David Forster

I picked up some Akrapovic race exhaust cans (with the ‘y’ connecting tube) from a friend of a friend who sold his R1 last year. They sound absolutely fantastic! You do get a small horsepower gain thanks to improved air flow but the main reasons for these are sound and looks. I was in two minds about fitting the ‘y’ connecting tube, which replaces the stock pipe which has the catalytic converter in it. According to Akrapovic, without it you get slightly higher peak power, but fitting it improves the general power curve so I opted to put it on. Pictures are here.

I guess it’s about time I let the cat out of the bag. I’ve been offered, and accepted, a new job. Basically I’ll be doing the same things as I do now (systems development, web programming, administration etc.) but getting paid a bit more and working in a nicer location. I’ve been at MFI as the eCommerce team’s Analyst/Programmer for nearly 5 years now and it seems like a good time to move on to pastures new – Everyone moves on and 5 years is a long time to be in one job in my industry. I’ve been involved in all kinds of interesting and fun projects during that time and who knows, maybe I’ll be back some day – You never can tell what’s around the corner.

Fitted my numberplate bracket & smaller plate – click here for the photos. I actually fitted this new numberplate bracket before the R&G lowers (see previous post), but as I only got some show plates made up at recently (at the Stafford bike show) I figured I’d class it all as mod number 4. The bracket comes from a guy who makes them himself and sells them on ebay and, to my mind, it’s the best looking aftermarket bracket for the new R1, and it fits perfectly too!

Fitted my R&G crash protectors (uppers and lowers) & an official Yamaha tankpad – click here for the gallery. I though that the tankpad was grey originally, but it’s actually clear fading up into black, so it transforms to match the colour of the fuel tank. As I said in my previous post, I’ve seen the protection capability of the R&G protectors first hand and, after a bad experience with the similar Motrax “Top Blocks”, I’d definitely recommend these. I bought the whole set second hand and the bolt which holds the left hand lower protector was missing, but a quick trip to B&Q to get a pack of 10mm wall bolts soon sorted that out. Although the one’s which come as standard are 12mm, the sleeves are much thinner, so B&Q’s off the shelf items fit perfectly and grip the inside of the swinging arm pivot just fine.

Fitted the Yamaha paddock stand bobbins from my R6. These items are a bit flashy, with the Yamaha tuning fork logo on the side. The swinging arm on this bike is upside down – for a lower centre of gravity apparently – so I don’t want to use a cup type paddock stand for fear of scratching the paintwork or worse, the bike slipping off due to the curvature of the arm. They also make it look nicer!

As promised, here are some photo’s of the new bike (from the day I picked it up).Still chuffed to bits with it! It’s so surprisingly easy to ride, easier than the R6 I think and yet still so fast. The handling is awesome too, it’s as if you just have to think where you want to go and the bike responds.

Well, I picked the new bike up on Friday – shame about the cold and the snow flurries that day but never mind! I’ve been out on it pretty much all weekend, which explains why there has been no post up until now. This is just a quick update from work really… Pics of the bike and a longer accompanying post to follow!

Well, I’m now the proud owner of an R1! I won’t pick it up for a little while yet, but I put a deposit down on one yesterday and sorted my insurance out.

When I went to the showroom I still couldn’t decide between the silver or blue colour, but when I saw them together it had to be silver. The ram-air intakes have been painted silver to match the upper fairing and the wheels are painted to match the mid-fairing (something which I hadn’t noticed in the pictures), on all the other colours these items are just plain black. I got a good deal from Rex Judd thanks to my friend Peter.

Last night it hadn’t really sunk in and I was feeling indifferent about it all, but today I’m very excited and just want the bike right now!