Lithium battery powered Yamaha R1

While it's not the first electric motorcycle, it is possibly the most rough and ready design: if you can afford the $15,000 odd fee for a custom modification, a team at the Electric Motorsport shop in Oakland will take out the nasty engine in your ride and replace it with an array of Lithium Ion batteries. As a prototype, the company created a fully electric version of the Yamaha R1 which has a top speed of 100MPH, a range of 100 miles, does 0-60 in 3 seconds, and looks pretty damn ugly to tell the truth. Ya' see, the number of brick sized Lithium Ion batteries required to eke out this level of performance is 28, which have to fit all willy nilly underneath the bike. Fortunately, the company hopes to produce a more refined production model, as well as a cheaper design with less advanced performance.

StompGrip Traction Pad for Yamaha YZF-R1 at tobefast

TOBEFAST releases the StompGrip Yamaha R1 Traction Pad for the 09-10 model years. FEATURING:The ultimate grip pad for sportbike tanks. Aggressive traction for better bike control in hard braking and corners. Helps to reduce fatigue and arm pump. Does not Grind down leathers, unlike abrasive grip tape. Pre-molded to fit specific bikes with rounded edges that resist peeling. Super strong peel & stick adhesive. Ultra-Clear, see through elastomer material. Proven, must have item, for reducing lap times of racers and track day racers. A nice addition to any streetbike for improved control and “bike feel”. Available in black or clear.

Yamaha YZF R1 not reaching over 10k rpm

After driving for a while I realized that someday I could not open full throttle at certain times. I said to myself, shit, what again? I did not do it all the time. I realize there are certain moment my YZF-R1 does not want to go full throttle:

- when the bike is cold and just started (normal I would say)
- when the tank is almost empty

I realized that when it does not go over 10k rpm it would mean that I need to fill up with gas. (Even when the gas light is not on). When I do fill up, I can then go all the way to 15k rpm.

Someone suggested that I have to check the fuel tank vent hose. The theory is that this vent hose is clogged and a vacuum is created in the fuel tank this in turn withholds the fuel pump from being able to suck fuel in. Interesting... I have to check that fuel vent hose.

What a difference new tires can make

Some time ago I changed the rear tire myself, first having to weld a rear stand. Breaking the bead was another story. I bought a pair of Shinko tires, but didn't do the front so I drove for a long while with a bald front tire and it was like a square tire instead of round. Today I brought my bike in by a mechanic to change the front cause I don't have a front stand. Boy what a difference this makes to the bike! I had to drive carefully out of the driveway and on my way home. It is like a different bike, and each time a take a curve my head goes in a haze, not able to adapt with the change. My bike's frame was aligned (chassis alignment) by the good folks (Kent Soignier) at G.M.D. Computrack in Atlanta, Georgia and I think that only now I feel what the difference is. With the new tire on the bike it drives very different, a sensation not felt with the old tires (ever since I bought the bike, never changed the front tire). How can I explain this sensation? It's now more like think left and the bike goes left. The bike goes like in automatic steering. I have to get used to it, I am kinda scared right now, before I dared to lean on the side, with half my a$$ on the saddle, now there's no need for that. Really a great improvement. I'll keep you posted on the riding experience.

2005 Yamaha YZF-R1 Recall

Yamaha Recalls on FJR1300, FZS600 and YZF-R1 built in 2005

Yamaha has recalled three 2005 motorcycles due to throttle position sensor failure, which can cause the engine to stall and cause a crash.

The throttle position sensor can fail on the FJR1300, FZS600 and YZF-R1. These bikes were manufactured between October 2004 and April 2005. Yamaha Motor Corporation said 180 motorcycles are affected.

Yamaha will notify owners and replace the throttle position sensor free of charger. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about October 7, 2009. Owners may contact Yamaha at 1-714-761-7300.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153, or go to www.safercar.gov.

Yamaha YZF R1 2009 Engine with Cross plane crankshaft explanation

How the Yamaha R1 2009 Engine works with the new cross plane crankshaft.

Yamaha R1 Two Wheel Drive (2WD) tested by MCN

MCN (Motorcycle News Magazine) from the UK has some amazing videos on Youtube. Here they're testing out a Yamaha R1 superbike with additional front wheel traction. Wow, that sounds interesting. Really wondering how this takes cornering better. Enjoy the video here!

from MCN's site:
"MCN is the only publication in the world to have ridden the Ohlins two-wheel-drive Yamaha R1. Watch the video for a tech explaination of the 2WD system and see MCN's Trevor Franklin take a test ride on the revolutionary machine at the remote Karlskoga track in Sweden."

Shinko 009 005 Motorcycle Tire SET 120/70-17 190/50-17

I recently bought this Shinko 009 005 Motorcycle Tire SET 120/70-17 190/50-17 from a seller (pinwall_cycle_parts) on Ebay. Great price at $155.95 + $25 S&H.

I am just wondering about the tires though. A week ago I welded my own bike stand and took off the tires. Now about the Shinko's: The tires slip a lot and on a wet, jeeez, I'm like riding on ice! Maybe I have to lower the air pressure (I have the Yamaha R1 recommended pressure of 36psi front 42psi back) I think that's way too hard. Will experiment with lower air pressure and let you know how that works. Anyone else has these tires on?

