I picked up a 2003 Yamaha R1 track bike from a local auction this last weekend. Bought sight unseen(just like my last 3 bikes). I really wasn’t in the market for another bike but the price was too nice.
This bike was with 3 others being sold as part of a felony seizure. Much to my surprise it fired up on the very first try. Luckily this is the first year of fuel injection for the R6.
Its a bit rough and has been down a few times in its life, but it has a ton of expensive aftermarket parts. The first thing to do is get rid of the sticker cancer that has covered every panel. It could use new plastics anyway.
So it has previous track inspection stickers and everything is safety wired, so that makes life a bit easier for me. I’ll hopefully be tearing it apart this next week to see if there is any underlying damage and learn more about the aftermarket parts.
My biggest debate is whether or not to make it street legal again. I don’t really want to as it needs all lighting, a kickstand, and an ignition. The only reason I want to is just so I can familiarize myself with the R6 before tracking it. I have limited Supersport experience so the bike makes me a little nervous.
I really don’t know about track tire specs but I’m assuming I need new ones.
Kind of interesting is how similar a 2003 R6 is to a 2020 R6.
2003: 115-123(depending on sources) HP, 415 LB wet weight
2020: 116 HP, 419 LB wet weight.
So besides the electronics and improved geometries, pretty similar. That really surprised me.
The 2020 does look damn good in orange though.