Press intro's - Here's what I've learnt. If it's a crappy bike, you get to stay in the posh-est hotel in the land, fed like kings and generally treated like royalty. The bike? Who cares? The swag was good, I slept well and I got to hang with some cool peeps…

This time was different. I was sitting in a warehouse, in a golf cart of all things, being given a lap top presentation by Yamaha's own PR guru, Brad Banister. Sure, I was fairly comfortable but the surroundings were hardly salubrious and I didn't even get a stinking cup of coffee for my moaning.

Then it happened - Yamaha's VP, Bob Starr, wearing a grin the size of a Cheshire cat, whipped off the covers to the most exquisite remodel of one of my most favorite street bikes, the Yamaha R1.

Take a gander my two wheel friends; it's all there. Looking for some radial brakes? Got em'. Mondo motor? yep'. Underseat exhaust exotica? You betcha'. Ram air? Oh yeah.. There's more too, lots of tricky extruded parts for lightness and, umm, trickiness. Totally restyled but still unmistakably a Yamaha R1. 4 lbs lighter and definitely targeted towards a sportier crowd.

Sitting astride the thing is a treat in itself. It's super narrow with your knee's almost touching each other. The seat is narrow, but sculpted and low too. The tank is high and the feeling is a sense of in the bike, rather than on it...

So without further ado, here are the pictures, specs to follow...

MikeE

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