Yamaha R1 for Rs 11 lakh

Indian bikes are getting bigger, so Yamaha decided to play Daddy and got their biggest, baddest and quickest one across. The much-awaited Yamaha R1 is an ultimate bike to look forward to. We did a test drive, and here's the experience.Crouching down behind the R1's rather useful fairing, we wait for the traffic to clear up. In front of us is a huge truck whose driver is probably having a debate via video-conference with the bossman, as to which lane he should be driving in. It's not really a picnic for us either. Rajasthan was never really known for its beautiful climate but it's unusually muggy today. The mercury is probably pointing at the late thirties. The R1 is liquid-cooled but the engine is spewing so much heat, that you can hear the hair on your leg crackle - even with the leathers.Just then, the road ahead clears up and it's only black tarmac for as long as you could see - a red carpet invite to turn up the volume button is what follows. At a 60 kmph fourth gear rut, the R1 is irritable, cranky and hating every bit of this. But when the powerband kicks in, all is forgiven. It is like climbing through the grey clouds and then suddenly bursting into the golden sunlight. It's a blistering guitar solo on wheels and at a speed of 160 kmph in second gear, it's threatening to explode. But then that really is the point of this tracer bullet that's called a motorcycle.Now most motorcycles that have a hundred and seventy-odd horses are a raw expression of purpose, which is to go very, very fast. But the Yamaha embodies this regardless of the rider's ability to deal with it. This one really bites. Mind you, it's not as hard core as the first one, something tuning fork lovers would remember rather well. The first generation R1 was a wheelie monster. This one's a bit more courteous.

And yet this is not very obvious the first time you actually come face to face with it. For one, the motorcycle is pretty. Actually, it is gorgeous. So good in fact that if it was Italian, the hacks would hail it as the prettiest motorcycle in the world. Then there are the excruciatingly pretty details like the sinuous underseat exhaust cans and the classy speedo. And that inverted swingarm is a pure work of art. Neither is the size that intimidating. Sit on it and it disappears. There is so little mass to speak of, all of which is wedged between your knees. You sit with your bum high in the air and head buried in tank. If that sounds uncomfortable, it's because it is. Then you start it up and ride away and things get worse. The R1 tries to tip you off in the first three gears. If you are still clinging on by some obscure stroke of luck, you will see 250 kmph by the time it takes you to exhale completely. In terms of numbers 100 kmph can come up in three seconds while top speed is easily in excess of 300 kmph. And that's not just in a straight line. Roads and the size of my family jewels didn't allow me to push the R1 to its cornering limit, but rest assured that it is infinitely more capable at handling high speed corners than most riders who will ever get on it.

But hang on for a second and just think about that performance in a broader sense. There's a whopping 172 bhp coming out of that little 998 cc motor. With ram-air, horsepower is bumped up to 182.That gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 1000 bhp per tonne. Something that's comparable to a F1 car which happens to be at the pinnacle of motorsport and has the benefit of multi-million dollar development programmes. The R1 doesn't. Best part is that it costs a tenth of a tenth of an F1 car. Keep that in mind and the approximate cost of Rs 11 lakh and this motorcycle is a bargain. Well, you have to shell out this much money, if you wish to have one of these standing in your driveway. Besides unless are a Su-30 pilot, a cry baby in a F1 team or Fernando Alonso (which is the same thing),this sort of acceleration is pretty much out of bounds for you.But don't rush to your nearest Yamaha dealer just yet because the countdown to the launch is yet to begin. The Japs still have to sort out the import policies and finalise on the pricing. And after years of speculation and months of 'unconfirmed reports,' Indian motorcyclists will now get what they've been screaming hoarse for. A blunt weapon that abuses senses and resets boundaries. Time to start saving up then. Or you could just raid grandma's savings, sell the house, move in with your girlfriend and eat once a day. Either ways it would still be worth it.