Stock Yamaha R1 vs Modified Yamaha R1 in India

In our country, even a glimpse of a full faired sports bike creates quite a stir. The most common bike on the majority of enthusiasts’ wish lists, posters and wallpapers is the Yamaha R1. The company cashed in on this cult following in India and wisely launched the 2008 Rr in January this year.

Even though the latest model comes at a hefty price tag of close to Rs12 lakh (OTR-Pune), you could try getting a used ’05-’06 Rr at a slashed resale value that may cost you almost half the price of the current Rr. A couple of lakhs extra can get you some serious aftermarket accessories which can not only make the bike stand out in the crowd, but also better the performance of the current model. Don’t believe me? Read on.

We met up with Stuart Lima, one of our friends in Mumbai, who happens to be a professional drag racer. He managed to arrange two ’05 R1 for us – one was completely stock and the other was souped up with a variety of aftermarket accessories. The modified R1 was running a 4XIX4 exhaust system from Laser. The rear end of the bike had some resemblance to the MV Agusta’s F4 exhaust system. Laser, the manufacrurer of the exhaust system, claims a power gain of upto 10 percent with the recalculated size for the exhaust chambers optimised for enhanced power output.

The Laser system also requires alterations to the bike’s ignition mapping in order to gain optimum output. This (in this case) is achieved by the use of a Power Commander 3 (PC 3) unit to surpass the default map and instead load an alternate map that is optimized for this particular system. With the vast improvement in technology, the owner doesn’t need to run to the mechanic anymore for a change in the bike’s ignition timing. The custom maps can be downloaded from Laser’s website and loaded into thePC3 unit.

Compared to the stock Rr, the four chrome finished exhaust pipes looked more dramatic, creating a stunning contrast against the cherry red paint scheme that the modified Rr boasted of. Complementing these aesthetics is the acoustic ecstasy of the 120dB Lasers. While the stock Rr needs to rev past 10,000 rpm to scream, the souped up version plays a bass heavy soundtrack right from the first wring of the throttle.

Other customizations included LED accent kits to give the vehicle a pimped out look for those Saturday night parties. The accents highlight various parts of the bike like the engine, the meaty swingarm, the under-tail silencers and even the radiator. We wished the souped up R1 had a custom paint job as well, as the LEDs would have had something more aesthetic to focus their illumination on. The belly pan that comes in a matte black finish on the stock R1 was a cherry red color to match the rest of the body panels. With such upgrades, even the older R1 can give the newer model a serious run for its money in terms of performance, street appeal and even the feel good factor, at a price significantly lesser than the ’08 model. The R1 however, irrespective ofthe model year, lives up to its image of being one of the most popular bikes. Even the stock ’05 R1 can attract hordes of crowd but the souped up version announces its arrival with all the drama.