4XV Yamaha R1 Review (1998 - 1999) The Original YZF R1 | FrontWheelUp.Com 

I love the retro years. I have a 2002 Yamaha r6 and I love it. You detailed it right to the tea. We need more videos like this

I saw this for the first time at the NEC bike show at launch, it seemed impossibly small compared to the Fireblade. Some time later I had a demo on one and couldn't believe the acceleration, it was amazing at the time, super fast ! Its crazy that they are now 26 yrs old this year 2024. If I had one I would likely refresh the suspension and use it on fine days only. Lovely classic full on sport bike 🙂, ps by chance had a ride on one again recently..... woooosh..... its still ridiculously fast and a classic now ! Madness!!! In a good way 😂

I’ve got this bike and yeah it’s still an awesome animal mine is streetfightered by Yamaha ,Fantastic review you’ve done this bike proud 👍👍👏

I took one out when they were first launched (I had a year old RRV at the time) absolutely blew me away.. arrived back at the dealers giggling and shaking with excitement and adrenaline. Only bike that came close to my first ride out on a new 350LC years earlier. Awesome bike

Great review mate. I've had my original red and white version for 16 years and even now every time I sling my leg over it, it still brings a huge smile to my face. The best bike ever made in my humble opinion.

Great to see another bike review from you, keep it up!

Excellent review 😉 . Just dug mine out after 15 years of being sensible lol. I have full ohlins on mine and seriously dropped bars that used to give me tingly fingers if I wasn't going fast enough. Awesome bike on a well maintained road and just scary on anything else. I miss the quieter roads we used to have in the 90s 😞

I have been licensed since 1981. I bought this bike new in 1999. It was high tech and awesome!! It felt electric smooth. I spanked guys on CBR900RR's. That bike took corners like nothing else at that time.

Got to get another R1, but probably a 2000 MY as they were slightly better, often cheaper and still faithfull to the 98 vision. Thinking back the end of the 90's was a glorious period as bikes were cheaper than any other point in history. I got a new one in 2000 for just 6.5K which meant it was nuts to go for an older used one at the time.

Good to see you back and reviewing again! New camera angles look lush, keep up the great work!

Nice vid mate, thanks! I've also got a 1999 one same as this but in red and white. Bought it very cheap off a friend 8 years ago and I don't intend to sell it till I'm too old to physically swing a leg over it - love it. I do all maintenance etc. on my bike myself and I've been through every nut and bolt, replaced the clutch and all bearings seals etc. I put it back to largely stock with just a couple of concessions like 5JJ (2000-2001) mirrors to better see past shoulders/elbows, braided brake lines and most importantly, I also installed KTech fork internals plus a Nitron rear shock, all correctly set up and sprung for my weight. This totally transformed the handling versus original suspension, the bike is so solid and stable in all road conditions now... steering damper not required, even when giving it some serious beans. I have zero interest in the newer bikes.....sure the latest R1s are so much more powerful but of course they are stacked with rider aids to manage it. IMO these early bikes are still plenty fast, especially when you have zero traction control, ABS etc. But I like that its actually all down to the rider, not some electronic nannies...keeps it real! And subscribed :)

Love these reviews. Always gets me wanting to get another bike!

Had a 99. Best bike ever made. Best looking bike too.

I was blessed to purchase a 2001 this July! 6,100 miles on it! Changed tires & oil! Rides like a dream! Carbs! 21 plus year old bike looks new! Garage kept black rims jus like this one posted 👌😉

Well filmed sir! 24 years already, I started a painting of it when it was launched, it’s still ongoing. I eventually got my hands on the 02 one same as you reviewed. 🙀👌👍😁

Awesome review 🔥🔥

I rode a demo red and white one back in the day and I can still remember it.They were gamechangers .I recently bought a blue one which I now have grown to prefer the colour. Thanks.

Thank you for this nice review! I had this exact same model but sold it 12 years ago for my own safety.. it was too much fun :)

Thank you for this video, you brought back memories for me. I'm your new subscriber.

Had a 99 in this color. I weigh 245 and I am 6’3”. It was amazingly easy to drive, never gave me a problem with the gearbox. I took it on a very long straightaway with the intention of going 175, thinking that would be tough. I got up to 178 and couldn’t believe how much it had left. I backed off at 181-2ish maybe a lil more, it was a quick glance while I backed down. It cornered so nicely too. Never ever ran poorly, ever, ran like a sewing machine as they say. I was told it had 140 from the factory, did he say 150hp in this video?

briliant review i have just restored a 5jj r1 its so much better to ride than newer r1"s i have a 4c8 and a big bang and this is the best one

Love this R1, got me into bikes 👍

Just bought a clean one a few months ago to add to the stable. Love it for sure.

