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    BIG BANG BULLET LIVING WITH AN'09 R1

    Oct 13, 2018 6 minutes
    WORDS: JAMES ROSS
    IMAGES: CHAPPO

    I’ve had all sorts of bikes since I started riding. My last one was a Fireblade and it was all right but just a bit bland, anyway I ended up writing that off when an old lady pulled out on me in her Nissan Micra and I smashed her back door in. I needed a new bike and it didn’t take me long to decide on an R1 – I fancied the Yam because I’m a massive Valentino Rossi fan and the 2009 R1, with its new cross-plane crank big-bang engine, was kind of sold to us as a MotoGP bike for the road. And as soon as I rode this R1 I knew it was something special. Everything was really easy on the old ’Blade, but the R1 felt instantly more exciting to ride.

    I bought it brand new in March in 2009. It was white with the candy red frame but before I’d even had it two

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