Yamaha YZF-R1 Tyre Size
The Yamaha R1 runs a 120/70/17 front tyre and a 190/50/17 rear tyre. You can click those links to see all the different tyre options for this bike. As motorcycle tyre specialists, accredited by the major manufacturers, we can supply any tyre to you by mail order or you can have them fitted in our London motorcycle workshop.
These are common motorcycle tyre sizes and so you have plenty of choice, whether you want a tyre for Touring, Trackdays, Fast Road Riding, Budget tyres or High Mileage.
Yamaha YZF-R1Â History
Yamaha hit the jackpot when they launched the R1 in 1998. Yamaha took advantage of the fact that Honda’s FireBlade – a once dominant force – was getting fatter and further away from the race track with every new version. The R1 took litre sportsbikes back to the race track. In 2000, having earned its repuation as the bike to have, was given a minor face lift and a 2kg weight reduction.
Then came the 2002 version, which was a pretty much ground-up all-new model. It featured fuel injection, revised styling and an all-new new chassis. The 2002 model was popular but Yamaha’a rivals were also launching their new models, like the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and new CBR929 FireBlade, so Yamaha had to stay sharp. In 2004, Yamaha launched the R1, the first with undeseat pipes.
This new sharper-looking model was given a few small tweaks through its lifetime and in 2006 it came with a longer wheelbase and there was a limited edition SP version which came with Ohlins suspension, Marchesini wheels and a slipper clutch.
In 2007, Yamaha scrapped their five valves per cyclinder engine format in favour of a four-valve head version. The bike was given more power and a ride-by-wire throttle, electronically-controlled inlet trumpets, not to mention a new chassis and tweaked styling.
Then came the big-bang version. This bike was introduced in 2009 – the big bang refers to the engine configuration which used a crossplane crank to create more low-down torque and a beefier midrange. The new big-bang also featured a revised chassis and styling and had detail changes including six-stage traction control in 2012.
Then in 2015 the all new R1 was launched, including the popular R1M. This bike was a huge step up from the ‘big bang’ and although it still featured a cross-plane crank, the bike was lighter, more nimble and the electronics package was far more sophisticated than the previous big-bang R1.
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Yamaha YZF-R1Â Stock Tyres
The latest Yamaha R1 and Yamaha R1M both come with the Bridgestone R11 as its OEM-spec tyre. The earlier 2008 – 2014 YZF-R1 (Big Bang) came with the Dunlop D218 tyre as standard.
Yamaha YZF-R1Â Best Tyres
If you’re riding an R1 you’re probably not commuting or touring but if you are, you most likely want to keep the handling sharp, so check out the Metzeler M7RR or Pirelli Rosso 4.
Fast Road Riding
For Sunny Sundays, weekend blasts and the occasional trackday:
Trackdays
If you ride your bike on the road to get to a trackday or van it to the track, these are great road-legal track-spec choices:
Yamaha YZF-R1Â Tyre Pressures
You can find your motorcycle manufacturer’s recommended tyre pressures in your owner’s handbook. You’ll also find a tyre pressure chart sticker on the swingarm.
If you have no idea what pressures to run, this is our general rule:
Scooter: F 30psi, R 30psi
Normal Motorcycle: F 36psi, R 42psi
Big Tourer: F 42psi, R 42psi
125cc Bike: F 33psi, R 36psi
You should always check your tyre pressures when the tyres are cold. Check out our range of motorcycle tyre pressure gauges here.
About Two Tyres
Our mission is to ensure we listen to every customer’s needs and ensure they’re riding on the right tyre. Out of the showroom, your motorbike is a compromise, designed to suit a huge range of riders and riding conditions. To get the best out of your bike in terms of handling, performance and safety, tyres make all the difference. In fact we think it’s the most cost-effective performance enhancement you can make!
We are based in London where we supply and fit motorcycle tyres and consumables in our workshop. We also mail order motorcycle tyres around the UK, across Europe and even to places as far-flung as the USA, Canada and Japan.
Need help choosing the best tyres?
Choosing tyres can be tricky. We’re here to help. We hold direct accounts with every motorcycle tyre manufacturer, so we’re well placed to give comprehensive and honest advice to help you choose the best tyres. If you can’t quite make your mind up, give us a call on 0207 205 2205 and we’ll help you narrow down your choices.
We are motorcycle and scooter tyre specialists, with over 25 years in the trade. Between us we fit 10 pairs of tyres a day in our workshop, so we have good real-world experience of what works and what doesn’t.
We ride to work, we ride for fun, we race and ride off-road. If it’s got two wheels, we’re into it.
Give us a call or drop into our London motorcycle workshop and we’ll do our best to help you.
Are your tyre pressures letting you down?
We couldn’t find a tyre pressure gauge that was well-built, easy to get on-and-off the valve without pressure loss and could stand up to day-to-day abuse in our workshop. So we found a manufacturer to build one to our exacting standards.
We’re confident this is the best motorcycle pressure gauge out there. That’s why it comes with a 3-year, no-nonsense, money back guarantee.
Whether you want a digital tyre pressure gauge or a good old-fashioned analogue pressure gauge, we’ve got a gauge for you. Now you can quickly and easily check your pressures, to keep your bike handling well and to ensure you stay safe.
Here at Two Tyres, we stock more than just tyres. Take a look at some of our essentials for any biker.
Motorcycle puncture repair kit – Our top-rated kit includes everything you need to carry out a roadside repair and get back up and running.
Motorcycle tyre pressure gauge – Our tyre pressure gauge has been rated in RiDE magazine and features a clever design to make it easy to get accurate readings.
Motorcycle first aid kit – a DIN-rated first aid kit that’s compact and also includes extras that are handy for any biker. A must-carry in some EU countries.
HyperCharge battery charger – The HyperCharge is a smart charger that can charge lead-acid and lithium batteries and it’ll charge bike and car batteries too.
Cordless tyre pump – Small enough to fit in your luggage, this tyre pump doubles as a powerbank, so you’ll never have a flat tyre or phone battery again!
All of these products have been well tested and are top-rated by our customers.
