Sorry for the delay in announcing but I've been waiting patiently for a couple weeks to get this entry. I'm sure we can all agree that Andy has created a masterpiece with this stunning 1st Gen R1. Congrats Andy and thanks for sharing what may be the finest R1 in New Zealand.
The Story-
How it all started
I bought the bike end of 1999 new from a Yamaha dealer in Berlin/Germany because I like blue and I like the design/style - nothing changed until today. Being inspired since 2000 from couple of articles about the Kainzinger R1 I started to modify it accordingly.
First stage 2000-2001: 998ccm, 146hp, 102Nm, 200kg
First I bought in 2000 the QB Carbon front fairing from Kainzinger, then added a year later the Öhlins fork and shock to it. A big difference already but having them not adjusted to your weight and riding style accordingly is still just haft the way to go – I changed that later on accordingly. Having the stock rims painted/polished looks nice but a hell of a job to clean it every time when a few water drops start drying on that surface – it leaves marks. An undertail similar to the Graphic Art Moto Design gives a nice clean look – until today.
Fairing:
QB Carbon cf top fairing
QB Carbon cf vented side panels
QB Carbon cf closed belly pan
QB Carbon cf front fender
QB Carbon cf rear fender
MRA racing windshield clear
Hagen undertail
Suspension:
Ă–hlins fork FG 883
Ă–hlins shock Ya155
Wheels stock rims polished/painted
Little bit carbon, little bit bling bling only.
Second stage 2002-2004: 998ccm, 163hp, 114Nm, 188kg
Having a shopping week booked in New York I ordered during that time some nice aluminium Attack Racing triple clamp, pegs and inverted shift pattern and took them in my hand luggage home to Germany – how convenient. Additionally I ordered direct from QB the rest cf parts like airbox, tank and tail.
I was planning to give the bike to Kainzinger to let him bring all the parts together because he also have the air duct under the triple clamp for that box and the parts to connect the QB side fairings direct to the airbox, so I have 3 working air intakes. That gives you from 120kph onwards positive air pressure and also cold air for the carbs.
Due to our noise restrictions in my country I decided to put 2 Akrapovic muffles on my bike so I have the same power output with dbKiller like having an open race muffler.
Furthermore I want some good tune with the airbox/Akra combination so my bike spent a few months to him to get the job done properly.
Engine:
Attack Racing triple clamp with adjustable offset
Attack Racing foot rests
Attack Racing inverted shift pattern
Gregg pinion cover black
DID 520 ERV2 chain with alu Wieres sprocket
Akrapovic EVO II complete system with two carbon mufflers incl. dbKiller
JamParts CNC muffler brackets from Honda SP1, SP2 short version
Factory Pro ignition advancer 4degrees
Factory Pro titanium carb. needle kit
Sam's servo sub exup eliminator
Fairing:
QB Carbon cf 2000 R1 tank R7 style
QB Carbon cf airbox with 3 intakes: 2 from the sides and 1 under the triple clamp, airbox modified accordingly
QB Carbon cf single rear seat
Attack Racing cf under chain guard
Suspension:
Graves handlebars
Brakes:
Spiegler radial master cylinder incl. hoses
Lucas SRQ brake pads
Design:
Graphic Art Moto Design gauge plate white
Moko fairing protectors left and right side
Third stage 2010-2011: 998ccm, 163hp, 114Nm, 176kg
- 132 true rear wheel horse power regarding Factory Pro dyno in 2012
- stock RN01 regarding Factory website 117true hp
- BMW S100RR 163 true hp
In 2010 I found a new job in New Zealand so I decided to throw in the last missing bits and pieces because there is no TÜV (technical certification organisation) which needs for each and every part a certificate. My bike was except the carbon fibre tank road legal in Germany and never has had any problem. But now I’m free to put race parts/custom parts on the bike without having to follow these rules. I got a complete certificate here as well to drive the bike on the road, but that’s a one off only.
The most important 3 things on a bike to setup accordingly are: suspension, brakes and cooling!
