Yamaha R1S unveiled

It was long rumoured that Yamaha is working on a third variant of the new R1. Currently the Yamaha R1 is offered in two variants – R1 and R1M. The new motorcycle being unveiled has been christened Yamaha R1S. The new Yamaha R1S will be the entry-level offering into the Yamaha R1 family. At the time of the launch, many an eyebrows were raised given the steep pricing of the new Yamaha R1. The Japanese two-wheeler giant justified the pricing by stating that the new R1 was more suited for the track than the street. To make the new Yamaha R1S more economically accessible it loses out on many of the exotic parts as seen on its elder sibling. The Yamaha R1S loses out on magnesium parts for aluminium ones (oil pan, engine covers, wheels). Also, the titanium crafted components like connecting rods and exhaust headers have been replaced by steel.

This has resulted in the new Yamaha R1S gaining almost 4kg in comparison to the R1. Owing to the steel con-rods and revised valve design, redline of the four-cylinder crossplane engine has also been reduced. Although Yamaha hasn’t confirmed it yet but expect the power output to be marginally lower on the new Yamaha R1S from the current 200PS of the stock R1. The reduction in goodies has meant that Yamaha have been successful in shaving of $1,500 from the sticker price of the Yamaha R1. The new Yamaha R1S retails for Rs 9.8 lakh without any taxes in the US market while the Yamaha R1 has been priced at a hefty Rs 22.3 lakh in India as it’s brought in via the CBU route.