The YZF-R1 was a 1,000cc motorcycle built by Yamaha in 1998 after they redesigned the Genesis engine, which was Yamaha's marketing name for a range of high-performance multi-valve motorcycle engines.
They created a more compact engine by raising the gearbox input shaft and allowing the output shaft to be placed beneath it, which made the engine much shorter, resulting in a shorter wheelbase and an optimized center of gravity.
In 1999, Yamaha launched the YZF-R1, which received minor changes apart from paint and graphics, such as a redesigned gear change linkage, and the fuel tank reserve was lowered while the total fuel tank capacity remained unchanged.
The 1999 Yamaha YZF-R1 had its heartbeat set by a 998cc four-stroke four-cylinder liquid-cooled engine fed by four Mikuni carburetors and delivered an output power of 150 hp with a peak at 10,000 rpm and 108 Nm (80 lb-ft) of torque available at 8,500 rpm.
For suspension, the bike packed a 41 mm KYB upside-down telescopic fork on the front and an aluminum swingarm with a monocross shock absorber on the rear, while the five-spoke cast aluminum wheels were fitted with two 298 mm discs squeezed by a couple of four-piston calipers on the front and a 256 mm disc with a two-piston caliper on the rear that offered strong braking performance.