So back to the details. I always wanted radial fork legs to put some nice PFM brakes (see Kainzinger bike) from UK on my bike. But to change these to the Öhlins legs it would add up to nearly the same price like buying a completely new fork and I even can sell the old one. Also being VAT/tax free if I export these parts out of Europe (-19% from retail price) I just took the complete FGRT 810 front fork for a 2010 R1, using 320mm discs without even spacers (discontinued unfortunately). So but my dealer in Germany (MCET, Thomas Thiele) pointed out that Brembo is just the top brand to go with: callipers, discs, pads, master cylinders – all from one company and that works for sure together. To find some discs was a challenge because the offset of the T-Drive discs don’t fit and they are of course not available for a 1999 R1. I also wanted new wheels so taking some measurements and computation we decided to use a Ducati 848 front wheel offset so I’m sure to get replacement discs for a while and I can get these nice T-Drives. For the wheels I went with OZ because being half the price of the Dymag/BST carbon ones and there are easier to handle than magnesium as well. They are already nearly 2kg lighter so all good. For the calliper I wanted to go with the cheaper GP4 RX but I don’t like the look of them so I threw in some pretty GP4-RR with the CNC PR 19x20 master cylinder.
I have never seen or felt such a crystal clear and defined brake point – it’s a true one finger brake and handles even from 250 down to 100 like you are pulling the lever on a mountain bike – unbelievable!!! For the rear we produced a custom bracket to make the P4/24 fit with some Braking wave 220mm rear disc.
To update the suspension I choose a well known aluminium working guy (tanks, swingarms, etc.) who is doing not only light and stiffer swingarms but also developing suspension tuning expertise by changing linkage and the triangle geometry to stiffen up the weak rear so we get more mechanical grip. I wanted that awesome boxed swingarm and it tooks me a while to convince him to do one more after 6 years when he did the last. It’s not only 1kg lighter and longer for further adjustmements if necessary but it’s also stiffer and just yummi to look at. To make things perfect I also decided to through in a new TTX 36 shock to get the perfect suspension so far. Of course the superbike fork would be one step more but I don’t like the short service intervals of 1000km of it and I will not feel the difference either. So I got the complete package from customised suspension (even fork and shock were brand new, he put them on a dynamometer and changed valves, needles etc. to make them fit to my weight and riding style) with eliminating all tolerances of swing arm, wheels, head bearings etc.. Even I was 20,000km away from my bike already he got the setup to probably 99% right – more than 25 years of experience and having a 99 R1 as well paid off and he did around 60 of these suspension tunings just for this R1 – up to today still doing this incredible job nowodays even on cars. He recently updated linkage/suspension on a Panigale which is unridable for a 70kg driver even he is pretty fast on the track as well: just too stiff and no way to make it suit to a normal driver, except you compete at international level.
And the result – incredible soft even with 200 over small humps and still 2-3cm left from the bottom end of the fork so enough reserves for much faster riding: as soft as possible and as hard as necessary! And if I drive too fast there is still plenty of room for adjustment but since one year and more than 1500km on track (for the first time in my life by the way) I don’t even touch one click of any adjustment possibilities. Soft in the beginning and stiffens up to the end – perfect and worth every penny!
That Yamaha engines are running pretty hot is not new and having around 90-95 degree centigrade on the track is normal. So we need a bigger radiator which also went to the bottom end of the fairing – the stock one is 25mm thick, my Böckers racing one 40mm on top and 25mm at the lower part. I also wanted it made in one piece without having the gap for the mounting bracket. Lucky that my friend Tom from MCET has had a Febur radiator which Böckers could use to make a similar copy without having my complete bike. It ended up sending this radiator another 2 times back and forth to the company to get the alignment and the connectors right not to interfere with some tubes etc. – huge amount of custom work to do because it’ just hard to measure such object on a bike. But more than worth the hassle: never ever see more than 76-80 degrees on a racetrack even with 25 degree centigrade air temperature and 50 degree centigrade tarmac temperature. Even driving in the pit and parking the bike after a session doesn’t let the temperature rise more than up to 85 degrees. Stock R6/R1 running around 86-95 on the track and the fan is working beyond 105 degrees already once coming into the pit. H2O in Italy claims 6-7hp loss due to every 10degrees of higher engine temps!
