yamaha bikes r1

Yamaha is back. After riding the latest R1 at Sydney Motorsports Park in Australia last February, we walked away amazed, but we also left with a huge list of unanswered questions. Racetrack press introductions allow a motorcycle to be tested near its limits, exploring aspects of performance that are virtually impossible to sample on public roads. But therein lies the problem: Racetracks don’t do a good job of indicating how motorcycles work in the real world of traffic, commuting, imperfect pavement, and speed limits.