Is Yamaha’s Flagship R1 Set to Receive Advanced Aerodynamics?

If this filed patent is to be believed, Yamaha could be about to spice things up with its flagship YZF-R1 by giving it advanced aerodynamics which work through active radiator shutters.

Over the last few years, aerodynamics have taken over in the two-wheel sector, whether that’s racing or the subsequent trickledown effect to road bikes that us mere mortals can all get our hands on.

Manufacturers, keen to not fall behind in the race to build the next best equipment, have continued to push the boundaries and that’s meant implementing different strategies, like this one from Yamaha.

So how does it all work? Well, the system that the Japanese brand is intending to use based on this patent application, which was uncovered by CycleWorld.com’s Ben Purvis, shows that instead of blocking the air going into the radiator, Yamaha’s new idea indicates that the side bodywork is more closed off - in other words more like the bodywork of an electric bike.

It also seems to show variable outlet ducts that are in place to allow hot air to escape once it’s been channelled through the radiator.

The aerodynamic benefits from the design are generated when the outlet ducts are closed, not open. On many bikes currently on the market the air vents release turbulent air that has already flowed through the radiator. What that does is provide ‘dirty air’, a term we hear about all the time when it comes to racing. It makes overtaking more difficult.

But with this design, the vents being shut will supposedly do away with all that, or at least that’s the aim. What it could also do is allow for better cooling and better airflow management.

Images: Yamaha/CycleWorld

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