So what is left to put in the bike: A nice and perfect working anti slipping clutch from Sigma Performance/UK in combination with an reinforced clutch basket which will gives you massive underarms because to pull against these springs is a massive effort but well, the one finger brake gives you some less stress on the right hand and you need the clutch just for downshifts – right?
Two more things are worth to mention I guess. I’m using a battery produced in Germany called Bikefire BF5000 with 4.6Ah capacity, 240A pulse discharge and incredible 900g weight, measurements are 115x65x85mm so also much smaller. It’s the cheapest way to lose 3kg of weight.
Having no more noise restriction so far I decided to remove the 2 big Akra mufflers (50cm length) and replace it with a hexagonal one (30cm length) which is without dbKiller not so really loud here with 99db compared to stock 93db. One day I came across the Austin Racing products in UK where you can have the GP version with 60mm flange for my Akra link pipe. And with 20cm length and 10cm diameter pretty small and it gives me with around 105db the noise level I like. Lucky that the mounting position just fits to the stock Akra cf bracket. There is also the 10cm long GP2 version available but I can’t mount that to my foot pegs and I don’t have an 80mm connection tube – check out BMW S1000RR/Aprilia RSV4 with nearly 120db!
Furthermore we powder coated the frame flat black but leave the swingarm silver which gives a nice contrast…look on your own.
Engine:
Böckers racing radiator
Samco hoses set black
Woodcraft engine covers alternator, engine cover black with stainless steel inlays
Sigma AHC
Sigma Performance reinforced clutch basket
DID 520 ERV3 chain
Sita sprocket 520/45
Akrapovic muffler hexagonal
Austin Racing muffler GP Ultimate Carbon
Bikefire battery BF5000, 4.6Ah, 900g, 240A
more than 150 titanium/alu screws/bolts
Fairing:
Dynomite cf front and rear fenders vented
Rizoma mirrors limit sport
Rizoma indicators Avio 21
Rizoma number plate kit
Rizoma oil plug
Suspension:
Ă–hlins fork FGRT810 R1 2004-10 (custom re-valved, etc.)
Ă–hlins shock TTX36 YA788 R1 2008 (custom re-valved, etc.)
Ă–hlins steering damper SD124 68mm hub R1 1998-2001
OZ wheels Piega R 5 SP aluminium with Metzeler Racetec K3 Interact 120/70 ZR 17, 190/55 ZR 17
Martin Sauer custom boxed/stiffened swingarm
Martin Sauer geometry setup with custom made linkage, triangle, bearings, etc.
Emil Schwarz head, swingarm bearings
TCA GT chain adjuster YZFR 1 2004-10
Brakes:
Brembo front calliper radial monoblock GP4RR 108mm 34/36
Brembo brake pads Z04
Brembo front discs T-Drive 320x5.5 34mm
Brembo rear calliper P4/24 with custom made bracket
Brembo radial master cylinder CNC PR 19x20
Brembo RCS cable clutch lever
Braking rear disc wave 220/115 R1 2002-03
STM brake fluid reservoir front, rear black
Motoacc brake hoses
Design:
Black powder coated frame
Black powder coated gauge bracket
Black powder coated clutch cover
Black Anodized Attack triple clamp
Black Anodized Attack foot pegs
Black Anodized Graves handle bars
Today’s final impressions
Having driven the final R1 since May 2012 more than 5000km on public roads and around 1500km on racetracks I must say it handles and performs perfect: the suspension gives you so much grip and comfort, the brakes are super strong and easy to stop the bike, everything else is just working flawless. I always drive to one of our near tracks (60km and 70km away) on that bike, drop the tire pressure accordingly and having some fun on the track. I’m a middle fast driver because I’m new to track day driving. Having booked California Superbike School level 1 and 2 this year in March I know that I’m still so far away to use the potential of the bike even close to its limits. I don’t need traction control, quick shifter or even +30bhp at the moment in that bike because the power is very good usable and still can compete with Suzuki’s L1-L3 with having drivers at the same level. I still love the huge midrange power and until they catch me after an 800m straight because having 20bhp less, we need to brake and then these Brembos are not to beat. I just start using 2 fingers because they are super strong. The next season investment continues in driving CSS level 3 & 4 because as long as 250ccm bikes are overtaking me in each corner, I need to tune my abilities first.
