YAMAHA R1 (2009 - 2011) Review

Version: Big bang

Year: 2010

Good

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £300

Heavy and lumpy, what a shame.

Version: Valentino Rossi Limited Edition

Year: 2010

Annual servicing cost: £200

Beautiful engine sound from the cross plane crank plus a characteristic and exciting ride make this an amazing bike in my eyes. Every ride is a lot of fun and meeting others who recognize the bike and fellow MotoGP fans adds to the experience. It's the first street bike I have owned so I don't claim to know a lot but it has been a great bike to own.

Buying experience: Purchased from a dealer and the dealer has been great and helpful the entire time. Advertised price was around $14,500 if I remember correctly and I got it for closer to $12,000.

Year: 2009

I love my R1, but I have had reliability issues due to the engine running hot in traffic. I live in Johannesburg which is 4500 ft above sea level - apparently the air is to thin to cool the engine properly. I have 20 000 miles on the clock and have had to replace the inlet valves. Not cheap!!

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £35

Few bikes are game-changing material in their class these days. The Yamaha R1 is one of them.

Buying experience: Rode it for "25 miles" came back 2 hours later and bought it there and then. I'd been looking for a new bike for about a year at this point.

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £1,500

Faster than a Panigale 1299 in every situation except the track. Even before we put the BSB spec motor in it.

Buying experience: Bought privately from a nice bloke.

Year: 2011

Looks 5/5 but reliability is 1/5. Will never buy one again. Had from new and is extremely well looked after and serviced on or before time as has just cost me £1000 because it had 2 sets of worn Pistons. Yamaha were extremely unhelpful

I've owned my white R1 for a little over a year now and covered 3000 miles on it. I owned the 2002 R1 previously and noticed massive improvements accross the board except for one.. Handling! Now.. before you all rip into me, I know the suspension on this bike is cutting edge on this bike so I am not slating it but compared to the one I had before it's terrible. I think the main reason for this is that the previous owner played with the suspension settings on the front forks because I noticed on a couple of track days that the bike is reluctant to turn in and seems to improve if I drag the back brake slightly as I turn in?? during the corner.. it feels unstable and doesn't fill me with confidence. I checked tyre pressures which were fine and have now fitted new Pilot Power 3's but still the strange handling occurs?? I've also checked for free play in the front and rear wheel bearings but this was also fine. Any ideas about what might be causing this would be appreciated! I know that once this handling issue is sorted.. from my point of view the bike will be perfect! I love the power, looks, sound, build quality, riding position and just about anything else you can think of.. I just need someone to help me find that cherry for the top of an almost perfect motorcycle cake. Thanks!

BIG Bang R1's HAS TPS problems too, even though Yam UK say no to any TPS problems. Got my 2009 TPS replaced last wk along with the APS since they cant tell which is faulty. Parts cost £300, My R1 would have to run 50mile b4 prob kicked in. Throttle became erratic only revving over 5k. DANGEROUS stuff!!! TPS problems running way over 50% of bikes sold after I decided to call a few main dealers in UK. BUT NO RECALLS like Yam did b4 with previous TPS faults on their machines. Disgusted at this especially how dangerous the bike becomes almost forcing you into riding out of control, and the What if question has to be asked if a crash occurred, if fatal no doubt be put down to rider error since prob disappears. My 5th Yam 1000 and this the best so far, love it, but TPS fault is naughty by YAM UK not addressing this problem like b4.

Okay, so I am new to sport bikes. I have road many dirt bikes throughout the years. I received a large sum of money, I found a dealer who had a 2011 YZF-R1 brand-new. I bought it cash outright last week. Well I have already put 800 miles on the bike. It was very easy to learn and the power delivery is great. The adjustable power setting allowed me to adjust into the power very easily. Simple fact is people do not even try to mess with this bike, the look is backed by performance! Yes, I could have gone for a more traditional bike, but I felt that this was the way to go. The new cross plane shaft provides nice even power delivery. Even other sport bike riders rethink taking this bike on.

I bought my 2010 R1 3 Months ago with 800 mils on the clock - I'ts now racked up 3500 including an all weather trip around europe. This bike is perfect for me, its bigger than most of the other bikes in its class (Being 6ft 2 thats pretty important!) This is purely my own opinions - The engine produces so much more mid range grunt than your normal inline 4, however you still have that full kick top end. It handles superbly also, it feels totally planted and inspires confidence. Having ridden the ZX10r and CBR1000rr also I preffered the R1, The ZX10r was just a schizofrenic hell hound (Great fun but reduced my life expectancy significantly!). The CBR1000rr was super smooth, and arguably, better handling, however once you have ridden the R1 I seriously missed that low down and midrange power so for that reason its my winner.

