Yamaha YZF-R1 [2016-2017] (Standard)

After a prolonged wait of over six years, Yamaha finally unveiled the newest iteration of litre-class flagship superbike – the YZF-R1, at the 2014 EICMA Show. The new R1 has been improved both in terms of technology and performance, making it one of the most advanced litre-class superbikes available in the country, today.Yamaha has gone out of its way to give the new R1 a fresh new look while keeping it in touch with its rich heritage.

While this new look might not suit everyone’s taste, the Japanese manufacturer has succeeded in giving the new R1 a completely new identity. The fairing of the new R1 gets a very clean and aerodynamic shape, which along with the minimalistic rear section gives the superbike a sleek overall profile. The twin LED headlamps are placed beneath the front panels, while the LED side indicators have been integrated into the mirrors.

Though the overall chassis design of the new R1 is somewhat similar to the one in its predecessor, the new model gets a new aluminium-magnesium construction to make it significantly lighter. Yamaha has stuck to the crossplane crank architecture for the new R1’s engine, though the revised engine now churns out 200hp and 112.8Nm of torque.

The electronics package includes traction control, slide control, launch control, wheel-lift control and ABS. The new R1 also gets a fully digital instrument cluster with a coloured TFT screen.All these technological advancements mean that the new R1 is significantly more expensive than its predecessor. At this price point, the Aprilia RSV4 R is the only rival for the Yamaha R1.