Description
Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
Back in 2002, Chuck Graves and the Factory Yamaha team set their sights on securing a championship in the new AMA Formula Extreme class. At the time of the series’ inception, the rules were quite liberal — so long as the base bike was originally designed for public sale and legal for street use, manufacturers could pretty much do as they pleased. Of course, the finer print stipulated some technicalities (the resulting race bike had to retain at least 50% of the original frame, for instance); by and large, however, it proved an exciting and lawless experiment.
Accordingly, Yamaha supplied Graves Motorsports with a leftover R7 OW-02 to field throughout the season. At first, the results were overwhelmingly positive — to a fault. Graves shoehorned a 195hp 1,078cc mill from an R1 into the svelte frame, making it as fast as it was nimble. (Damon Buckmaster handily swept the first three races of the season.) Given that the bike wasn’t actually homologated for use in the United States, though, the rest of the competition protested Graves and Yamaha on the basis that the R7/1 wasn’t within the spirit of the rules.
To massage the rules, Chuck Graves and his team went about covering the existing frame with approximately 40% of the frame rails from a production R1. In practice, this allowed for the bike to take a stock R1 tank as well as a stock R1 tail section. For all of their ingenuity, though, Buckmaster encountered some engine trouble in the final race of the season, netting him a 21st-place finish and costing him the championship in the process.
According to the seller, the bike you see before you served as Aaron Gobert’s (of Graves Motorsports) Formula Extreme Championship bike from 2002-2003.
This example is now VIN: 949166 as reassigned by California Highway Patrol.
We initially listed the bike with VIN: JYARN10Y92A000494 earlier this year; however, we pulled the auction because of a mistaken salvage title. Per the seller, “VIN: JYARN10Y92A000494 was sold to Graves for their race team. It appears that someone completed an insurance claim and sent in a release of liability showing a bike with the same VIN was sold to someone in Mexico.” A California Highway Patrol officer has since removed the previously stamped VIN from the bike.
The seller has owned the bike for 12 years, during which time he has covered approximately 1,100 miles. He estimates 15,000 miles on the chassis and about 1,800 miles on engine; however, true mileage is unknown.
Maintenance:
The seller reports that he had the valves adjusted and the forks rebuilt. Additionally he has replaced the spark plugs and the fuel pump.
To make the bike more street-friendly, the seller states that he had Chuck Graves “add lights and turn signals.” Additionally, he had the “flat-side throttle body replaced with a calibrated stock throttle body and fuel injection,” and he had the racing foam removed from the fuel tank so that it wouldn’t “deteriorate and clog up the fuel system.”
Modifications:
Yamaha R1 frame and R1 gas tank.
Marchesini magnesium wheels.
Brembo monobloc calipers, front Brembo rotors.
SBK radiator.
Öhlins rear shock.
R7 swingarm.
Yamaha R1 fairing.
Yamaha R1 bodywork.
Yamaha R1 seat.
Graves triple clamp.
Graves rearsets.
Dynojet Quickshifter.
Marchesini gas cap.
Not pictured: C.P. pistons, Carillo rods, kit transmission, kit ECU, SBK slipper clutch, kit stator.
Extras:
The sale includes a Yamaha Factory bike cover as well as a box of spare parts.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Dunlop Sportmax Q4 tires with date codes of 1218 and 1218.
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. Please note: As part of the VIN reassignment, this bike was issued a new license plate. It is currently registered through March 2024. We apologize for any inconsistencies throughout the album.
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