Yamaha YZF-R1 (2007-2008)

I have been riding for over 25 years have part-ex'd my SP1 for an 07 R1 in white and red. It is standard with 3500 miles on the clock and looks stunning. On the road it is a peach to ride, comfy, smooth with great controls and power. I am 6' tall and fit it really nicely. We did a 300 mile trip and had no discomfort problems. I have been on track at Mallory and |Donington (twice). Once the suspension had been tweaked the handling is smooth and sure with excellent ground clearance, awesome power, suberb brakes and she sounds andf looks fantastic!! Sorry I'm a bit gushy but I love the Yam!! It's the best looking Jap bike out there and up with the Ducatis on looks as well...... Must dash gotta ride!

I had the choice of getting this bike for 7999 in december of 08 in red and white, or waiting for an 09, i came to the conclusion that i'm not the fastest of riders and won't get the best out of either of these bikes so i went for the better looking one, which the 08 wins every time. i've got onto this after riding an 07 FZ6 and it can be just as easy to ride, a little awkward keeping to 30mph limits though. it reminds me of my Aprilia 125's, almost like it's got a powerband feel to it, below 10k it's very pokey but managable, above that it's all about holding on very tight!! it's very comfortable compared to an R6, the only pain i get is from my wrists but it takes a lot of riding for that to happen. although i change my bikes quite a lot i think i'll have this for a while, i suppose i would say it but i honestly believe it's the best looking bike out there. Until yamaha sort out the 09's front end. it reminds me of dame edna, do you wanna ride dame edna??!!

I had an '06 R1 previously & was tempted by the '08 because of the Yamaha 0% finance. It feels like the same bike but different, which obviously makes no sense. Below 7000 it's so easy to ride, between 7 & 10 it demands your attention & anything over 10 rquires 100% of you. It is roomy for my 5'9" frame, the head lights are brilliant. I'm torn between the looks of the 06 & the 08. Sometimes I prefer the cleaner lines of the older model & sometimes I prefer the angular lines of the O8. I can't say I can really feel much difference in performance between them although the 08 does seem to take off a 1000 revs sooner. I like the Pirellis that come with it, much better than the dunlops of the 06 model. Handels well, makes me feel confident even on winter roads. My friends ride Blades ZX10's, when we are out there is nothing between them performance wise. It all comes down to looks & in my opinion the R1 wins that every time.

I traded in my '05 R1 for a '57 face-lift and was extremely impressed. I didn't think anything could be better but the face-lift model feels smoother and more balanced. Still a bit slow in low revs but a Dynojet power commander soon sorts that. I also have a Renthal front sprocket fitted, Akropovic system, K&N etc coming soon. I'm still getting used to the addition of the tps, makes the bike feel restricted until you look at the speedo! Awesome bike, amazing power, highly recommended!

Came from a K6 GSXR 750 to this and wow what a bike!!. Nice and easy below 7,000 rpm which is around 100mph in top and handy for rain, town usual stuff but go beyond this and the thing starts to fly. Hit 10,000 rpm and you enter a very different and scary world !! After a week in France touring with a few mates the bike was faultless and suprizingly comfy. The only time it suffered was over tight twisty broken tarmac roads which had it sliding around but I would have struggled on a BMW GS to be fair. Quality is excellent and it makes the GSXR 1000 look like a pig !!!

I sold my CBR600RR, Hayabusa & Bandit 12 to fund my new R1 I also bought a old 918 blade for track use and work so I have a bit of bike knowledge. Now I have got my bike fully run-in (1k) and the sun was shining I took the R1 out to put it through its paces and amazing simply amazing. It was so nimble and you dont realise the lean you get. I was arriving at my favorite corners probably twice as fast and going round and I thought not realy trying but my knee was firmly planted and even though twice as fast as im used to the bike sorted it all out. Dont be fooled it doesnt take anything away from you it still lets you know your going fast the front has an habbit of jumping up in the air. The noises coming from under the fuel tank i.e the moving air intakes and the loud standard pipes behind that pop and burble make it a very interesting and exciting bike to ride. You can here the air intakes pop at 10k if accelerating hard can feel a slight bit of extra surge. After having such a good ride on the bike I had to write it down. New R1 officially brilliant!