little less gluttonous: for your information, "our" 2020 R1 would have consumed on average 12.7 l / 100 km on the Jerez circuit, particularly "R1-tant" for the mechanics ( also for the chassis and the pilot). As a reminder, the Yam consumed more gasoline than its compatriots during our SBK 2017 comparison.
Thanks to this 2020 update, the R1, which emerged victorious from this 100% Japanese comparison, should consolidate its place at the top of the podium. But where would it stand against the Europeans, especially the new Aprilia and BMW? It deserves a new MNC comparison, right? Stay connected.
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