Had my brand new R1 for a month now and covered just 200 miles between downpours and work. I have to say having had a 2006 R1 up to a couple of years ago and been riding a Fazer 1000 for the past 2 years my first 5 minutes on this machine were horrendous! However getting back into the super bike mentality from minute 6 was a revelation. Once you learn to muscle it around a little and get used to the awesome sound from the obligatory Akrapovics this bike is sensational. It is by far the best bike I have ever had and that's with only going to 7000 revs whilst running it in so can't wait to unleash it in a few hundred miles. The one thing to watch out for is the lack of engine braking due the cross plane crank, you can reach corners or junctions a little quicker than you anticipated until you get used to it

Started life with 04' R1 then 07' Now 10' unbelievable leaps and bounds by this maker. I think the 10' is 10 out of 10.... Pro - Tourque awse leaving traffic behind at lights - Ride and handling brilliant new positioning of rider. - Gauge up grade always forget which gear when (trying) to take it easy - Sweeter, louder noise... metal coffin drivers hear you (no cutting you off) - Throttle response..... simply WOW Cons - They put crap michellin tyres on from the factory... 07' came out with Bridgey's burn em asap... - Heat issues again... solution, get carbon fibre cannons...you will be pleasantly surprised. - Chews the juice... Only got 200k's full tank Would recommend this machine any day..... Cheers.

What about intense heat from exhaust..it's unbearable :(

My dream bike. Hopefully i'll win Rossi's TT R1!

Traded my 2008 Ducati 1098 for the new 2009 R1.I had alot of reservations about it before the descion was made,mostly due to the fact I thought I had the bike I would own for the rest of my life,and previously being lucky enough to have owned nearly all the latest and greatest bikes over the last 10years,I thought I'd found the bike of my dreams that ment more to me than just having the lastest tool.But a few problems with the Duke mainly the constant cutting-out,and also the fact that I do around 7-10k a year on bikes ment that I started to look else where.Anyway,after choosing the new r1,(and telling the wife the payments are roughly the same) I got one and made sure I put on the akras with Y piece straight away .Having had it for a little while now I can honestly say it's by far the best bike I've ever owned.The engine is a perfect mix of a twin and 4c,the handling is beyond the 1098 and my old K7-1000.It came with those fucked-up dunlops on it,but when I get some money together I'm putting a pair of 2ct's on that should quicken-up the steering.The brakes felt a bit vague at first but no doubt that's just the bedding-in.Not much engine braking,or maybe it's because I 'm used to the Duke.Comfort is good for me(6',13st) and the noise...fantastic! can't wait to do a trackday hopefully in march as the weather is shite at the moment.The looks are growing on me now after the exhaust,footrests,plate holder,and all the indicators have been changed to flush mounts.It is a very different bike to ride at first,but once your used to it,it's hard to imagine another bike offering such a unique blend of tech-and engine character.I'm off out to the garage t have another look!

Getting cold, but I don't care. This bike eats flys...especially the big green ones haha!

I've only test rode it for 3 days and cannot quite adapt to the engine I think people who have ridden a ducati or bmw would get on it and go quicker than those of us who've only ridden in line 4's. the looks are... in the eye of the beholder good from the front not so good from the rear but from any angle you can see this bike means business. it's power delivery is set up to allow for earlier power out of bends but 3 days was not long enough to build enough faith in it to do so. the handling is awesome on a par with the k9 suzuki. The engine cannot compete with the blades in the midrange but wins everywhere else. It might be different after an aftermarket exhaust system is fitted but you might lose the superb exhaust sound. a great bike but at £11,400 I cannot justify it. Probably the first bike since eu3 regulations came in... to challenge the k6 gixxer 1000

BAD ASS MOTORBIKE! I don't think any bike i've ever sat on was as nutz as the R1 in A MODE... it's a fly killer on the motorway...

This bike is fantastic, the engine is so smooth and just sounds great.The riding position is also great but it gets hot for your legs if stuck in traffic.Might need a rad guard too.I did 700 miles in two days and could still walk when i got off, so the riding position isn't bad. It's a bit stiff out the box and will need some tweaking to sort it. Tyres are a let down, yamaha should have put something else onto the flagship bike. At ten grand plus it's not cheap but worth the outlay in my opinion. Love it, especially in black.

You know what... I really hate people who say the R1 is UGLY. I love the look of it! I have become BIKESEXUAL!!!

