Yamaha to discontinue R1

Here's my pathetic R1 story. 2001, life is good and my wife agrees yeah, go get your motorcycle. I know, I'm not a real man because we actually discuss finances and I don't do whatever I want. Anyway, I head to the only Yamaha dealer in Louisville to buy my R1. I had lusted after the red/white/black model and now it was mine. Only it wasn't, all they had was the blue/white model and that's not what I wanted. It was a Honda/Yamaha shop, and sitting close by was the CBR929RR in the color I wanted so I bought it instead.

Now the CBR was a very good bike, but it wasn't the R1 that I really wanted. I only kept it a year before I traded it in on a new Monster that I still have. Funny enough, about 4 years later I bought a very nice 94 CBR900RR that was a fantastic bike, one of the best I've ever owned. Yet I still think about the R1 that I never got. And today I love that blue/white scheme. I fully believe if I'd have bought that R1 I'd still have it.

 

^ that was the 01 R1 I had; I loved the blue/white. The blue OEM Ti end can really looked great on it.

 

Well if we’re gonna share R1 stories…. I was 18 and decided it was time for me to get a motorcycle since mom and dad would never let me have even a mini bike. On the heavier side at 240lb and having rode my friends yz400F around the yard I felt I knew what I was doing and certainly didn’t need a 600…. Craigslist provided a clapped out 98 R1 in Baltimore that seemed like a steal at $4000 . That thing had its issues but once they were all fixed I was in love. Miraculously I never crashed it and only had one close call.

I had an 06 that I raced after that and now have a 15, something about them has always just clicked with me.

 

Ive owned nothing but Yamahas.
1987 FZ750
1989 FZR 600
1999, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2021, 2023 R1
2006, 2009, 2014, 2008, 2017, 2017 R6

It pains me to see the direction of Yamaha, but I get it. The sales arent there to support it. I have enjoyed every one of those bikes listed above.

 

https://www.yamaha-racing.com/news/...ast--present-and-future-race-winning-package/

As some of you all predicted, track only models will be the way forward.
Do any of you all know if prices for the R6 changed very much after they went track only?

 

It must have been 2003... I had a red, black, white 00 R6 and went to my local dealer to trade it in on a mint blue 01 R1. I made a deal with the salesman and while they were getting the paperwork ready I went with the salesman out to take another look at my dream bike. I noticed that it had a fresh dent in the tank and rash on the left side fairings, I was like wtf, that wasn't there 10 minutes ago. I showed my sales guy. At first he tried to say I did it, I said "When? I was with you." After a few minutes one of the shop guys confessed...

They couldn't sell me the damaged R1 so they tried to sell me a CBR929RR. Fuck No thank you. lol

It was probably a blessing in disguise, I had no business on a liter bike at the time.

 

That band in your signature got me through a tough first year after divorce in 2021. They are the best!

 

929rr is the best bike I ever owned, bar none. Much better street bike than the R1 of same vintage. More stable and comfortable.

 

We sure this for US too?

Because the GSXR1000 isn't in Europe anymore but we still the 2024 in US.

 

I'm wondering the same. If they're going to continue making track versions, it's not crazy to think the US version could survive a bit longer.

 

Bought my Y2K (that's old speak for 2000) R1 brandy new. Red and black thank you very much. 3 months later I won a door prize at Blackman's shop in Emaus PA for a track day with Team Hammer at Pocono on the next Thursday. Of course I took the R1. Little Johnny Hopkins was one of the "instructors" as he was doing laps getting ready for the formula USA race. I was in WAY over my head.

 

Short version of the story: we bought a 98 R1. Won the National Endurance series in ‘98 and ‘99. Sold the bike. About 20 or so years later, bought the bike back and it’s in crew chief’s garage now.
Long version later…gotta drive to Boston.

 

My R1 story...
Feb 2002... I know I am taking a new R1 to Daytona Bike Week.
Yamaha dealer several towns over has a new left over red/black 01 on their floor.
My local Yamaha dealer (that happens to be going out of business) has a new blue/white 01 that they have on sale listed in the local newspaper ad dirt cheap!
I really want the red/black one.
I take the newspaper ad to the dealer that has the red/black one and tell him...
"I am going to Daytona next week... wither this red one is in my trailer... or the blue is on there... beat this blue one pricing and yours get loaded in the trailer!"
i bought the red on we for $9,000 out the door that evening!!!
And i still own that beautiful beast!!!

My local Yamaha dealer

 

Did my first track day on my 2001 FZ1 in 2007. But then bought my blue 2003 R1 in 2008. Did a track day later that year on it. It was my trackday bike until 2019, then it was my backup trackday bike until 2021 when a guy who was looking for a track only bike instead of riding his street GSXR-750 on the track bought it from me. Loved the torque on that thing. What gear for this corner? Who cares, because the torque plateau starts at 4k RMP and goes to the 11k fuel shutoff. All good as long as you are in that range. Summit Main turn 5 to turn 9, 3rd gear is just fine. My Tuono V2 and SV650 require noticeably more work to keep them in the power band.

 

Man, that makes me really sad as a true Yamaha fanboy I was fearing this would happen when I saw no updated bike for this year.

sure the R9 could be cool, but it’s not even remotely an R1. Thinking that’s gonna be the flagship for Yamaha is pretty nuts compared to the European liter bikes.

I’m sure the market will go up for used bikes after they stop making it just like the R6 which I unfortunately missed the boat and bought an R6 after that so I paid more than I wanted to but hey, I got a latest gen one (07 & 20 model years.)

I think I might be R1 shopping here sooner than I thought. At this point the bikes I have I’ll probably keep them until I die lol.

 

haha I forgot that was even there. I should probably replace that.

 

Remind me, at which state of grief does 'Sharing anecdotes of the dearly departed' is?

Tail end of acceptance?......

 

Gee who could have foreseen producing $20,000 sportbikes was unsustainable?

Unless it's made in Italy.

 

Apparently the ones building $70,000 pickups have the same vision.

 

Well said!