2009 Yamaha R1 revealed with big bang engine

The 2009 Yamaha R1 has been officially unveiled by Yamaha, and as we predicted, it has a Yamaha M1-like big bang firing order. The first time a big bang engine has been used on a production bike, Yamaha is calling it “Crossplane Technology” and it puts each connecting rod 90º from the next, meaning the cylinders fire at 270°- 180°- 90°- 180°. This spreads out the power pulses to the rear tire, allowing it to regain traction in between each pulse. The result is more usable traction under large throttle openings, meaning riders will be able to accelerate out of corner earlier and harder. While the rest of the machine appears fairly conventional, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Update: Check out the official launch video after the jump. The engine sounds awesome, shame about the cheesy voice over.
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