Description
Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
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, it was not exactly built for comfort.
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.
This example is VIN: 3FV000480. It came to Iconic as an import from Japan; prior history is not known.
The odometer shows 2,241 kilometers (1,392 miles).
Maintenance:
In preparation for the listing, the seller had us replace the battery, clean and sync the carbs, and give the bike a detailing. Angel did the work, he notes the following in his condition report:
Tire Year Front/Rear: 2106/4606
Tire % Front/Rear: 90/90
Tire Press Front/Rear:30/28
Brake % Front/Rear : 90/80
Hydraulic: OK 1%<2% MOISTURE
Oil: LEVEL OK, QUALITY ACCEPTABLE
Coolant: LEVEL OK, QUALITY ACCEPTABLE
Low Beam: OK
High Beam: OK
Turn: OK
Tail Light: OK
Brake Light: OK
Plate Light: OK
Kill: OK
Horn: OK
Battery: 12.9/13.7
NOTES:
○ NO AIRBOX – POD FILTERS
○ DENTED FRAME LH/RH
○ BRACED SWINGARM
○ MANUAL FAN SWITCH
○ VERY SHORT TEST RIDE (OLD TIRES), UNIT OPERATES AS DESIGNED.
RECOMMEND:
•TIRES
•ALL FLUIDS (UNKNOWN AGE)
Modifications:
Braced swingarm.
Manual fan switch.
Tank pad.
Battery tender lead.
Not pictured: pod filters.
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Bridgestone Battlax BT020 tires that have aged out.
The sale includes four 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 Oregon title. Please note that as an import, this bike lacks certain compliance and emissions stickers that the state of California would require to transfer a title. Have any OW01 stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
