Any one of the big four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers will furnish you with a one-liter four-cylinder sportbike with leading-edge design, performance and durability for around $10,000. Given that these bikes now deliver performance and handling that was available only on fully fledged superbike racers just a few years back, how does a buyer make a decision? 

From the look of Yamaha’s all-new YZF-R1, I’d say design might be the best new differentiator. Sure, brand loyalty and racing success will always play a part, but since the performance potential of these bikes is such that you need to be an experienced club racer, at least, to find meaningful differences between them, looks are going to count more than ever.And on that front the new Yamaha is a killer. The design details on this bike are exquisite. Every fastener, every shutline, every contour and texture has been thoughtfully considered. Yamaha’s controlled-fill casting technique has allowed the designers to sculpt the frame and swingarm with slashes and contours. The tail light fits into its space like a jigsaw piece. The underseat exhaust system is a sinuous titanium sculpture that stabs angle-slashed tailpipes from beneath the waspish tailsection.

From every angle, the new R1 is visually stunning. And beauty is not just skin deep on this machine. Nearly every aspect of the bike has been re-engineered for 2004. The cylinder block has been tilted further forward so that the frame tubes could be narrowed at the tank/seat junction, better to accommodate the rider. The extra space allowed Yamaha to relax the clip-on handlebar and footpeg positions a tad for a more comfortable riding position without hurting the bike’s prodigious lean angle.
 

The engine is totally new, with revised valve angles, larger ports, shorter valves, higher compression combustion chambers, and lightweight pistons. The crankshaft is shorter and lighter, and the cylinders are now of a sleeveless, closed deck design for better shape retention at the high rotational speeds (redline at 13,750 rpm) this new engine achieves. Yamaha had already exploited the stacked transmission concept for a more compact engine, but the engineers have also now moved the starter and alternator assembly up behind the cylinders for increased mass centralization and engine width reduction.

The result is a bike that looks like a 600, pulls like a big-inch superbike, and provides a surprisingly comfortable ride in the process. Ram air ducts have appeared on an R1 for the first time on this new model, and they hike maximum output from a static 172 horsepower to 180 when forward motion pressurizes the airbox.
 

Look at that number again. It’s literally knocking on the racing Superbike threshold. While in full street-legal trim, with civilized sound levels and fully warranted longevity guarantees, at a fraction of the quarter-million dollar race bike retail ticket.Yet the R1 is easy to ride. A very high first gear (good for 98 mph!) and a slightly soft off-idle engine response makes launching simple and unintimidating. The engine comes partially on the cam at about 4,000 rpm and thereafter the rider enjoys great throttle response from the new double-valve fuel injection system. As the revs rise, the more-radical valve timing comes into play, and the sheer ferocity of the beast as it revs toward the lofty redline has to be experienced to be believed. Okay, all the big players in the literbike stakes are strong at high revs, but 13,750 rpm is what 600s are supposed to turn.

With this sort of rev ceiling, the R1 is geared to run 197 mph in sixth gear. Whether the aerodynamics will allow anything like that will soon be discovered, but we don’t need instrumented tests to tell us that this bike is fast. The flashing scenery and seemingly never-ending thrust spell that out in no uncertain terms.

Accompanied by a remarkable degree of civility, this level of performance is quite intoxicating. But the bike is eminently approachable and rideable. The gearshift is better than any R1 has ever been, and is now as good as, well, a Suzuki’s. The clutch is light and positive, and the feedback seems improved by a switch from the previous diaphragm plate to multiple coil springs.The brakes are stupendous, with radial-mount calipers up front biting on bigger discs (by 22mm), controlled by a new Brembo radial piston master cylinder. And you’ll need them. This is a 425-pound bike (wet) with 180 horsepower at the crank. What more can one say? It looks the part, it feels the part, and it goes like the clappers. And the best news is it’s easy to ride. Of course, that may be the bad news too, for inexperienced riders, because it’s never been easier to get into trouble.
 

Yes, it is more bike than anyone really needs, but that won’t stop a line from forming in Yamaha showrooms. With a combination of dazzling good looks, magical light weight, mind-boggling road performance, and unexpectedly comfortable ergonomics, Yamaha’s new R1 is a winner, already.
 

2004 Yamaha YZF-R1
 

Base price: $10,699
Engine: 998cc DOHC inline four
Horsepower: 180 at 12,500 rpm
Torque: 81.2 lb-ft at 10,500 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed
Fuel capacity: 4.8 gallons
Mileage (as tested): n/a
Dry weight: 379 pounds
Seat height: 32.9 inchesWheelbase: 54.9 inches