I can't stop watching this video! The R1M look so stable existing and entering every & smooth through the apex! I really think the New R1 is going to be a top contender this year no doubt. As much as I want the the panigale 1299...
@pinky Thanks, and you're right... the R1 is definitely a step up, and as cool as the Panigale is, my feeling is there's no real competition after comparing notes with our staffer who rode it recently. The R1 is now light, the chassis and suspension are exemplary, and the crossplane motor is spectacular. However, for me, the secret sauce to going fast on the Yamaha is the Slide Control. Although Traction Control detects wheel spin, in the final analysis all it can do is is say 'uh-oh the rear is starting to lose grip, let's back the power off a bit'. For me, the motor then feels anemic coming out of turns and in extreme cases I've even wondered why the motor appears to have a 'powerband' that feels like the old two-stroke days! Turns out they don't have them, it's just the motor being de-tuned while the bike is leaned over, and as it comes upright full power is returned to the engine. The problem is, there are two things happening when the rear tire loses grip in a turn: 1) the tire loses grip, and 2) the rear end starts to come around. TC detects the former and tries to reduce it enough that the latter doesn't happen. That's all well and good, but the electronics are only really addressing one part of the problem and hoping the other doesn't then happen. The Slide Control on the R1 (patent pending incidentally) actually detects that the rear of the bike is starting to step out--and by how much--and it mitigates the power to prevent the rear coming around too far. And it does it so quickly and subtly that I didn't realize how much it was helping me out until I looked at the data afterwards although I swear I could feel the rear 'sliding' through the corners--something I don't normally have the skill to do effectively. IOW: Traction and slide control combined are way more efficient at preventing highsides than TC alone, and because both symptoms are being treated, the engine is allowed to produce more power and yet still keep the rider safe. End result for me is that I was coming on the throttle noticeably sooner and more aggressively than I ever have before, and I know for sure that there's no way I could have matched my lap times on any other bike. So I now need to recalibrate my brain so that next time I'm on another (lesser) bike on track I don't do the same thing and highside to the moon! Aargh! The only problem with the R1 is that it's going to make racing pretty boring this year...
This new technology/electronics embedded on the 2015 R1 lures a lot of attention .That Slide Control working unison with the traction control is new to production bike and made available for us mortals. Must be pretty exciting for Yamaha. R1M is going to make track days riders and club racers look like pros! Thanks so much for all the detail experience and sharing this with us readers. Its a game changer .
You're so right! Sheesh it's annoying, and the GoPro was mounted on the tank relatively behind the screen. It has to be said though, that GoPros handle audio better than any of the other cameras I've tried. The Sena Prism I also used works awesome--but the wind noise is even worse! I plan to experiment perhaps with external microphones to try and do a better job. Hopefully it didn't entirely spoil the vid for you. Cheers
Yes, indeed. Ed is an excellent rider (as can be seen) and we had a lot of fun riding together; I have huge respect for him and enjoyed meeting him. Apparently I showed him a better line through Turn 3, but I much prefer his line through the final sequence on to the straight. It seems we all never stop learning. Gotta love sport riding! :)
How true! Japanese manufacturers tend to err towards the conservative, and having gone through the recent recession with unsold inventory sitting on showroom floors I can't say I blame them. But I bet this is one number they will find to be very under-estimated--to their regret! Apparently most (whatever that means) of the US allocation are already spoken for; so if you want one, you'd better get your skates on.
Ultimate MotorCycling The latest and the most advance of them all..they would think this might be different. Its 5k cheaper then the panigale S 1299. Technology embedded in the R1M is awesome for the price stand point. Thanks so much for the bike reviews and videos. I am in the States, so the R1M is out of the question. i am gunning for the 1299 S Panigale now
Ultimate MotorCycling Yes one thing i notice of the the videos i have seen with the 1299 panigale, maybe its just me but it seems the R1M seems to be alot stable in high speed then the 1299? what say you?
auctevia bent Very good question! I haven't ridden the 1299 although I did test the 1199R at COTA a couple years ago. Another staffer just rode the 1299 at Portimao and he concluded that the dynamic suspension didn't work well on the track, but would be great on the street. Essentially the problem is that the suspension is being constantly adjusted so the bike feels different every time you enter a corner, hit the brakes, or accelerate hard, and because of that inconsistency it's not incredibly confidence inspiring and it can wobble. Interestingly I had a similar experience on the 1M. Frankly the standard R1 with the KYB suspension was exemplary in its handling; the 1M in Auto (dynamic) felt wobbly/squatted at the rear through a couple of turns. As I rode the bike harder and it started to disappear but never quite completely. Ultimately I didn't feel as negative about the 1M as my colleague did on the 1299, but it's impossible to compare them yet until we do a real track comparo in a few months. For my part, I believe that the 1M is a couple of quick menu clicks away from being perfect and I personally would take it over the 1299 any day. But that's just me. The other thing is we were riding the 1M on slicks... they have waaay more grip and not only do they change the geometry slightly (65 profile from stock 55), they also affect handling because of the better grip. If I had the money I'd buy a 1M in a heartbeat. Based on that, this insider info will cost you $22k. Please mail the check immediately LOL.
I can't stop watching this video! The R1M look so stable existing and entering every & smooth through the apex! I really think the New R1 is going to be a top contender this year no doubt. As much as I want the the panigale 1299...