The Story-
How it all started
I bought the bike end of 1999 new from a Yamaha dealer in Berlin/Germany because I like blue and I like the design/style - nothing changed until today. Being inspired since 2000 from couple of articles about the Kainzinger R1 I started to modify it accordingly.
First stage 2000-2001: 998ccm, 146hp, 102Nm, 200kg
First I bought in 2000 the QB Carbon front fairing from Kainzinger, then added a year later the Öhlins fork and shock to it. A big difference already but having them not adjusted to your weight and riding style accordingly is still just haft the way to go – I changed that later on accordingly. Having the stock rims painted/polished looks nice but a hell of a job to clean it every time when a few water drops start drying on that surface – it leaves marks. An undertail similar to the Graphic Art Moto Design gives a nice clean look – until today.
Fairing:
QB Carbon cf top fairing
QB Carbon cf vented side panels
QB Carbon cf closed belly pan
QB Carbon cf front fender
QB Carbon cf rear fender
MRA racing windshield clear
Hagen undertail
Suspension:
Ă–hlins fork FG 883
Ă–hlins shock Ya155
Wheels stock rims polished/painted
Little bit carbon, little bit bling bling only.
Second stage 2002-2004: 998ccm, 163hp, 114Nm, 188kg
Having a shopping week booked in New York I ordered during that time some nice aluminium Attack Racing triple clamp, pegs and inverted shift pattern and took them in my hand luggage home to Germany – how convenient. Additionally I ordered direct from QB the rest cf parts like airbox, tank and tail.
I was planning to give the bike to Kainzinger to let him bring all the parts together because he also have the air duct under the triple clamp for that box and the parts to connect the QB side fairings direct to the airbox, so I have 3 working air intakes. That gives you from 120kph onwards positive air pressure and also cold air for the carbs.
Due to our noise restrictions in my country I decided to put 2 Akrapovic muffles on my bike so I have the same power output with dbKiller like having an open race muffler.
Furthermore I want some good tune with the airbox/Akra combination so my bike spent a few months to him to get the job done properly.
Engine:
Attack Racing triple clamp with adjustable offset
Attack Racing foot rests
Attack Racing inverted shift pattern
Gregg pinion cover black
DID 520 ERV2 chain with alu Wieres sprocket
Akrapovic EVO II complete system with two carbon mufflers incl. dbKiller
JamParts CNC muffler brackets from Honda SP1, SP2 short version
Factory Pro ignition advancer 4degrees
Factory Pro titanium carb. needle kit
Sam's servo sub exup eliminator
Fairing:
QB Carbon cf 2000 R1 tank R7 style
QB Carbon cf airbox with 3 intakes: 2 from the sides and 1 under the triple clamp, airbox modified accordingly
QB Carbon cf single rear seat
Attack Racing cf under chain guard
Suspension:
Graves handlebars
Brakes:
Spiegler radial master cylinder incl. hoses
Lucas SRQ brake pads
Design:
Graphic Art Moto Design gauge plate white
Moko fairing protectors left and right side
Third stage 2010-2011: 998ccm, 163hp, 114Nm, 176kg
- 132 true rear wheel horse power regarding Factory Pro dyno in 2012
- stock RN01 regarding Factory website 117true hp
- BMW S100RR 163 true hp
In 2010 I found a new job in New Zealand so I decided to throw in the last missing bits and pieces because there is no TÜV (technical certification organisation) which needs for each and every part a certificate. My bike was except the carbon fibre tank road legal in Germany and never has had any problem. But now I’m free to put race parts/custom parts on the bike without having to follow these rules. I got a complete certificate here as well to drive the bike on the road, but that’s a one off only.
The most important 3 things on a bike to setup accordingly are: suspension, brakes and cooling!
