Yamaha YZF-R1

I also use a different construction tyre here. We use ones with more give in the sidewall - more compliance to help with the bumps."

The words belong to local MotoGP hero Carlos Checa, and he was giving me the hot tip for fast laps around Spain's Catalunya circuit, located just outside Barcelona.

"It's no use trying to ride around the bumps, as they're right on line. All you can do is set the bike up as best you can to ride over them."

CARLOS COMBINATION
While Carlos no doubt has numerous combinations of rubber and chassis set-up on his Marlboro Yamaha YZR500, or more latterly his YZR-M1, I had no such luxury. But then, I didn't need them.

I was in Spain to sample Yamaha's new-for-2002 YZF-R1 at the recent world launch, and there was little that the injected version of Yamaha's top-selling R1 needed to improve its performance around the Catalunya circuit.

But I guess that's the strength of a good sports roadbike - they're designed from the outset to handle a wider variety of conditions.

In my case that meant an R1 with a stiffer but still compliant front end, a quality rear shock with revised swingarm position, and Dunlop D208 rubber that coped admirably with both track and road - no need to be changing the carcass a la Carlos.

Add in lighter steering, less weight, revised chassis geometry and a much smaller 'feel', and I reckon even Mr Checa would've been hard put to want to alter anything.

DISTINCTIVE LOOK
There's no missing the new R1 in the carpark. Its distinctive angular looks initially give it a love it or hate it feel, although I reckon those polarised opinions will fade once a few R1s start to hit Aussie roads. Personally, I like it - with the silver bodywork looking particularly classy against the R1's black chassis.

Incidentally, all three colour combinations are heading Down Under - red/white, silver/black and blue/white - with the '02 R1 hitting dealers' floors across the nation as you're reading this. Price has been set at $18,699.

That puts it right in GSX-R1000 and CBR954RR territory, and the question everyone wants to know is which is better. Until we can get all three together for a thorough thrashing, errr shootout, I don't have a definitive answer, although I've got a pretty good idea of where each one fits in the scheme of things. But you'll have to read on...

COMPACT DIMENSIONS
Throwing my leg over the R1 for the first time in Catalunya's pitlane, I was immediately impressed with how small the bike feels.

In fact, word from the Poms at the launch was that the fuel tank off Yamaha's exotic R7 won't fit on the '02 R1 - it's too big! They'd tried.

Fuel capacity is actually down by one litre compared to the '01 R1, but I reckon that's a fair trade-off given the more compact dimensions of the new bike.

Seat height is up fractionally (by 5mm), but to be honest I didn't notice it all that much. In fact, yours truly had little difficulty getting his patella into contact with the Spanish tarmac, a fact which has at least stopped the smart-arse comments of staffer Sam who reckons my kneescrapers last longer than my tyres!

And that's probably all you'll scrape, as ground clearance of the R1 is excellent. The firmer suspension assists here.

Even multiple British Superbike champion Niall Mackenzie had no clearance concerns, and his lean angles were, err, somewhat more extreme than mine. Then again, he has done his fair share of 500 GP races around the Catalunya circuit and knows his way around the technically-challenging track.

NO COMPLAINTS
One thing I was particularly keen to sample was Yamaha's new 'suction-type' fuel injection, which is claimed to offer the efficiency of normal fuel injection but with the feel and response of carbs.

No complaints here. Turn Three at Catalunya is a long, looping 190-degree horseshoe, taken in third gear. You're on your side for what seems like an eternity.

The throttle is right in that on-off zone, where just a fraction too much will unhook the rear, while rolling it off ever so slightly will cuts the revs and push the front end.

The verdict? The 2002 R1 has the best feel of any injected bike I've ridden, and that was backed up next day on the road ride.

The new system doesn't seem to lose anything up top either, as the engine would rev cleanly to my gearchange point at 11,500rpm lap after lap.

Redline is 11,750, with a snazzy shiftlight mounted mid dash.

I was seeing 272kmh down the front straight, although Mackenzie got 281kmh - due no doubt to his more svelte build and faster corner speed getting on to the straight.

OSCILLATING BAR
I was surprised a couple of times when the bike got a little 'wobbly' as I accelerated hard in the first half of the straight, and I wasn't the only one to experience it either. It wasn't a real worry, with the 'bars just oscillating a little in my hands. Moving my weight forward and keeping my shoulders tucked in out of the breeze helped.

Similarly, there were a couple of corners where the bike was decidedly flighty on the exit under power. Crikey, I even popped an unintended surprise wheelie at one stage. Once again, keeping my weight forward helped.