@pinky Thanks, and you're right... the R1 is definitely a step up, and as cool as the Panigale is, my feeling is there's no real competition after comparing notes with our staffer who rode it recently. The R1 is now light, the chassis and suspension are exemplary, and the crossplane motor is spectacular. However, for me, the secret sauce to going fast on the Yamaha is the Slide Control. Although Traction Control detects wheel spin, in the final analysis all it can do is is say 'uh-oh the rear is starting to lose grip, let's back the power off a bit'. For me, the motor then feels anemic coming out of turns and in extreme cases I've even wondered why the motor appears to have a 'powerband' that feels like the old two-stroke days! Turns out they don't have them, it's just the motor being de-tuned while the bike is leaned over, and as it comes upright full power is returned to the engine.
The problem is, there are two things happening when the rear tire loses grip in a turn: 1) the tire loses grip, and 2) the rear end starts to come around. TC detects the former and tries to reduce it enough that the latter doesn't happen. That's all well and good, but the electronics are only really addressing one part of the problem and hoping the other doesn't then happen. The Slide Control on the R1 (patent pending incidentally) actually detects that the rear of the bike is starting to step out--and by how much--and it mitigates the power to prevent the rear coming around too far. And it does it so quickly and subtly that I didn't realize how much it was helping me out until I looked at the data afterwards although I swear I could feel the rear 'sliding' through the corners--something I don't normally have the skill to do effectively.
IOW: Traction and slide control combined are way more efficient at preventing highsides than TC alone, and because both symptoms are being treated, the engine is allowed to produce more power and yet still keep the rider safe. End result for me is that I was coming on the throttle noticeably sooner and more aggressively than I ever have before, and I know for sure that there's no way I could have matched my lap times on any other bike. So I now need to recalibrate my brain so that next time I'm on another (lesser) bike on track I don't do the same thing and highside to the moon! Aargh!
The only problem with the R1 is that it's going to make racing pretty boring this year...
This new technology/electronics embedded on the 2015 R1 lures a lot of attention .That Slide Control working unison with the traction control is new to production bike and made available for us mortals. Must be pretty exciting for Yamaha. R1M is going to make track days riders and club racers look like pros! Thanks so much for all the detail experience and sharing this with us readers. Its a game changer .
Great Vid! Too bad the Wind Noise canceled out The sound of the Motor.......
You're so right! Sheesh it's annoying, and the GoPro was mounted on the tank relatively behind the screen. It has to be said though, that GoPros handle audio better than any of the other cameras I've tried. The Sena Prism I also used works awesome--but the wind noise is even worse! I plan to experiment perhaps with external microphones to try and do a better job. Hopefully it didn't entirely spoil the vid for you.
Cheers
Following Lindemann Engineering's Ed Sorbo
Yes, indeed. Ed is an excellent rider (as can be seen) and we had a lot of fun riding together; I have huge respect for him and enjoyed meeting him. Apparently I showed him a better line through Turn 3, but I much prefer his line through the final sequence on to the straight. It seems we all never stop learning. Gotta love sport riding! :)
r1M should have been availAIBLE AS MASS PRODUCTION INSTEAD OF JUST LIMITED TO 500
How true! Japanese manufacturers tend to err towards the conservative, and having gone through the recent recession with unsold inventory sitting on showroom floors I can't say I blame them. But I bet this is one number they will find to be very under-estimated--to their regret! Apparently most (whatever that means) of the US allocation are already spoken for; so if you want one, you'd better get your skates on.
Ultimate MotorCycling The latest and the most advance of them all..they would think this might be different. Its 5k cheaper then the panigale S 1299. Technology embedded in the R1M is awesome for the price stand point. Thanks so much for the bike reviews and videos. I am in the States, so the R1M is out of the question. i am gunning for the 1299 S Panigale now
auctevia bent Thanks for the kind words! Surely not out of the question yet? I don't believe the M is yet sold out.
Ultimate MotorCycling Yes one thing i notice of the the videos i have seen with the 1299 panigale, maybe its just me but it seems the R1M seems to be alot stable in high speed then the 1299? what say you?
auctevia bent Very good question! I haven't ridden the 1299 although I did test the 1199R at COTA a couple years ago. Another staffer just rode the 1299 at Portimao and he concluded that the dynamic suspension didn't work well on the track, but would be great on the street. Essentially the problem is that the suspension is being constantly adjusted so the bike feels different every time you enter a corner, hit the brakes, or accelerate hard, and because of that inconsistency it's not incredibly confidence inspiring and it can wobble. Interestingly I had a similar experience on the 1M. Frankly the standard R1 with the KYB suspension was exemplary in its handling; the 1M in Auto (dynamic) felt wobbly/squatted at the rear through a couple of turns. As I rode the bike harder and it started to disappear but never quite completely. Ultimately I didn't feel as negative about the 1M as my colleague did on the 1299, but it's impossible to compare them yet until we do a real track comparo in a few months. For my part, I believe that the 1M is a couple of quick menu clicks away from being perfect and I personally would take it over the 1299 any day. But that's just me. The other thing is we were riding the 1M on slicks... they have waaay more grip and not only do they change the geometry slightly (65 profile from stock 55), they also affect handling because of the better grip. If I had the money I'd buy a 1M in a heartbeat. Based on that, this insider info will cost you $22k. Please mail the check immediately LOL.