Description
Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
The 1990s were defined by three sportbikes – the Honda CBR900RR, the Ducati 916, and the Yamaha R1. Honda’s CBR900RR started the revolution by being 76 pounds lighter than its lightest competition. Soon after, Ducati released the 916. It was technically competent with fuel injection and even an adjustable steering head angle, but it’s best remembered just for being one of the most beautiful motorcycles of all time. In 1998, Yamaha released the R1 and wiped the floor with everyone else – it was the lightest and most powerful literbike available and you had to work hard to find a dealer with one in stock. Almost 20 years later they’re still fantastic machines, so here’s your chance to relive the glory days with a first-year example of the breed.
The basic specifications are 150 horsepower, 419 pound dry weight, and a 2.96 second 0-60 time, per MCN. Those are all impressive numbers, but the design of the drivetrain is what made it all possible. Yamaha was able to make the engine/transmission much smaller by vertically stacking the transmission shafts.
Further space was saved by putting the water pump inside the engine cases. The packaging let Yamaha shorten the wheelbase and still lengthen the swingarm, which made the R1 feel like a 600cc bike but with 1,000cc power.
For more on the R1 and what made it special, check out this article on Sport Rider/Cycle World. Or for a buying guide geared towards used R1s (with notes like it’s “getting hard to find a clean one.”), check out this article on Motorcyclist magazine.
This example is VIN: JYAR14858AZ108467, Engine #: N501E015202. It was originally sold in Germany with VIN: RN011008467. It was sold to an owner in the UK who eventually moved to California, and when he moved he had the CA DMV assign it the new VIN which covered the original one. We do not know why, but when CA re-assigned the VIN, they also called it a 2010 model (which is what it says on the title). The sale includes paperwork showing that it is a 1998 model. He sold it to the current owner three years ago, who put it on display and has not ridden it.
The odometer shows 16,588 miles.
Maintenance:
In preparation for the listing, the seller had us clean and sync the carbs, change the oil and oil filter, and replace the chain, the brake fluid, as well as the coolant. Additionally, we installed new Bridgestone Battlax S22 Hypersport tires with date codes of 4821 and 0422.
Angel did the work, he notes the following in his condition report:
Tire Year: NEW / NEW
Tire %: NEW
Brake%:80/80
Hydraulic:NEW
Oil:NEW
Coolant:NEW
Low Beam:OK
High Beam:OK
Turn:OK
Tail Light:OK
Brake Light:OK
Plate Light:OK
Kill:OK
Horn:OK
Battery: 12.7
Test Ride: 1 Mi. Unit Operates as designed.
Please note: When the bike is powered on, the tachometer goes to 7,000 rpm and immediately returns, indicating an error code designating a faulty exhaust valve servo motor.
Modifications:
Aftermarket turn signals (front and rear).
Tail tidy.
Frame sliders.
Aftermarket oil filler cap.
Battery tender lead.
Tank pad.
Various stickers, swingarm spools.
Inside of the tank:
The sale includes three keys.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California (please make an appointment for an inspection), this Yamaha is offered on a clean California title (as noted above, the CA title states that it is a 2010 model) with registration that expired in December 2022. Per the DMV website, it would cost $200 to make it current through April 2023.
Have any R1 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
