The 2012 Yamaha YZF-R1 will come with seven-level traction control. That’s the biggest change to the tuning fork company’s superbike for the upcoming model year, an upgrade that puts it on par with 2011 models such as the Kawasaki ZX-10R and BMW S1000RR. Lesser revisions include an ECU adjusted for low-rev drivability, M1-style triple clamps, redesigned footpegs, LED running lights in a restyled headlight cowl, and sleaker exhaust heat guards. There’s also some new paint finishes, including a limited edition Yamaha GP 50th anniversary racing livery. But the R1’s crossplane-crankshaft inline-four powerplant remains unchanged.
We’re still waiting to hear back from Yamaha Canada on pricing and availability, but their website states that they won’t be announcing that until December — just in time for the beginning of Canada’s motorcycle show season in Toronto, we’re guessing. To give you some idea though, if you were to buy the 2012 R1 in the US, in either black or blue, you’d be paying USD $13,990, only $400 more than the 2011 model. Want it in white with custom-ish graphics, or prefer the Yamaha GP 50th Anniversary edition? Add another $200 and $500 respectively.