So back to the details. I always wanted radial fork legs to put some nice PFM brakes (see Kainzinger bike) from UK on my bike. But to change these to the Öhlins legs it would add up to nearly the same price like buying a completely new fork and I even can sell the old one. Also being VAT/tax free if I export these parts out of Europe (-19% from retail price) I just took the complete FGRT 810 front fork for a 2010 R1, using 320mm discs without even spacers (discontinued unfortunately). So but my dealer in Germany (MCET, Thomas Thiele) pointed out that Brembo is just the top brand to go with: callipers, discs, pads, master cylinders – all from one company and that works for sure together. To find some discs was a challenge because the offset of the T-Drive discs don’t fit and they are of course not available for a 1999 R1. I also wanted new wheels so taking some measurements and computation we decided to use a Ducati 848 front wheel offset so I’m sure to get replacement discs for a while and I can get these nice T-Drives. For the wheels I went with OZ because being half the price of the Dymag/BST carbon ones and there are easier to handle than magnesium as well. They are already nearly 2kg lighter so all good. For the calliper I wanted to go with the cheaper GP4 RX but I don’t like the look of them so I threw in some pretty GP4-RR with the CNC PR 19x20 master cylinder.
I have never seen or felt such a crystal clear and defined brake point – it’s a true one finger brake and handles even from 250 down to 100 like you are pulling the lever on a mountain bike – unbelievable!!! For the rear we produced a custom bracket to make the P4/24 fit with some Braking wave 220mm rear disc.
To update the suspension I choose a well known aluminium working guy (tanks, swingarms, etc.) who is doing not only light and stiffer swingarms but also developing suspension tuning expertise by changing linkage and the triangle geometry to stiffen up the weak rear so we get more mechanical grip. I wanted that awesome boxed swingarm and it tooks me a while to convince him to do one more after 6 years when he did the last. It’s not only 1kg lighter and longer for further adjustmements if necessary but it’s also stiffer and just yummi to look at. To make things perfect I also decided to through in a new TTX 36 shock to get the perfect suspension so far. Of course the superbike fork would be one step more but I don’t like the short service intervals of 1000km of it and I will not feel the difference either. So I got the complete package from customised suspension (even fork and shock were brand new, he put them on a dynamometer and changed valves, needles etc. to make them fit to my weight and riding style) with eliminating all tolerances of swing arm, wheels, head bearings etc.. Even I was 20,000km away from my bike already he got the setup to probably 99% right – more than 25 years of experience and having a 99 R1 as well paid off and he did around 60 of these suspension tunings just for this R1 – up to today still doing this incredible job nowodays even on cars. He recently updated linkage/suspension on a Panigale which is unridable for a 70kg driver even he is pretty fast on the track as well: just too stiff and no way to make it suit to a normal driver, except you compete at international level.
And the result – incredible soft even with 200 over small humps and still 2-3cm left from the bottom end of the fork so enough reserves for much faster riding: as soft as possible and as hard as necessary! And if I drive too fast there is still plenty of room for adjustment but since one year and more than 1500km on track (for the first time in my life by the way) I don’t even touch one click of any adjustment possibilities. Soft in the beginning and stiffens up to the end – perfect and worth every penny!
That Yamaha engines are running pretty hot is not new and having around 90-95 degree centigrade on the track is normal. So we need a bigger radiator which also went to the bottom end of the fairing – the stock one is 25mm thick, my Böckers racing one 40mm on top and 25mm at the lower part. I also wanted it made in one piece without having the gap for the mounting bracket. Lucky that my friend Tom from MCET has had a Febur radiator which Böckers could use to make a similar copy without having my complete bike. It ended up sending this radiator another 2 times back and forth to the company to get the alignment and the connectors right not to interfere with some tubes etc. – huge amount of custom work to do because it’ just hard to measure such object on a bike. But more than worth the hassle: never ever see more than 76-80 degrees on a racetrack even with 25 degree centigrade air temperature and 50 degree centigrade tarmac temperature. Even driving in the pit and parking the bike after a session doesn’t let the temperature rise more than up to 85 degrees. Stock R6/R1 running around 86-95 on the track and the fan is working beyond 105 degrees already once coming into the pit. H2O in Italy claims 6-7hp loss due to every 10degrees of higher engine temps!
So what is left to put in the bike: A nice and perfect working anti slipping clutch from Sigma Performance/UK in combination with an reinforced clutch basket which will gives you massive underarms because to pull against these springs is a massive effort but well, the one finger brake gives you some less stress on the right hand and you need the clutch just for downshifts – right?
