Few things make sportbike enthusiasts drool as much as race replicas. Over the years, we’ve seen limited-edition bikes sell out in a matter of hours, much to the delight of enthusiasts and collectors managing to snap them up.
This time around, however, Crescent Yamaha is giving you the chance to do just that, with the launch of the YZF-R1 Jonathan Rea Replica. Of course, Jonathan Rea is a racer who needs no introduction. Despite currently sitting in 17th in the 2024 WSBK rankings, Rea is arguably the most successful racer in the game. He’s the only racer ever to win six consecutive WSBK titles, taking top spot from 2015 all the way to 2020. As such, having a limited-edition race-replica of the bike he’s currently racing in the 2024 season is pretty fitting.
Those of you who’ve been following WSBK would know that Jonathan Rea is the newest addition to the Pata Prometeon Yamaha racing team, a highly successful racing team that held the championship in 2021 with then-World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu.
So, what makes the Jonathan Rea Replica R1 so special, you may ask? Well, apart from a fancy race-inspired livery, there’s quite a lot going on beneath the surface.
For starters, the replica bike is kitted out in all the go-fast goodies you’d find in Rea’s race bike. These include an Akrapovic exhaust system, forged-aluminum wheels from Marchesini, an Ohlins TTX rear shock and NIX Fork Cartridge Kit, and an adjustable steering damper.
Now, whether or not you’re going to reap the benefits of these upgrades is up to you. But for some enthusiasts, this level of eye candy is more than enough to seal the deal.
For those craving extra performance, upgrades such as a Brembo GP4RX caliper set and T-Drive racing rotors can be optioned in for an additional price. An optional Garage Pack consisting of GYTR front and rear stands, a bike mat, and a custom Jonathan Rea bike cover is also available.
Crescent Yamaha says that the new Jonathan Rea Replica R1 is available for shipping worldwide. But you better move fast, as only 65 of these bikes will ever see the light of day. The price for one of these machines? £29,995, or about $38,000 USD—quite the chunk of change, but surely worth it for diehard Yamaha aficionados.
2024 marks a sad yet important year for the Yamaha YZF-R1. It’s the very last year that the iconic superbike will be sold in street-legal configuration, at least in Europe. Yamaha previously announced that starting the 2025 model-year, the YZF-R1 will be offered as a track-only machine, destined for a similar fate as its smaller sibling, the YZF-R6.
As such, the Jonathan Rea Replica R1 could very well be one of the last street-legal race-replica R1s. Ever.
