Please Note: Iconic is proud to call DHSuperbikes one of its approved iconic locations! We have partnered with the British-based shop in order to support all of your UK motorcycling needs!
Please Note #2: The seller has provided a Total Car Check Report for this 1989 Yamaha FZR750R OW01.
The increasing popularity of the World Superbike Championship since its inception in 1988 has been responsible for the introduction of over-the-counter road bikes boasting specifications aimed squarely at the racetrack. The most famous of these limited edition ‘homologation specials’ is Honda’s iconic RC30, but Yamaha’s answer, the 1989 FZR750R, better known as the OW01, is even rarer and more exotic with only 500 built.
Although it was a street-legal machine, the OW01 had a spec sheet that was all about racing. And at $16,000 plus a few thousand more for the race kit, the OW01 was easily one of the most expensive bikes on the market in 1989. Yamaha crafted the OW01’s aluminum frame from a higher-quality aluminum alloy than its regular offerings. Emphasizing light weight, the engineers went so far as to use an aluminum fuel tank in place of steel.
With a Showa fork at the front and an adjustable Öhlins shock at the rear, it was fit for sharp handling. However, because of its thinly padded foam seat, high-up rear sets, and low clip-on handlebars, comfort was not high on the priority list.
At the center of the FZR750R resided an all-new, extremely over square four-cylinder engine with a 72-mm bore, a 46-mm stroke and five valves per cylinder–a development pioneered by Yamaha some years earlier for high-RPM power. Titanium connecting rods were attached to pistons that used just two rings each for low-friction operation. Fueled by a quartet of Mikuni flatside downdraft carburetors, the OW01 made 121 horsepower (restricted to 77 for the Japanese market), a big number for a 750-class machine in 1989. The engine had an almost two-stroke-like “light-switch” power band that came on hard above 9,000 RPM and pulled to a sky-high 14,000 RPM redline. Yamaha also fitted the OW01 with a close-ratio six-speed transmission that allowed the rider to always keep the engine in the power band pushing around 445 lbs dry weight. A factory race kit (for several thousand dollars more) included upgraded pistons, camshafts, a race-only ECU and a full race exhaust. The published OW-01 quarter mile was 11.20 seconds at 130.81 MPH, with the bike topping out at approximately 160 miles per hour.
The OW01 was never sold as a street bike in the U.S., but when the AMA altered the rules to allow as few as 15 examples sold to homologate a model, Yamaha USA sold them directly to licensed racers and teams, despite the bikes being fitted with headlamps and a full set of gauges. Worldwide, some OW-01s had smooth headlights and taillights, while others had sunken-in headlights and taillights that stuck out.
Manufactured in April 1989, this example is VIN: JYA3PHTOXKA000115.
The odometer shows 8,432 miles (the drive has been converted from km to miles but it was unknown when that happened).
This bike was originally sold in Australia and was then exported to the UK in 2004. The Car Check Report shows 4 owners until the previous owner acquired it in 2021, he then recommissioned it to become a “realistic and rideable bike.”
Maintenance:
We do not have any maintenance history on this bike.
Modifications:
Speedometer drive converter from kilometers to miles.
Swingarm spools, aftermarket rear sprocket.
Aftermarket windscreen.
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S22 tires with date codes of 1721 and 2321.
The sale includes three keys, the owner’s manual, and some decals.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album in the “Photos” tab for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
Currently located in Clitheroe, United Kingdom, this Yamaha is offered on a clean English registration (V5).
Have any FZR750R OW01 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
