Regressive theory

Racing, so they say, improves the breed and back in 1998 this cliché was certainly true. So was ‘race it Sunday sell it on Monday’.

Exactly 20 years ago, Yamaha’s mighty R1 screwed up the rule book, burned all the evidence and wrote a totally new edition.

Compared to the long, heavy and unwieldy Thunderace that preceded it, the 1998 R1 was inexplicably light, lithe and incredibly powerful. The R1 pretty much dominated production-based pure road and circuit racing for the next couple of years, proving its adaptability as not only a potent track tool but also as a bike equally adept at tackling the uneven surfaces of real roads.

Time has been kind to this original R1 4XV: kind in terms of its looks, certainly. If it wasn’t for the very ‘1990s’ font of the YZF graphic on the fairing side panels and obviously the date related registration plate, it’d be hard for the untrained eye to spot that it’s as old as it is. And that Yamaha Motor France trademark blue paint, I think, sets off the shiny alloy parts with better contrast