I brought an R6 two months ago and got a full acrapovic system on it, but two days ago when I went to my local dealer. I saw the R1. I didn't like the look of it, but I brought it knowing it'll be faster then anything I can imagine. I've done just over 100 miles so far and it's not runned in yet but it's still fast. I love the 3 stage remaps (I haven't used A Mode yet which gives you the full 182ps) comparing to my R6 which was 140ps Anyways after ridding it, It looks much more beautiful now. It's grown on me. LOVE IT!

Had my R1 now for a little under a month and love it! Took it to the 2009TT to run it in and serviced by Road and Track who supplied Rossi's R1 for his lap of the circuit while he was over there. This bike is awesome!! And the difference it makes switching from the Standard setting to 'A' blows your mind and transforms the bike into a race bred missile. I still have memories of laughing under my crash hat at just how fast this bike accelerated and was in it's element riding around mountain section of the circuit. The amount of torque it produces coming out of corners made it feel like a twin, but then once you're tucked behind the screen and blipping through the gears it's back to the four banger missile it's always been with an extra kick. Since being back from the Isle of Mann I've fitted some Yoshimira Tri-Oval cans to it which makes the R1 sound like a caged animal. The only gripe I have which isn't a huge one is that it's not brilliant for a pillion and that Renntec still haven't made a grab rail for it? So if anyone has a 2009 R1 and live around Bournemouth, then would you loan Renntec your bike for the week as they need one to design the new rail. I would, but I'm over 400 miles away?? Over-all, this is the bike to have and wipes the floor with ALL other bikes at the moment!

right done 500 miles on mine now, takes a bit of getting used to but this is what i think of it, th handling riding postions and brakes on this bike are faultless, the clever bit id the power it has the smooothest power ever in the right places, as you open the throttle you have massive linear power, but friendly and usable it now makes my old gixer k5 feel like a prehestoric monster, but after that the power is usable and controlled and less than my best mates fireblade, it is a masterpiece of useable control, i have loved IL4's all my life but i could not go back to one again after this, if you want a top handling bike, if you want banzie top endy power then buy a gixer or a blade, but in the real world we all like to open the throttle and get smooth power and that is where this yam wins my mates blade feels like a vespa as you open the throttle compared to the R1 but then gets stronger as the revs build,i finally have found a 1000 superbike that has the lot,controlable power everywhere,perfect handling, superb controls,brakes and riding position is good, you need to change tyres mine has dunlop gp racer

Well fellas, my mate picked his up at the weekend, and i can say honestly...its superb, flick it to "A" mode and let rip, its like nothing i've ever ridden and i've ridden triple and owned an SP2 so have had a good experience of many different motors. It takes a while to get used to it, many may not like it when first on board, but like with any change, you need to give it time and get used to it.The noise is spot on, but again if all you've ever ridden is IL4's you may get off it and think "it sounds and feels a bit lumpy/rough" cant wait to see if the other manufacturers are brave enough to do summat different..now then, where's my cheque book!!

Picked up my new R1 09 model on Friday. What an awesome bike and still running in at the moment, cant wait to get the 1000 miles done so i can really see what a beast the bike is.

before i start all these new 1000 are amazing bikes,my best mate owns a 2008 blade and it is one amazing bit of kit,so no one is a loser here, just bought the new R1 and it is a very very good bike, going to change my style a bit, diffent approach to a corner required, but the ride power delivery handling, equipment for the money is awesome and with a set of akropovic race cans its actually narrower at the back than 06 R1 here is to a great 09 for all blade and R1 owners because we are all lucky to own such awesome machines,

both the blade & R1 look f'ugly (like having a girlfriend that's great in bed but you wouldn't want your mates to see her!!)

This is my 3rd R1 and definitely the best. The way it pulls from anywhere in the revs in any gear is unbelievable.

I am not a huge fan of the rear end on the new R1 I think it looks lardy as hell , I have no doubt it will look much better with after market cans but then it shouldn't have to... I have ridden the new blade and it has a great engine but the looks have put me off . There is nothing about it that is even remotely attractive and I think Darb1 needs to grow up and stop being so obvious . The blade is a great bike but honda ran out of money or ideas when it came to the looks . And what's with the 'underseat pipes are so last year ' get a grip ... if all the manufacturours were the same we wouldn't even be having this infantile argument . The fact is the R1 is pushing the envelope AGAIN!!! AND Darb1 should admit he has sour grapes that yamaha has stolen the limelight again as they did from the blade in 1998 . GO ON yamaha .....