It's a special bike, all right. I'm riding through familiar deserted Mumbai roads at night. But they feel different on this bike; a race replica has a way of making everyday roads feel like a race track. Sidewalks transform into kerbs, buildings lining the road turn into grandstands and I turn into Ben Spies. Well, almost. The reason for this mirage-inducing nocturnal escapade is the 2010 Yamaha YZF-R1. Arriving in World Superbike as a rookie, taking the fight to the Ducati-equipped Noriyuki Haga and beating him for the title takes a special kind of man. And a special kind of bike too, a bike that is now available in India. Naturally, we had to take it out for a night on the town.
THE LOOK: EYE SPIE
Since the launch of the new R1, its appearance has been a contentious issue in many a pub. Why? Well, don't ask me because I think it looks fantastic. And don't ask those people either who appeared out of the night's shadows and milled around the bike well past midnight. The R1 looks like nothing else but an R1, and yet it's so different than what we've seen before. This bike's got my personal favourite headlights in the whole world. Those piercing orbs are hypnotic to look at, endowing the R1 with a more cobra-like countenance - like there's a brain behind those eyes that knows something that you don't and sees right through you. No wonder those people were drawn to it as if in a trance. It's definitely not feline in my book anymore. As is the case with all hypersports machines, the R1's form is dictated by function as much as it is by pure aesthetics. The stylish plastic work on the entire bike is a lesson in full-size minimalism - everything looks skimpy, but is actually substantial enough to be comfortable for the rider. And here's an amazing fact for you - the R1 is actually 15 mm shorter in length, 15 mm taller and exactly as wide as the Kawasaki Ninja 250R! Marvel of packaging, anyone? However, the tail light that nestles between the twin exhausts does look unimpressive and out-of-sync with the rest of the bike. The quality of fit and finish is typically Yamaha though - top-notch.
I'm sure that by now, you will have drooled over these pages looking at the Ben Spies replica paint job. The big number 19 at the front and on the tail section make sure you know to whom this bike is a tribute to. Italian food giant Sterilgarda's decals in addition to various sponsors names all over the bike and the subtle 'Spies' on the side complete the job. This being dear old Vicky Jaising's bike, it's got some really special bits on it. How about the Carrozzeria V Track forged aluminium wheels, for example? No stock wheels can ever look so cool! It's almost incidental that they reduce unsprung weight and make the R1 an even better handler than usual. Then there are the aftermarket wave pattern front brake rotors, hand and foot controls and a fantastic carbon fibre Akrapovic exhaust system. The overall impact of this bike is unbelievable. In the black and yellow night, it seemed as if Ben's own machine had lost its way onto Mumbai's Victorian era roads. All that's missing is a pair of racing slicks.
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