New FIM homologation could mean that there is a new Yamaha YZF-R1 on the way.
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Yamaha Japan currently sells this Race Base model called the YZF1000W. A new homologation listing with the FIM may indicate that a new 2023 YZF-R1 is on the way too. (Yamaha/)Rumors have been rife that a new
Yamaha R1 is heading for the market in 2023, after a new designation appeared on a list of competition machines approved by the FIM—but the evidence isn’t as clear-cut as it first appears.
The talk started when the FIM published a list titled “Competition Vehicles (
Motocross/
Dual Purpose) - All Manufacturers” on June 15 which bafflingly included a listing for a Yamaha YZF1000W as a 998cc, 2023 model year roadrace bike. Its presence on that list is confounding for multiple reasons; firstly is the fact that it’s a self-proclaimed roadrace bike, not a motocross or dual-purpose bike. If anything, the bike was on the wrong list. Perhaps in recognition of that error, the list was swiftly removed from the FIM’s website, leaving only a previous version that lacked any reference to the YZF1000W.
The name YZF1000W isn’t immediately familiar. In Yamaha’s current road range, the
YZF-R1?s model designation is YZF1000, while the R1M is YZF1000D. There’s no YZF1000W, at least in the US.
However, it’s not a new name. In Japan there is already a YZF1000W on the market. In fact, it has been available for several years. It’s known as the “YZF-R1 Race Base” and is offered purely for track use and targets racing teams. Compared to the normal R1, the YZF1000W comes without headlights, running lights, mirrors, a pillion seat or passenger pegs, or a rear fender. The bodywork is black and lacks any graphics, as teams are sure to repaint it or, more likely, replace it entirely with race bodywork. The picture that
Yamaha uses to illustrate the bike—shown here—isn’t actually quite representative of the real thing, as it shows components like lights and mirrors which are missing on the real YZF1000W.
Buyers of the YZF1000W Race Base bikes also get a race-only ECU and wiring harness, specifically for circuit use, and because the bike lacks any road-going equipment it is around $800 cheaper, before tax, than a showroom R1 in Japan.
While the FIM listing for the 2023 YZF1000W disappeared from its initial position, the bike is still present on another document published on the FIM website. This time it’s more suitably on a “List of Imported Competition Specific Models,” which also includes the YZF600W, which is Yamaha’s Race Base version of the
YZF-R6.
The VIN marking that’s listed on the document—JYACN07C—reflects the competition nature of the bike. A road-going, current-generation R1?s VIN starts JYARN65: “JYA” identifies it as a Japanese-made Yamaha, “R” means sportbike, “N” means it’s between 751cc and 1,000cc, and “65? is the sequential project number of the current R1 (sometimes known as the “RN65? as a result—the previous generation was RN49, the one before that was RN32).
The Race Base model’s VIN also starts JYA, but it’s followed by “C” for competition, then “N” for 751cc–1,000cc, and the project number is “07,” suggesting this is the seventh generation of a competition-only model to be developed in that capacity class.
It’s interesting that the FIM lists the YZF1000W as a 2023 model, but it’s not necessarily an indication that the road going 2023 R1 will be substantially different to the current design. In previous years, Race Base versions of the R1 have been announced in Japan in the September before they reach production, with order books opening at the same time, but when a new or updated street model is launched the Race Base version typically appears
after the showroom version.
In terms of timing, the current “RN65? R1 was launched for the 2020 model year, the “RN49? was the 2017–2019 version, and the “RN32? ran from 2015–2016. That suggests an update is due for 2023, but the YZF1000W’s FIM documents aren’t necessarily proof that it’s definitely happening. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.