Sport Rider Photos
With its huge torque advantage, the V-twin 1198 shows tremendous thrust in the first three gears (which is why the bike is such a wheelie monster). However, its widely spaced gears quickly kill off that thrust by sixth gear. Note that the "weak" R1 keeps pace with the others in the upper-midrange portion of its powerband, showing that if ridden to its strengths, the Yamaha can more than hold its own.
2009 Literbike Comparison Test: It's The Little Things