Beautiful bike away ahead of there time!

One bike that hasn’t aged badly at all it still looks very modern

Just saw this, awesome machine well demonstrated 👍👏👌

God!! what an amazing view!!!

Great looking bike .even now . I'd love a red and white one . I ride ninja zx9r for 20 years

Still got one in blue great classic enjoyable ride,you dont know what youre missing ,

Hi mate, great review, got too luv the early R1s 👍. I've got the 1999 4xv R1 had it for 18 years now, totally standard right down to the swing arm stickers and rear reflecter, I take it for a run every couple of weeks to keep the carbs all good, then it's back in the dining room on stands haha sad I know but what the hell. Cheers mate and you've got yourself a new subscriber.. 👍👍😁😁🏍️

Still have mine and i dont intend to sell it any time soon, never gave me problems

They are a great bike! I have a blue '98 in showroom condition! I have all of the factory race team mods on it for that year. Up graded gearbox, dual exhaust, Corbin Leather seat, tail delete, etc. As well I have the showroom posters, product pamphets & accessories catalog all in mint shape too!

Alright buddy I'm still looking 😂 I've found some lovely R1s year 2000 and 2002/3 After coming from an RSV mille a year ago which model would you recommend for weekend cruises and some possible track work😂

No issue of stutter/unrest at low rpm/speed up to 40km/h for instance carline in town?

Beautiful Bike…😍

I rode my 99 R1 for 6 years and when I sold it(yea i cried wanna fight about it) it had a 117k miles on it and 2 transmission rebuilds lol.. finally a titanium gear set fixed second gear problem. Still today one of the best and most unforgiving bikes I ever rode and was viciously fast till the day i sold it

Loved my red/white original R1, blades didn't win me over, but the R1 was a league above - small, light and powerful. The original suspension was too soft , but it was brilliant ❤

Had a Gen 2 and Gen 3. Loved them both. Really good on fuel too for some reason. Tried a gen 4. Wasnt keen the "under seat exhaust" model lost its torque with a short stroke engine.

I just traded a running 83 honda 200s three wheeler for a non running 2000 yamaha r1. Thinkin that was a good trade but it's missing all the vacuum and coolant lines going to the carburetors. Haven't been able to get it running yet.

Ahh I ordered a 1999 one n November 1998, loved that bike.

T313JNT ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS

this is a 1999 not a 89 ! there were significant changes done to the 99

How bad are the gear boxes on these bad boys? Thinking of getting one but kinda scared of transmission problems that would pretty total the bike. And what years are affected only 1998-1999? or all models up to 2003? the 1998-2001 r1's are the best looking bikes ever made in my opinion.

I miss my 2001 R1 love the carburetor models If only the transmission shift forks were stronger 😉 The common 2nd gear wheelie

I have the 1999 r6 . I love it but im considering after this summer maybe selling it and getting that r1 there . Same colour as my r6 , though if i can get the red/black/white one i will

mint

Exactly my bike.

What kind of motor was in these?

I’ve got the 1st gen FZ1, and I’d love to ride the R1 to compare it with.

Suzuki GSXR 1000 K5 review?

Ilove my '99 R1 :o)

How does this compare to the 04-06 what are the main advantages/disadvantages???

Had loads of second gear and selector spring issues when I raced one but touch wood no issues on the road version wicked bike

I had 2 with bad second gear a 2000 and a 99. Still have the 2000.second gear doesnt slip but makes a ticking..

Needs a steering damper as far as i remember lol!!

My father used to ride one back in 99/8 there was no clutch for it in Serbia so he crafted one from Jawa his one was same color spec like this i wan't to get a red one

Looks just like mine, can see on my channel... Nice vid 👍

😊Owner still of blue 98 R-1 ,telling story for a friend.......radar tested at 202Mph outside naples fla on 29 in big cat country of 98 R-1 with slight mods and lite rider,just using 520 chain and 1 tooth less rear sprocket and alittle air flow majic!,look out kitty,s on 29 in the heart of the everyglades.........

Nice review. But I get sick and tired of hearing ‘investment opportunity’- it’s a bike bloody ride and enjoy it. Like the deception of wealth you can’t take it with you to eternity.

This bike has 1999 fairings and 2000s wheels

It's a 1999 not 98. Same apart from graphics.