A couple of clicks of rear compression and a bit more preload to stop the rear end squatting under power would've helped.

As Mackenzie said about this latest R1, "You need to get on it to keep it steady." And he wasn't referring to just having your butt in the saddle.

Mmm, when I saw him "getting on it" away from a toll booth the next day he wasn't keeping it too steady. In fact, the only thing steady was the gap between his front wheel and the road surface - about a metre and a half!

MUMBO TO MATCH
What all this proves is that the new R1 certainly has the mumbo to match its new looks. Yamaha claims an extra 2ps for 152ps at 10,500rpm, although I don't reckon it's got the outright oomph of the GSX-R1000. It feels stonger in the engine than Honda's new CBR954RR Blade though.

However, the Blade feels to be the nimblest of the trio, and seems to steer a little quicker, although I've only got my sampling at Estoril last December to base that impression upon, and I've yet to ride the Honda on public roads.

That therefore puts the R1 smack in the middle of the trio - less grunt than the Suzuki, but not quite as nimble as the Honda. The best balanced package perhaps? We'll have to get proper Aussie production versions of all three together on the same day to know for sure.

What else did I like? The gearbox on the red version I had for my track sessions was a beauty - the best R1 box I've ever sampled. It wasn't as light and precise as the standard-setting Suzuki boxes, but it wasn't far off.

However, the box on the blue R1 I had for the road ride wasn't as good, and was a bit clunkier down low, although still better than previous R1s. Looks like Yamaha's changes have worked (see breakout panel below).

WHO'S A TOSSA?
While on the topic of the road ride, Yamaha Europe had mapped out an entertaining ride along Spain's Costa Brava coastline and up into the mountainous hinterland. Only problem was that every time I had to take a turn-off, the sign indicated "Tossa". At least I wasn't going to get lost...

We had everything from 240kmh motorways (and no, the Spanish speed limit isn't that high!) to second-gear twisties up mountain passes - more than enough variety to give the R1 a thorough workout. And if you're interested, the tacho registers 6400rpm at 160kmh - or 9600rpm at 240kmh. Needless to say, the Spanish police don't worry too much about 'safe' speeding.

Once again, as on the track, the fuel injection and suspension shone through - if they were good on the track, they were even better on the road.

Stability was tops, even when dodging Seats along the motorway, the mirrors gave more than just a view of my elbows, and the seating position and legroom didn't leave me feeling like Quasimodo.

Mind you, you're reading the thoughts of someone who did a 1450km single-day solo ride along AMCN's Tour of Duty route through the Snowy Mountains on a R1 back in 1998. My analyst says I'll recover in time...

PERPLEXING BRAKES
The brakes had me perplexed. It had nothing to do with how they worked, as Yamaha's monoblock calipers have always been standard setters. And these were no exception, with plenty of feel and good power.

It was more to do with the reach to the front lever. Even on the minimum cam adjustment for the lever, it was quite a stretch.

The rear master-cylinder is a classy down-sized Brembo item, although that didn't stop me locking the rear into one of Catalunya's hard-braking hairpins. The rear disc may be smaller, but there's still plenty of power.

I was impressed with the Dunlop rubber, with the D208s on the 2002 R1 a specific fitment - D208L. Kawasaki's '02 ZX-12R and Honda's VTR SP2 also some with D208s as standard fitment, but of a different type to the R1 hoops.

The 12's rubber has a much stiffer construction and harder compound, while the SP2's are stiffer in the shoulder but with a similar sticky compound to the R1. And then there's the aftermarket D208...

It just goes to prove that not all same-brand tyres are the same, even if they carry the same model designation. This is something that was touched on in our 600 Supersport comparo back in Vol 51 No 1, and isn't just a Dunlop trait. It's something to consider when it's time to replace your old rubber.

CHART TOPPER?
Neat touches on the 2002 R1 include some usable under seat storage, ocky-strap tabs under the pillion seat, pick-up knobs for a race stand, a multi-functional dash and a high quality of finish, right down to the classy fairing bolts.

Yamaha Australia will be hoping those quality attachments, dynamic abilities and futuristic looks will have the 2002 R1 shooting up the sales charts just as its predecessors have done in the previous four years.

In 1999 the R1 topped roadbike sales Down Under with 672 units registered, while in 2000 and 2001 it did likewise with 854 and 711 respectively.

So what happened in 1998, the year of the R1's release? Frustratingly for Yamaha Australia, the R1 finished second to Honda's VTR1000F - 605 to 610 - due to a stock shortage near year's end.

Somehow I reckon demand won't be slackening off in 2002...