2014 Yamaha R1 caught with R6 body work?

[I8A4RE]

Soooo, there has been people talking about yamaha using their prototype 3-cylinder cross-plane crankshaft engine in their upcoming R1 AND R6.

But it seems that Yamaha will not be using the 3-cylinder engine in the 2014 Yamaha R1.

Here are some picture of the 2014 Yamaha R1 caught testing on the track. I found this info from the R1 forum, MCN, and another European site.



I hope this isn't true, I would REALLY LOVE to see a 3-cylinder, cross-plane crankshaft 1000cc machine.

more info - 2014 Yamaha R1 caught on the track - 2014 Yamaha R1 testing - New Yamaha spied during testing

[SVRACER01]

all speculation at this point. i dont recall yamaha ever saying that their 3cyl would be a superbike. i assumed they would throw it in a middleweight bike like an R6. i would say that the test bike in the pics may in fact be an R1 but it could just be yamaha working on a new chassis and weight reduction and not changing the motor too much. regardless of what owners complain about, the R1 has won the last 3 AMA superbike championships and does very well in WSBK (with Spies winning a title on one in his first and only year there) thats what sells bikes.

[Evadd]

MCN is a step below the Nat'l Enquirer of sport bikes.

[SRTie4k]

thats what sells bikes.

I'm very doubtful that even a quarter of sport bike sales are based on which models win professional races.

[R7]

I'm very doubtful that even a quarter of sport bike sales are based on which models win professional races.

You really think so? I don't agree at all! If you look at the past 5 or 6 years history with racing vs sales, Suzuki has dominated at the AMA level until 3 years ago...and were the top selling sportbike in the USA. Yamaha started winning with the R6 and R1 and Suzuki sales got so bad, didn't they have to skip a year or something on new models to sell off all the carry over years? I guess one could say it was the economy, but other models sales seemed to stay somewhat steady.

Sadly, I'd also bet a good part of sportbike sales is based on magazine articles...which is based on what company writes the biggest check

[Jim]

not to mention the amount of street bike sales vs track/race bike sales.

i'm sure AMA and WSB championships do factor in with overall sales

[SRTie4k]

I'm just of the belief that what influences brand purchases is more about the "coolness" factor and what the purchaser's closer circle of friends happen to ride themselves. And to a slightly smaller extent, cost.

Simply put I would be shocked if any of the squids you see riding around on their sweet Gixxah's could even name a single professional rider, let alone know what brand they ride.

[SVRACER01]

I'm just of the belief that what influences brand purchases is more about the "coolness" factor and what the purchaser's closer circle of friends happen to ride themselves. And to a slightly smaller extent, cost.

Simply put I would be shocked if any of the squids you see riding around on their sweet Gixxah's could even name a single professional rider, let alone know what brand they ride.

they dont have to know any riders. they just saw a commercial saying "wouldnt you like to own the motorcycle that has dominated the AMA superbike class for the past 3 years?" to which they say "FUCK YA I DO!!!"

race on sunday sell on monday isnt just a saying.....

[Kurlon]

I thought Suzuki dominated sales because their prices were the lowest typically?

[SVRACER01]

I thought Suzuki dominated sales because their prices were the lowest typically?

if its a coincidence that suzuki sales were great while Mladin and Spies were winning everything on a GSXR then so be it. but when both left the AMA and suzuki stopped winning....enter the R1....suzuki sales dropped.
theres plenty of plausible explanations for this...like the economy, but its hard to deny such a coincidence that GSXR sales suffered around the time they stopped winning

[SRTie4k]

they dont have to know any riders. they just saw a commercial saying "wouldnt you like to own the motorcycle that has dominated the AMA superbike class for the past 3 years?" to which they say "FUCK YA I DO!!!"

race on sunday sell on monday isnt just a saying.....

FWIW, the first sport bike I ever bought (a 97 GSXR 600 SRAD) was influenced by my cousin who owned a GSXR 750. I bought it because I associated the GSXR name with fast (which is what I wanted), I was trolling around craigslist looking for cheap bikes, and that particular one happened to sound like a good deal. I had never seen or remembered a single motorcycle commercial in my life up until that point, let alone have any idea what bikes actually won what events.

I'm not saying that I am representative of the rest of bike owners, but that was my own experience and I firmly believe it is a very common one.

[rsw81]

I'm also tired of everyone calling the new 3 cylinder engine a cross-plane engine. That's impossible. By definition a crossplane engine has its crank pins at 180s in pairs with the other pairs 90 degrees of the first set, thus making a "cross". With an odd # of cylinders, you can't really make a crossplane engine. In fact, almost all 4 cylinder engines are crossplane by default as each cylinder's cycle would be 90 degrees off of each other. This is a term mostly used for V8 engines.

Wikipedia to the rescue if I'm not being clear in my explanations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossplane

[SVRACER01]

I'm also tired of everyone calling the new 3 cylinder engine a cross-plane engine. That's impossible. By definition a crossplane engine has its crank pins at 180s in pairs with the other pairs 90 degrees of the first set, thus making a "cross". With an odd # of cylinders, you can't really make a crossplane engine. In fact, almost all 4 cylinder engines are crossplane by default as each cylinder's cycle would be 90 degrees off of each other. This is a term mostly used for V8 engines.

