Description
Click here for an CycleVIN Motorcycle History Report on this 1998 Yamaha R1. 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. 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 (VIN: JYARN02E9WA000661) was formerly part of Iconic’s collection in California – the current owner acquired it about a year ago and it is currently in Houston, Texas on a clean Texas title.
The odometer shows 5,766 miles – just 2 more than when we had it.
It is quite nearly perfect, and the seller says: “I’d venture to say it is one of the nicest examples of the first year R1s available in the US, especially in blue.”
The only cosmetic imperfections are a small paint chip in the tail and some wear on the top of the triple tree
It’s equipped with new (2015 date code) Dunlop Q3 tires.
Recent work includes a new lithium battery, new iridium spark plugs, and a fresh carb clean with Sunoco GT 104 ethanol-free gas in the tank.
Crucially, it’s one of the few examples that has stayed stock – there’s no tail tidy, aftermarket exhaust, or flush mounted turn signals!
This is a lovely example of one of the most Iconic motorcycles of all time, and it has enough miles that you won’t be afraid to enjoy it as Yamaha’s engineers intended.
