A completely new from the ground up design could be on the cards for the next-gen R1
- The famed sportsbike celebrated 20 years of existence in 2018.
- New patent papers filed suggest complete revamp.
- Could get more MotoGP tech, like counter-rotating crankshaft and seamless transmission.
- Possibly for the 2021 model year.
In recent times, much of motorcycle development has revolved around preparing them to be eligible for the upcoming emission norms. This brought about the demise of some pretty famous motorcycles like the Suzuki Hayabusa and the Triumph Rocket III. While the latter is gearing up for a relaunch this year, the former could be coming next year. Now, according to an online source, Yamahais working on a generation update for the YZF-R1. The Jap bikemaker has recently filed new patent papers which could suggest the arrival of a new sportbike.
The litre-class phenomenon will undergo a complete overhaul in terms of design as well as mechanicals. Yamaha could implement more of their MotoGP learnings into the next R1. Like Ducati and BMW, Yamaha too could equip the R1 with a counter-rotating crankshaft. Used on Rossi’s YZR-M1 race bike, the tech improves the bike’s agility and also limits wheelies under hard acceleration.
The rumour mill also suggest that the next R1 would get a seamless gearbox. The tech allows clutchless gear changes without any loss of power or destabilisation. Until now, this was not practically possible for road-going motorcycles, as such gearboxes need daily maintenance by stripping bits off completely and putting them back together. Perhaps Yamaha has found a solution to tackle this issue and make a seamless transmission that has all the reliability of a conventional gearbox.
We await more news from Yamaha as this version of the R1 could come along at the 2020 EICMA, debuting as a 2021 model.
News source: iMotorbike.my