We were struggling to justify keeping two bikes between us so, when I wrote off my Honda SP2 in 2006, my wife decided to part-ex her CBR600 for something we could share. The R1 actually made perfect sense...

I had test rode the new 2005 R1 but it felt soft and too much of a compromise - it seemed to be aimed at people who wanted the power and kudos of a cutting edge 1000cc superbike, but who also wanted comfort and ease to ride. That wasn’t me at the time, but after the next 18 months on the SP2, I was definitely up for something smooth and comfortable.

I did 25,000 miles on the R1 before the time came to replace it with something much more laid back. She stood up to riding in all conditions, lots of motorway miles and a fair amount of abuse. The original chain lasted 20,000 miles, and the front brake discs 23,000. Tyres were Michelin Pilot Powers and the rear ones gave me at least 4,000 miles a time. The quality of paint was fantastic and the fairing was easy to remove for maintenance. I fitted two pairs of RG Racing crash bungs and they did their job perfectly on the two slow speed occasions they were required.

The R1 had evolved into an incredible all-round superbike. It was so easy to ride, as light as a 600 and with a lower seat height than the R6 of the same year! The power was absolutely immense, but only if you went looking for it, higher up in the rev range. Below 6 or 7,000rpm it just felt like a normal bike and perfect for day to day riding. Someone with no experience of sportsbikes could take it out for a ride and come back thinking it was nothing special. But properly open up the throttle and keep the revs up, and the R1 became an animal, pushing your eyes back in your head and lifting the front wheel at every opportunity. Entering motorways was interesting - from the slip road I’d look over my shoulder, twist the throttle, and next thing I’d be doing **mph on the M25, front wheel off the ground and thinking, “If I get caught by a Surrey Traffic Car I’ve had it”!

I’m not going to list performance figures as that’s not what these reviews are about. What I will say is that the Yamaha R1 handles brilliantly, goes like stink, is very well built, looks cools and is incredibly easy to ride. If you want a top value, iconic sportsbike, the Yamaha R1 will not disappoint.

Russ Stevens