Wikipedia to the rescue if I'm not being clear in my explanations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossplane

actually, 4 cyl motors have the pins 180 from each other. (usually) cyl 2 and 3 would be TDC (one firing, one exhaust) and 1 and 4 would both be BDC (one about to start the EX stroke and one to start the COMP stroke).

the R1 crossplane engine has each crank pin 90 degrees from the previous (1@ 0, 2 @90, 3@180, 4@270).
triples are naturally a "cross plane" since the crank pins are 120 degrees apart from each other, thus making them all on a different "plane". so yes, it is a bit misleading since every triumph triple is already a "cross plane" engine

[rsw81]

actually, 4 cyl motors have the pins 180 from each other. (usually) cyl 2 and 3 would be TDC (one firing, one exhaust) and 1 and 4 would both be BDC (one about to start the EX stroke and one to start the COMP stroke).

the R1 crossplane engine has each crank pin 90 degrees from the previous (1@ 0, 2 @90, 3@180, 4@270).
triples are naturally a "cross plane" since the crank pins are 120 degrees apart from each other, thus making them all on a different "plane". so yes, it is a bit misleading since every triumph triple is already a "cross plane" engine

Thank you for the correction. You are totally right about most 4 cylinder engines. I mispoke.

However, the statement about 3 cylinder engines I do not believe to be true. Yes the crank pins are typically 120 degrees from each other, but their even distribution does not label them as a crossplane setup. In order to be called crossplane, there must be pins 180 degrees apart (eg across the crank directly). Unless I am missing something here, I think Yamaha is just using the term as a marketing ploy since they had such huge success with the crossplank I4 in the R1.

If you know something I don't know about this, I'd be happy to learn about it.

[R7]

Unless I am missing something here, I think Yamaha is just using the term as a marketing ploy since they had such huge success with the crossplank I4 in the R1.

As long as it makes power, they can use whatever they want as a marketing ploy. Newer Dodge Hemi is the perfect example, just because the engine has spark plugs in the valve covers, doesn't make it a real hemi. There hasn't been a real Hemi built from an auto factory since the late 60's

[SVRACER01]

However, the statement about 3 cylinder engines I do not believe to be true. Yes the crank pins are typically 120 degrees from each other, but their even distribution does not label them as a crossplane setup. In order to be called crossplane, there must be pins 180 degrees apart (eg across the crank directly). Unless I am missing something here,

If you know something I don't know about this, I'd be happy to learn about it.

think of it this way. if you placed all the pistons in a typical 4 cyl engine at mid stroke they would all be in line, or on the same plane even though they are heading in different directions. this cant be done with the R1 motor or a triple. at best you can get 2 sets of pistons to line up on the R1 making them (technically) a dual plane motor. same with a triple, you can only get 2 of the 3 pistons to line up. the term "crossplane" is used because if looked down the crank from the end, the crank pin locations would make an "X" (or cross), hence crossplane. realistically the triple is a "Y" plane motor. does that make sense?

Newer Dodge Hemi is the perfect example, just because the engine has spark plugs in the valve covers, doesn't make it a real hemi. There hasn't been a real Hemi built from an auto factory since the late 60's

hemi was a term to describe the hemispherical head in the combustion chamber (im sure you know this already) and yes the new "hemi" engines are not true hemis, they are more poly, but whose gonna buy something labeled "POLY"? and while Dodge wasnt the first or even the only manufacturer to use a hemi engine, most have gone away with it. if it makes you feel any better, HDs are still hemis

[R7]

hemi was a term to describe the hemispherical head in the combustion chamber (im sure you know this already) and yes the new "hemi" engines are not true hemis, they are more poly, but whose gonna buy something labeled "POLY"? and while Dodge wasnt the first or even the only manufacturer to use a hemi engine, most have gone away with it. if it makes you feel any better, HDs are still hemis

Ok, so what you're really saying is, that Dodge is using the term hemi as a marketing ploy? I think I understand now, thanks for clearing up what I already said

[SVRACER01]

Ok, so what you're really saying is, that Dodge is using the term hemi as a marketing ploy? I think I understand now, thanks for clearing up what I already said

i was agreeing with you assbag

[rsw81]

think of it this way. if you placed all the pistons in a typical 4 cyl engine at mid stroke they would all be in line, or on the same plane even though they are heading in different directions. this cant be done with the R1 motor or a triple. at best you can get 2 sets of pistons to line up on the R1 making them (technically) a dual plane motor. same with a triple, you can only get 2 of the 3 pistons to line up. the term "crossplane" is used because if looked down the crank from the end, the crank pin locations would make an "X" (or cross), hence crossplane. realistically the triple is a "Y" plane motor. does that make sense?

Perfect. This is exactly what I was thinking. At 120 degrees, the crank pins would make a Y shape, not an X. Glad I wasn't smoking something there.

[Tricklidz]

I think the Yamaha triple "cross plane" motor would use a "dummy" piston at 90 degrees to the others, probably down low in the crankcase. This would make it like the R1, but add weight to a standard triple motor, so I fail to see the point. But whatever........it's not a Ducati, so I don't care!! Hahhaha

[rsw81]

I think the Yamaha triple "cross plane" motor would use a "dummy" piston at 90 degrees to the others, probably down low in the crankcase. This would make it like the R1, but add weight to a standard triple motor, so I fail to see the point. But whatever........it's not a Ducati, so I don't care!! Hahhaha

Ducati fanboy? I like Ducati's, don't get me wrong, but they aren't the end all of motorcycles. Plenty of good Hondas, Yamahas, Triumphs etc out there that I'd love to own.

[Tricklidz]

Hahaha..... Agree!!