E

I have one! Its my only bike and use it daily. Very happy with it even after 2 years ownership. Check my channel for videos

Why are you showing a 1999 and calling it a 1998 ?

Yeah don’t ride a bike if you need a steering damper. That goes across the board

I still find the 98 R1 gorgeous.

I’m sorry but your bike is not original cos in 98 they came in blue red white and the YZF sticker upon the faring was vertical it wasn’t until the following year the sticker was horizontal

So you know fully know the true importance of this specific Yamaha, see the engineering brilliance behind the stacked cassete type gearbox it came about because Honda had started acting like they owned the place, Honda were paying massive money that simply wouldnt be allowed Today into patents on stuff they had no right to claim ownership of. They tried to patent and own the rights to everything using a crank balancer shaft im not bluffing here its the very reason all other manufacturers kept their gobs shut and let Yamaha, the world leaders and true No#1guys for harmonics pull down Hondas pants and give them a spanking. Another front that was being fought at the time was suspension, Ohlins (yamaha owned at the time and still a yamaha owned company but independent from them) were tasked to keep ducati and every other manufacturer within reach of Hondas massive Race division effort just by having better suspension parts. Suzuki deviated tried to make that silly rotary damper in the TL1000 frighten Honda but eventually were the ones to release the K2 Gixxer 1 so they dropped that nonsense and basically made a cheapened out R1 with 16v head, the same tech Yamaha had created and sold it to you with an ECU running the thing hotter 😂 I love the K2 Gixxer 1 but i regret handing my first 4xv in for it when it was getting all the magazine hype and MCN hype. K2 was brilliant and faster than a stock 4xv/5jj in a straight line. Everywhere else the R1 spanked it and a tuned R1 humiliated a tuned K2. Anyway, Honda out right acted like they were the the school bully l until Yamaha sorted them out with the full "bully gets his head flushed down the pan" moment. Honda the bully got reverse bullied in a way that would the end of Honda acting in a fashion where they thought they could throw cash at already existing tech and claim it as there own. The foothold Honda had for the crank patients they owned was gone overnight, nobody cared anymore as the entire crank assembly and gearbox had been changed for good just by design😂 This is why R1 became so popular back then that it was mind blowing because it was a middle finger to any manufacturer that thought that throwing money at a patent would buy future success. The gearbox on your later 4xv was fine it was the earlier ones that got issues with bad riders missung 1-2 shifts and/or fitting cheap non bushed front sproket or rider just not used to aggresive power wheelies. For the latter type unskilled wheelie rider you will destroy any bikes transmission and drive assembly if you cannot control wheelies enough to land them correctly, there hasn't been a single wheelie happy bike in history that a novice wont destroy even KX500 and CR500s a cack handed fake good rider would destroy the gearbox. The very best you can hope for in a case where youve bought a 'one bad owner wheelie bike' is if they haven't caused cracking at the neck of the frame or ovulated the head race and 1st and 2nd gear hold FOT. The R1 5jj they had the fully revised gearbox with different ratios so it wheelied less in 1-2 gear but would go a fair bit faster than the claimed 177mph. I know of a 2001 completely stock 5jj that GPSs 182mph. They were quoting like 172mph here in the UK at first to undersell it as it was prime "gentelmans agreement" time and still the lingering smell from Thatchers attempt to restrict motorbikes to 100bhp and have a full sized front reg plate (im not joking here btw) so Yamaha vastly undersold its performance here in UK even more than they did in Europe. Ironically the UK got the fastest ones as if you know about the Dyno kit for these bikes the wee brass inserts you had to push in didnt need to use on the UK R1 infact the dynojet kit came with 8 inserts and only 4 fitted the UK bike as the other 4 where the same diameter as what was on it. People in the UK quickly figured out the bike done 180mph so was then changed to a claimed 177mph like the rest of the world had been quoted😂 Theres a wee bit history of these bikes that not many will know or remember about this till they read this. The original R1 by defacto is one of the greatest motorcycles in recorded history. Cheers 🍻

The R1 was never the fastest production bike. Even the ZZR1100 had a higher top speed. The R1 was quick but not blackbird quick

Mate I've had my 99 since then She was six months old when I took her from a gut a Young guy that was just to frightened 😅 To Ride the Bike I still have her she's 25 now as you say 😊 & I'm a sweet 64 old Just been out for a run today 😂 Lucky lucky me 😊😊 25 years of happy Ness 😂😂🎉 Glad you love the R1 mate As you say it will & can keep up with the best 😊😂😂 Thanks for the video My name is John