Yamaha

Yamaha patent hints at updated R1

By Ben Purvis

Yamaha's R1 is currently in limbo in the European market - available as a track-only model in 2025 rather than conforming to the latest Euro5+ emissions rules - but a new patent application suggests the company is actively working on a revised version and explores some intriguing ways to both improve its performance and reduce its emissions.

The patent is focussed on aerodynamics, and depicts a current-model R1 fitted with new, more enclosed side bodywork that covers most of the engine rather than leaving it exposed, like the existing version. More importantly, the new panels include adjustable air outlet ducts, operated via small, lightweight stepper motors and a belt-drive system to let the bike's computer open or close them depending on how much cooling is required.

It's a clever setup because bikes need to be designed with enough cooling capacity to cope with the most extreme conditions, like stationary traffic on a hot day, but most of the time that much cooling isn't required. The Yamaha patent explains how the side vents could be kept closed most of the time, preventing turbulent air that's travelled through the radiator from exiting into the airflow running down the sides of the bike, and in doing so reducing the overall drag. Less drag means there's reduced strain on the engine, so emissions and fuel consumption can be improved.

The system also has additional benefits. Keeping the vents closed until they're needed means the engine and the catalytic converter can be brought up to efficient operating temperature faster from cold, and the patent explains that the catalyst's temperature would be constantly monitored and also feed into the computer's decision on when to open the vents. Keeping the catalyst in the optimum range - not too cold, not too hot - will improve its performance and again reduce emissions.

As well as only opening the ducts when maximum cooling is required, the patent explains that they could be briefly kept closed under hard acceleration, boosting aerodynamic performance when the rider is asking the maximum from the bike, giving another performance advantage to the idea.

While variable ducts are already commonplace on modern production cars, with many having hidden shutters to open or close air intakes at the front, Yamaha's approach of closing the air outlets instead of the intakes is a slightly different one, and marks an early attempt to adopt the active shutter idea to motorcycles. BMW is also thinking along similar lines, having filed a patent application for an intake shutter system some months ago, so it should be no surprise if this technology is adopted more widely in in the future.