Two more things are worth to mention I guess. I’m using a battery produced in Germany called Bikefire BF5000 with 4.6Ah capacity, 240A pulse discharge and incredible 900g weight, measurements are 115x65x85mm so also much smaller. It’s the cheapest way to lose 3kg of weight.
Having no more noise restriction so far I decided to remove the 2 big Akra mufflers (50cm length) and replace it with a hexagonal one (30cm length) which is without dbKiller not so really loud here with 99db compared to stock 93db. One day I came across the Austin Racing products in UK where you can have the GP version with 60mm flange for my Akra link pipe. And with 20cm length and 10cm diameter pretty small and it gives me with around 105db the noise level I like. Lucky that the mounting position just fits to the stock Akra cf bracket. There is also the 10cm long GP2 version available but I can’t mount that to my foot pegs and I don’t have an 80mm connection tube – check out BMW S1000RR/Aprilia RSV4 with nearly 120db!
Furthermore we powder coated the frame flat black but leave the swingarm silver which gives a nice contrast…look on your own.
Engine:
Böckers racing radiator
Samco hoses set black
Woodcraft engine covers alternator, engine cover black with stainless steel inlays
Sigma AHC
Sigma Performance reinforced clutch basket
DID 520 ERV3 chain
Sita sprocket 520/45
Akrapovic muffler hexagonal
Austin Racing muffler GP Ultimate Carbon
Bikefire battery BF5000, 4.6Ah, 900g, 240A
more than 150 titanium/alu screws/bolts
Fairing:
Dynomite cf front and rear fenders vented
Rizoma mirrors limit sport
Rizoma indicators Avio 21
Rizoma number plate kit
Rizoma oil plug
Suspension:
Ă–hlins fork FGRT810 R1 2004-10 (custom re-valved, etc.)
Ă–hlins shock TTX36 YA788 R1 2008 (custom re-valved, etc.)
Ă–hlins steering damper SD124 68mm hub R1 1998-2001
OZ wheels Piega R 5 SP aluminium with Metzeler Racetec K3 Interact 120/70 ZR 17, 190/55 ZR 17
Martin Sauer custom boxed/stiffened swingarm
Martin Sauer geometry setup with custom made linkage, triangle, bearings, etc.
Emil Schwarz head, swingarm bearings
TCA GT chain adjuster YZFR 1 2004-10
Brakes:
Brembo front calliper radial monoblock GP4RR 108mm 34/36
Brembo brake pads Z04
Brembo front discs T-Drive 320x5.5 34mm
Brembo rear calliper P4/24 with custom made bracket
Brembo radial master cylinder CNC PR 19x20
Brembo RCS cable clutch lever
Braking rear disc wave 220/115 R1 2002-03
STM brake fluid reservoir front, rear black
Motoacc brake hoses
Design:
Black powder coated frame
Black powder coated gauge bracket
Black powder coated clutch cover
Black Anodized Attack triple clamp
Black Anodized Attack foot pegs
Black Anodized Graves handle bars
Today’s final impressions
Having driven the final R1 since May 2012 more than 5000km on public roads and around 1500km on racetracks I must say it handles and performs perfect: the suspension gives you so much grip and comfort, the brakes are super strong and easy to stop the bike, everything else is just working flawless. I always drive to one of our near tracks (60km and 70km away) on that bike, drop the tire pressure accordingly and having some fun on the track. I’m a middle fast driver because I’m new to track day driving. Having booked California Superbike School level 1 and 2 this year in March I know that I’m still so far away to use the potential of the bike even close to its limits. I don’t need traction control, quick shifter or even +30bhp at the moment in that bike because the power is very good usable and still can compete with Suzuki’s L1-L3 with having drivers at the same level. I still love the huge midrange power and until they catch me after an 800m straight because having 20bhp less, we need to brake and then these Brembos are not to beat. I just start using 2 fingers because they are super strong. The next season investment continues in driving CSS level 3 & 4 because as long as 250ccm bikes are overtaking me in each corner, I need to tune my abilities first.
