Yamaha R1 (1999)

This was my Yamaha R1 purchased new from John Pease Motorcycles in Chelmsford in April 1999.

During my time with the bike it had a few modifications, such as the high level Devil exhaust, a Rhencullen undertray, Ohlins Damper, Carbon Cowling and adjustable rear height adjustment.

The Rhencullen undertray tidied up the look as well as functionally stopping the crap getting up into the under seat area.

The Devil exhaust mounted much higher than the standard pipe, looked better & sounded better IMHO and did make a difference to the performance.

The Ohlins and the fitting kit fitted nicely and did the job well.

Carbon Frame protectors to stop any marks to the alloy frame .

The Ohlin damper did a great job, but as so many of the roads around where I lived were pretty poor I felt I needed something extra.

After hunting around I found a US based company which could provide an adjustable rear height setup for the back of the bike. This allowed me to lower the rear end to take some pressure of the front of the bike making it less likely to do a head shake when braking on bumpy roads. If I wanted it back to standard I just needed to spin a few large nuts under the suspension, and if I was on a track day could raise the rear to make the steering a sharper. Had this on the bike for around 4 years and never had any issues.

Also fitted 'jack-up' plates to the footrests.

Taken soon after I first got the bike and before I'd made any modifications.

A Few pictures from the track days at Brands Hatch and Donnington in early 00s.

My R1 and a couple of mates on their Ducati 748 and 916s. Yes of course the R1 was quicker :-)

You meet the nicest people on Track Days

So what did I think of the bike...

The 99 R1 was the last of the Carb models before they switched to injection. Having ridden the model immediately following this one, then to me the Carb bike was much better. The overall package of the newer model may have been better on paper, but the 'calming' of the engine meant it wasn't as entertaining or engaging.

The R1 was a step on from the previous FZR1000 EXUP model, being smaller and faster overall, but it was the more compact nature of the bike which made it less friendly if you just wanted to go for an easy ride. The R1 was meant for speed and riding style like a Track rider, the previous model more of a balance IMHO.

In the 5 years I had the R1 it never let me down nor ever needed a spare part due to failure or breakage. As I'd found this reliability on all the FZR and this R1 range then I think that's a great testament to Yamaha engineering.

Prior to selling it I was tempted to modify with a set of higher bars, but never did get round t doing it.