Think back to 2022. If you’re a Yamaha YZF-R1 fan, chances are excellent that you might have been thinking forward to 2023, and what the near future might hold for your favorite sportbike line. 2023, after all, marks the 25th anniversary of Yamaha’s venerable literbike—so surely, Team Blue must have something special up its sleeve to celebrate, right? After all, it would be completely unlike the company to miss such an important occasion.
Speculation about a potential 25th Anniversary R1 design abounded, but of course, that’s all it was—speculation. That is, of course, until late July 2023, when Yamaha Motor Europe formally unveiled its R1 Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing (GYTR) Pro 25th Anniversary Edition machine. Strictly limited to just 25 units, Yamaha refers to it as the “ultimate track weapon.”
It’s more than just marketing-speak, according to Yamaha, because all those race-bred GYTR performance parts do far more than just look good when you get them out on the track in anger. Yamaha says that this bike is “a machine built to a specification as close to a world superbike racer as it is possible to get.” You may not wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and see Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s face looking back at you—but if you manage to buy one of these, you could at least come close to having his bike.
Gallery: Yamaha R1 GYTR Pro 25th Anniversary Limited Edition
What kinds of GYTR parts are we talking about, exactly? There’s a sweet Öhlins FGR400 fork up front, along with TTX shock in the rear. There’s also an Öhlins side steering damper. Brembo brakes help you stop all around. Other trick bits include a carbon fiber rear subframe, a modified fuel tank with a lower center of gravity, a Magneti Marelli engine control unit (ECU), an underslung swingarm developed just for Yamaha’s World Superbike (WSBK) program, and of course carbon fiber bodywork everywhere for strength, lightness, and optimal aerodynamic performance.
Yamaha Motor Research and Development Europe (YMRE) also crafted its own GYTR Pro Electronic System module (GPES), which is where all the carefully calibrated electronic rider aids a rider could want live. Wheelie control, launch control, engine braking management, traction control—you name it, they’re there, and can be adjusted to suit an individual rider’s needs as they do shakedown laps during their next track visit.
Another extremely cool (no pun intended, but we’ll take it) bit of the GYTR Pro 25th Anniversary R1 that you get to see very clearly in this video is the handcrafted radiator. In addition to optimizing performance for the track, it’s honestly a thing of beauty to behold. There’s a long, slow camera sweep over its surface, starting from a low angle and moving ever upward, and it deserves every second of time it gets in this clip.
Each of the 25 GYTR Pro R1 25th Anniversary machines will be assembled exclusively by hand by technicians at each of the 25 GYTR Pro shops currently located across Europe. It was only available to purchase online, at an MSRP of 159,000.00 €, or about $175,372 as of July 25, 2023. Incidentally, that price includes Europe’s Value-Added Tax (VAT).
Unsurprisingly, each of the extremely limited run of 25 bikes sold out immediately via the online reservation system that Yamaha Motor Europe established for it. However, if you’re interested, you can still sign up to be placed on a waiting list, should one of the lucky 25 that secured their place in line change their mind. We’ll include a link in our Sources so you can sign up if you’re interested.
Deliveries of the 25 limited-edition GYTR Pro R1 25th Anniversary machines are expected to take place between January and May of 2024, in the order in which they were received.
