YAMAHA R1M (2020 - on) Review

Riding a Yamaha R1M (officially known as YZF-R1M) on track with sticky tyres is always an event. This superbike is comfortable at speed and hugely capable, but the 2020 model isn’t a whole lot different to the previous version, which is no bad thing as the old bike was so good.

• Related: Standard 2020 Yamaha R1 review

Braking performance still can’t match the best of its European rivals, but that didn’t stop Alex Lowes setting a 1m 43.9s lap of Jerez, riding a standard R1M on slicks at the launch (he said he could go even faster) –that's  three seconds off his WSB race pace. Modern superbikes really are better than we mortals.

⏱️ #60secondswith the new Yamaha R1M and @Neevesy33 from Jerez. pic.twitter.com/V2d03Db6Sf

— Motor Cycle News (@MCNnews) September 15, 2019

This bike replaced the 2018 Yamaha R1M, which itself replaced the 2015 bike of the same name.

If you're looking at buying a race-spec R1 then your other option is a GYTR version of the bike as tested here.

There's a thriving enthusiasts' scene at the R1 Owners Club.

Like the stock R1 the M’s chassis remains the same, but the electronic semi-active Öhlin’s TTX36 rear shock features the Swedish firm’s next generation valving and its new NPX-EC gas forks are less prone to cavitation (producing tiny bubbles), offering more consistent damping under hard use.

A combination of its plush Öhlins, racing slicks, the motor’s strangely vibe-free character and a recently surfaced Jerez, gives the surreal impression you’re riding on velvet to second you leave pitlane and it keeps on getting better the faster you go.

Then Yamaha’s strange braking character gives the front end a slightly wooden feel, but ignore that and, as before, the R1M’s cornering poise, stability and agility is up there with the best. Few superbikes are as easy to ride quickly and constantly flatter the rider. Just point where you want to go and it obediently follows.

Despite a new electronic engine braking control system (three levels) and a revised lightweight ABS pump with two-stage braking control, the R1M’s (and R1’s) brake-by-wire system still lacks feel, power and consistency. Squeeze the lever as hard as you can, even crushing it with four fingers and the Yamaha only gives you the braking power it thinks it needs, which can leave you sailing past a corner.

You can feel the ABS pulsing through your right hand into hairpins and after a full track session the lever starts coming back to the bar. These braking traits are shared by all the Japanese superbikes, but not the Aprilia, BMW or Ducati and is the R1M’s only glitch in a sea of brilliance.

Lose the ABS, fit a race exhaust and keep it fed with hot and cold running racing tyres and the YZF R1M will be one of the most formidable, but friendly trackday tools around.

With four power-sapping cats stuck in the Yamaha’s new exhaust system to meet Euro 5 regs, Yamaha has extensively worked on its crossplane crank motor, just for it to make the same 197bhp and 83ftlb of torque. It’s a top to bottom overhaul: a reworked cylinder head, finger follower rocker arm, throttle bodies, 10-hole injectors, crank and oil system.

• Read details about the Yamaha R1's updated engine tech here

Swap the pipe for a free-flowing racing system and all that work will add up to more power, which will be good news for the bulk of riders who’ll buy the R1M for the track.

Predictably, its performance is similar to the out-going model. That’s not the worst news ever because the crossplane motor, with its ghostly wail, still accelerates off corners with barely believable ferocity and delivers mind-boggling speed along the straights.

A fully electronic ride-by-wire throttle is now cable-less and there’s a smorgasbord of rider aids: four power modes, 10 traction and four slide control levels, three launch control settings and three up/down shifter modes.

Riding on Bridgestone’s super-sticky V02 slicks for our launch test (it comes on Bridgestone RS11s as standard) it’s hard to unstick the rear, but when it does go, the YZF R1M’s traction and lean-sensitive slide control holds you safely in a serene drift, transforming you briefly into the pro you’d always dreamed of being.

Its anti-wheelie is still up there with the best, holding a low-hung Bridgestone inches from the tarmac without having to shut the throttle.

MCN readers have given this generation R1 nothing but glowing five-star reviews, so there shouldn’t be any problems with the engine, chassis or electronics on this model.

We've got no Yamaha R1M owners reviews on the site (leave one here) but the previous version scored the full five stars.

Mixing with superbike royalty the beautiful R1M wasn’t cheap when it was launched, costing more than the M Package BMW S1000RR, Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory and base Ducati Panigale V4 - all extremely capable sports bikes in their own right.

In early 2022 the Yamaha R1M price had gone up to £23k and this track-focused animal gained new opposition: since launch BMW have introduced the hardcore £31k M1000RR and the Aprilia RSV4 Factory was also updated and renamed in '21, costing exactly the same as the R1M.

With that in mind, for dedicated circuit work we’d recommend going for the base R1, and spend the change on suspension, tyres and lots of sunny trackdays.

The R1M gets the same engine overhaul, chassis, styling and electronics tweaks as the R1 and as has been the tradition for this special online-order only machine since 2015, it’s dripping with goodies: semi-active Ohlin’s suspension, carbon bodywork, a polished tank and swingarm, a wider 200-section rear tyre, a data logger and a Yamaha Racing Experience Day.

You can also download an app that lets you set the R1M’s electronics, which now works on a smartphone as well as a tablet.

New for this year are gas-pressurised forks and the full carbon-fibre fairing has a revised nose shape with its side panels flowing into the tank. There’s a new taller screen, magnesium bellypan panels, aluminium air intake duct and the tail section is in carbon.

Improved shark-eyed LEDs give the R1 a more sinister look. The previous model’s lights were so effective they were still used by endurance racing teams.

For the first time the R1M comes with a numbered plaque on top of the fuel tank. Yamaha press the button on just one R1M production run a year.

There are also loads of options on offer - head over to the Yamaha R1M configurator to learn more.