Cranking out that claimed 180 horsepower, and hitting nearly 14,000 rpm, the new R1 engine generates some serious heat. Not to worry, a new curved radiator is in place with two ring-type fans. Even these are new, with an external ring around the blades to reduce flex and allow more cooling.

Helping the engine make its truckloads of horsepower, up 20 from last year, is a new fuel-injection system. It uses larger 45mm throttle bodies; with primary and secondary butterfly valves instead of generation two’s diaphragm slides. The throttle opens the first butterfly while a servomotor controls the second (sound familiar GSX-R owners?). Long-nose injectors fire fuel down the almost straight intake ports, before the burned gasses are whisked away into the sexy looking titanium under tail exhaust system.

Containing Yamaha’s patent EXUP valve, the system is all titanium except for the stainless steel catalytic converter. While the pipes look extremely sweet, they do make for a very hot seat battling through traffic. To be fair, temperatures in Sydney were excruciatingly hot, but asbestos underwear might be a good investment if you are male and haven’t already fathered children. Any annoyance at the heat was soon forgotten when the engine revs started to rise and the rear exit pipes start to howl.

Running over the slimmer engine, instead of around the sides, the new black Delta box frame looks familiar, but is in fact 68.4mm narrower. Borrowing technology from their own M1 GP race bike, Yamaha claim a 200 percent increase in vertical rigidity and a 30 percent increase in torsional rigidity. This basically means, unless you are Valentino Rossi you are not going to be taxing this chassis.

Attaching to the new frame, the foot pegs are now positioned 2.5mm further forward and 7.5mm lower. Allied to the handlebar’s 10mm increase in height, sitting on the new R1 feels surprisingly roomy. The bike’s lean angle is supposed to have stayed the same at 56 degrees. But I frequently had my boots on the floor, and Mr. Carruthers was complaining his foot pegs were touching, so I am not too sure about this.

Moving aft, the new swing arm is a tasty looking piece, and has its bracing on the underside so as not to interfere with the new exhaust. As with the main frame, torsional and side rigidity have both been increased. It also provides a home for a revised rear Soqi shock that features damping and spring rates to suit the new chassis. This now has a horizontal reservoir tank in place of last year’s vertical affair. For the track, the compression had been turned way in from the standard setting, some pre load added and the rebound left alone. I had no complaints with the way the rear end behaved, and felt no need to question Yamaha’s settings.