Yamaha YZF R1 Off Roading

Have you ever seen this? A super sportbike made for mad speed and mean cornering transformed into a off road motorcycle. From what I can tell, only the handlebar has been changed. Ok, this is an older Yamaha YZF R1, but he certainly must have softened the shocks to get through the woods. Seeing this, it reminds me that I have to stop whining when I drive on a dirt road.

Yamaha R1 doing 300km/h video

This is a nice video of a Yamaha R1 doing over 300km/h (300kph) somewhere in rural Germany. Definitely a nice road surface and nice layout and surroundings, I wish I could open it up there.

Ben spies, Tom Sykes making steady progress on the new Yamaha YZF-R1

World Superbike rookie Ben Spies has secured the first Superpole of the 2009 Season on Phillip Island, Australia with a time of 1.31"069. His teammate Tom Sykes was a mere 0.8 of a second behind.

The all new 2009 Yamaha YZF-R1, the M1 GP inspired bike give Tom Sykes and Spies the right tools to go hard through the corners and jump out of them at super speeds.

"The bike is incredible, I'm feeling really confident in its abilities, I can't wait to race tomorrow" said ben Spies.

Credit: www.f1sa.com

2004 Yamaha YZF-R1 Video Scraping Metal in Curves

Here's a great video of a Yamaha YZF-R1 from 2004 taking wild curves, so wild the pegs touch the road and make fireworks. Check it out. The rider on the Yamaha R1 is Vince Nakano.

The evolution of the Yamaha YZF R1

I came across a great synopsis on the evolution of the Yamaha R1 sportbike. Always interesting to know how this bike came to be. TMW Motorcycle Forums posted it on their website. The pictures of the Yamaha R1 are stunning as well. They look so good I even think they are renderings. Anyway, check out the link: Yamaha YZF-R1 history and Evolution

2009 Yamaha R1 vs 2009 Honda Fireblade 1000RR

This review from MCN (www.motorcyclenews.com) got me a little scared and got me sitting on the top of my chair. My goodness, is this Honda Fireblade which they voted as the best bike you can possibly buy on the market faster than the Yamaha R1? They had so much good stuff to say about the Honda. But after watching their review they did in France on a road from Grenoble to Nice, 200 miles, there was clearly a winner. They were talking about the grunt the Yamaha R1 has that at some points was too much grunt, they had to change a map in the bike to slow it down so to speak. The R1 can do this on the fly with the DMODE setting through the speedo console. When both bikes rode next to each other at 50mph both in 6th gear and did wide open, the R1 shot ahead like a rocket leaving the Honda eat the dust. Check out their review.

21yr old R1 biker caught doing 140km/h over speed limit

Haha, I had to laugh when I saw this article. A young fella from Australia was caught at 3 times the speed limit along a suburban road with his Yamaha R1. The problem is that his bike was unlicensed as well. And, not far away, last month a biker got killed, there are still flowers around a pole. If I am not mistaken it was also a Yamaha R1 rider.

Okay, I hate speed limits, but please, use your common sense. Although I can imagine the guy must have had good fun riding at this speed in a suburban area. The thrills are just inimitable.

To ride at such a speed was "ridiculous,'' Hobsons Bay Traffic Management Unit's Sen Con Marcus Owen said.

"We don't get that every day. You are looking at three times the speed limit and if you were there would have been lucky to see it going past,'' he said.

Full article here: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24974640-661,00.html

R1: Annoying 2nd gear shifting problem

Ah yes, I think I got it too, the dreaded 2nd gear shifting problem. When my Yamaha YZF-R1's engine is cold, I have no problem to shift from first to second gear. As soon as it gets warmed up I can almost not get the motorbike in second gear. Is it the engine oil that's no good? Or is there really something wrong with the transmission/gearbox? To succeed in getting it into second gear, I have to shift back down to first gear from neutral maybe like 3 to 4 times to get it eventually in second gear. Also when in neutral I hear a slight rattle, almost unnoticeable, maybe it's normal and it stops when I pull the clutch. Does this have something to do with the shifting problem? Do I have a big expense lurking in front of me? I will try and find out. Hopefully it's nothing big and can fix it myself. Anyone had same problem please comment on my blog what the fix was. Thank you

Yamaha R1 Engine used for a flying car

British engineer Gilo Cardozo spent some 18 months to make a flying car using a Yamaha R1 engine. Using a paraglide setup (fan & parachute combo) on a buggy, he managed to take off with the buggy and actually has a range of 180 miles! Gilo Cardozo owns a company called Parajet. On the road the buggy can get 80mph.

Tour around the world with a Yamaha R1

Who would have thought? A sportbike to do a tour around the world? Driving on dirt roads etc. I thought driving on a dirt road was almost impossible on the R1. I can't believe this guy Sjaak Lucassen actually did it. Check out this video below:

Engine Warning Alert Light

Yesterday I noticed on the speedo that the 'check engine light' was on. I got very nervous. At first I thought the symbol resembled a gearbox. When I came home, I looked through the Yamaha Owners Manual and found it to be the check engine light. Error code 42 also shows up in the speedo. Error code 42 stands for faulty speedo sensor and/or faulty neutral switch. In my case it's the speedo sensor. I have not had the speed showing up on the speedo and knew something was wrong. I have to take out the tank and find out