2020 Yamaha R1 unveiled, specifications and details out
Yamaha has unveiled the all-new 2020 R1 and its even faster twin, the R1M, for the international market at the American WSB round in Laguna Seca. We hope Yamaha India brings the new R1 to our shores by the end of this year. The Yamaha engineers have worked on the styling of this already radical looking superbike R1 to make it mimic the MotoGP machine. This has been done with a new screen and fairing that now flows in line with the tank. Yamaha claims that the aerodynamics of the new R1 is up by 5.3 per cent. Also, the new design is more suitable for a more broader range of riders.
Yamaha also mentions that the rigidity of the fairing has been improved with the help of an aluminium air duct positioned behind the front section, in addition to the lower panelling of titanium covering the exhaust. The updated styling also includes new LED headlights and aluminium fuel tank and wheels, both on the R1 and the R1M.
The 998cc crossplane crank engine is now Euro-5 compliant and has been tweaked to include a new intake system. It includes a new 10-hole Bosch fuel injector system that offers a wide spray angle increasing its efficiency. The 197PS power output remains unchanged, however, the engine gets new finger-follower rocker arms and cam lobes. This offers improved valve operation at higher engine speeds. The top-end performance has been made better with the use of a lighter ride-by-wire throttle. The new exhaust system comes with four catalysers, with one pair in front of the exhaust chamber and the other set at the rear.
The handling performance of the 2020 Yamaha R1 is taken care of by an updated 43mm Kayaba fork with a new damping set up, alongside a revised steering damper and reworked rear shock settings. The 2020 Yamaha R1 rides on new Bridgestone Battlax RS11 tyres. The tech on the superbike includes a three-mode Engine Braking Management unit that alters engine braking - high, medium or low, seven electronic control systems, new Brake Control (cornering ABS), that works simultaneously with the six-axis IMU.
The 2020 Yamaha R1 comes with two modes, which essentially monitor the lean angle and the hydraulic brake pressure to avoid the locking of wheels. The EBM checks the gear position, engine speed, throttle position and the valve position and then lets the ECU change the throttle opening, ignition timing and fuel injection according to the desired performance. Lastly, the 2020 R1 also features Launch control system that can be activated at 9,000rpm at a throttle opening of 41 degrees.