THE R1 has acquitted herself in a very outstanding manner to reach second position in its category effortlessly. She has achieved this thanks to her superb abilities which haven’t changed much since the last model.
Among the four Japanese superbikes, she is the one that exudes the most distinct character in the propulsion and cycle part aspects. The R1 has a very purpose built engine, a whirlwind when it has surpassed the 900rpm mark. The R1 however lacks punch in the mid-range. This is instantly evident when you ride the R1 immediately after having ridden her rivals. You have to in fact keep her revved hard to extract the most from her short stroke motor, it’s powerband getting meaty only high up the rev range.
You also need to adapt certain riding techniques if you want to keep the engine running in the power band. But once it’s there inside the power band the R1 is an absolute delight. The R1 is also the only other bike in Master Bike to cross the 26kmph mark, the other being the ZX-10R which clocked 264kmph.
The gears are not very precise, like the R6 in the supersport category and she has an anti-lock system on the back wheel that is activated when you pull in the clutch when braking strongly.
Her riding position is exemplary with her low seat and elevated handlebars. It feels similar to the Ducati 999s and once you adapt yourself to it, it allows you splendid control.
Her stability is rock solid and leaves you speechless. The suspension bits work wonderfully well and endow the R1 with fantastic handling.
