Yamaha R1

Is the Yamaha R1 still sold new in France?

Not as a road bike. The last model year offered by Yamaha Motor France was the 2024 R1, at €20,499 (recommended retail price on 1 January 2024) in Icon Blue or Midnight Black, alongside the €27,999 R1M. Both now sit in the archive section of Yamaha’s French website.

In February 2024, Yamaha told MCN it would not develop an R1 meeting the Euro 5+ emissions standard, required in Europe from 2025, and would offer track-only versions instead, as it had already done with the R6. Since 2025, Yamaha France has therefore only sold:

• the R1 RACE (€20,799, 2025 model), an R1 stripped of its road equipment but fitted with MotoGP-inspired carbon winglets, a reworked KYB fork and Brembo Stylema calipers;
• the R1 GYTR, prepared for racing with Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing parts, with no public price.

Yamaha reserves both versions for the track: they are not road-legal. This page therefore covers the last road-going R1, the one you will find on the used market.

What makes the crossplane engine special?

The 998 cc inline-four produces 200 hp (147.1 kW) at 13,500 rpm and 113.3 Nm at 11,500 rpm. Its signature is the crossplane crankshaft with a 270°-180°-90°-180° firing order, inherited from the YZR-M1 MotoGP bike: the combustion events are unevenly spaced, which gives the R1 its deep, rasping howl and, according to the press, outstanding drive out of corners.

For the 2020 generation, Yamaha reworked the engine to pass Euro 5 without losing power: new cylinder head, redesigned finger followers (the small levers between the camshaft and the valves), 10-hole injectors, a fully electronic throttle and four catalytic converters in the exhaust. Torque even rose slightly (112.4 Nm on the previous generation).

Yamaha quotes 6.8 L/100 km. On its road test, Bennetts BikeSocial recorded 38 mpg (about 7.4 L/100 km) and a range of around 150 miles. One quirk noted by MCN, Visordown and Bennetts BikeSocial: there is no fuel gauge, just a low-fuel warning light.

What electronics does it have?

Electronics have been the R1’s trump card since 2015. A six-axis inertial measurement unit (a sensor that constantly measures the bike’s lean, pitch and acceleration) feeds seven adjustable rider aids:

• traction control (TCS) and slide control (SCS), which manages rear-wheel slides;
• wheelie control (LIF) and launch control (LCS) for standing starts;
• a two-way quickshifter (QSS), for clutchless up- and downshifts;
• engine brake management (EBM), with three levels;
• brake control (BC), a two-mode ABS whose second mode takes lean angle into account.

There are also four power modes, adjusted through the colour TFT screen and a thumb wheel on the handlebar. The CCU unit, which logs your track data and lets you set up the bike from a smartphone, is optional on the R1 and standard on the R1M.

How does it ride on road and track?

The aluminium Deltabox frame carries pure supersport geometry: 1,405 mm wheelbase, 24° rake and 102 mm trail. The 43 mm KYB inverted fork and KYB shock are fully adjustable, with 120 mm of travel at each end. Braking relies on twin 320 mm discs gripped by four-piston monobloc calipers, and the bike weighs 201 kg wet.

On track, MCN, Motorcycle.com and 1000PS praise a precise chassis, superb traction and rider aids so subtle you forget they are there. The criticism is unanimous: the front brakes lack bite and consistency under hard use, and the ABS, which cannot be switched off, cuts in too early on track.

On the road, Bennetts BikeSocial describes a thrilling but demanding bike: a riding position that strains your neck and back at moderate speeds, a quickshifter that feels clumsy at low revs and mirrors that mostly show your elbows. 1000PS, on the other hand, finds its riding position easier to live with than a Honda Fireblade’s or an Aprilia RSV4’s.

R1 or R1M: what’s the difference?

The R1M (€27,999 in 2024) shares the R1’s engine but adds electronically controlled Öhlins suspension (ERS) with a pressurised NPX fork, carbon fairing and tail, the CCU unit and a 200/55 rear tyre. Every bike is individually numbered. It weighs 202 kg and its seat sits at 860 mm. It targets riders who go on track very regularly: for weekend road riding, Bennetts BikeSocial would pick the standard bike.

Who is the R1 for?

The R1 requires a full A licence, and Yamaha listed no A2-restricted version of the 2024 model. It is not a beginner’s bike: Motorcycle.com points out that you need solid skills to use its power. It suits experienced riders who split their time between twisty roads and track days. At its 2019 presentation, Yamaha said that 80% of R1 riders use their bike at least partly on track (a figure reported by 1000PS).

Against the European bikes, it played the value card: in its 2020 group test, 1000PS named it the best value for money against the Aprilia RSV4, BMW S 1000 RR and Honda Fireblade.

If you want a new, road-legal Yamaha sportbike, you now need to look at the R9, a far less powerful 890 cc triple (119 hp, from €13,999).

In short

The 2024 R1 caps a line that began in 1998: an engine with unique character, cutting-edge electronics and a track-bred chassis, at a price that still undercut its European rivals according to 1000PS. Its front brakes and radical riding position are reminders that it was designed for the circuit first. No longer sold new as a road bike in France, it is now a used buy, backed by MCN’s top reliability rating, while Yamaha keeps the name alive on track with the R1 RACE and R1 GYTR.