1998 Yamaha YZF R1 For Sale on eBay!
Yup, it’s 1998 and I’m itching to “upgrade” my F3 because, you know, I “need” a bigger bike. I have a choice to make- ZX-9R or R1? Sport Rider magazines, Kent Kunitsugu, says the ZX-9R is the first sub 10 second 1/4 mile production motorcycle. Woo Hoo! screamed the Kawasaki fan boy.
Yup, you guessed it, I succumbed to the BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER marketing machine and purchased the ZX-9R :sadface: #Merica
The YZF-R1 burst on to the scene with a massive HP to weight ratio, good looks and razor sharp handling. Yamaha engineers also gave it enough pointy styling to be relevant 23 years down the road – which might be more impressive than the 150hp under the hood . . . er . . . gas tank.
Let’s have a peek at what could have been mine . . .
Looking back, I think I would have been happier with the R1 and seeing this one brings back all of those missed “what if” memories. I still think the red and white 98′ R1’s are one of my favorite looking bikes of all time only being eclipsed by the R7.
Seeing a (basically) all stock 1998 R1 in great condition has this one tugging at me. Thank goodness my old rickety ass can’t handle the sport bike riding position anymore or I’d have to pinch open my old skool squeeze change holder and buy the wife a new pair of shoes for this one.
From the seller
1998 Yamaha R1 – UsedRare and highly desirable red and white color combination
-17,598 Miles
-Lockhart Phillips tinted windscreen.
-Aftermarket tail tidy.
-Michelin Pilot Power tires that have 98% tread left.
-Almost unnoticeable ding in the right top rear of the gas tank
-Small scratch on right side of tank below the word “Yamaha”.
-Small chip in paint on the right lower side of the gas tank.
-Small chip in the top center of the gas tank.
-Rear passenger seat has been recovered and front corners are sewn.-This gorgeous 1998 Yamaha R1 runs and rides fantastic and is perfect for any collection.
Okay, I have a confession: I had no idea having your corners of your passenger seat “sewn” was a thing and worth mentioning in a for sale ad. Anyone else? Beuller? Beuller? Beuller?
Moving on from my lesson of the day- The seller has supplied some very nice photos for your review and a start up/throttle blip video for your viewing pleasure.
There you have it! A pristine, stock 1998 Yamaha R1 in the most sought after color scheme. The seller has it at $8750 BIN over on the auction site. I don’t think that is too bad all things considered.
Let us know where you stand on these.
Cheers!
dd
Pretty sure I’ve seen this bike for sale elsewhere recently – Iconic? The tipoff is the Chinese replica fairing lower, 1998 R1s didn’t have the small vent at the top rear of the lower fairing. Not sure about the “sewn” seat cover issue either – I could check my blue ’98 R1 and let you know 🙂
Kelley blue book is about 2700 yet somehow and today’s warped world this bike is worth three times that? People are truly losing their minds…
In 1998 my fiancé had to tell me one night to shut up already as she had heard enough of my describing the pros and cons of this trifecta – R1, VTR1000F, or Buell S1 White Lightning. I made the wise choice for a 27 year old rider with limited street experience, but I do look back and shake my head at the casual dismissal made of owning what became such and iconic bike. I was frankly scared of it, and rightly so, I think. I sold the SuperHawk a few years later and eventually bought an XB12R. Still missed the mark an R1 would have left.
I tested one of these back then, and certainly a bike deserving of iconic status. Those Sumitomo stoppers are among the best IMHO.
KBB is not really meaningful for collector or vintage cars. They only really have good values for “used” stuff.
Dallas–Good catch on the aftermarket lower fairings that are not mentioned in the ad. That’s a deal breaker for me. Who knows what else has not been described accurately. If it was an all original bike, the asking price would be realistic.
2004 is when the R1 got really good
@William I guess in this world everything is super rare, super low mileage, and super collectible! I suppose if somebody will pay it more power to them but eventually this is all going to collapse on itself and the fools that are willing to pay these exorbitant prices are going to be left bag holding. I’m sure they’ll ask for a bail out from the rest of us sane individuals…
These might have been produced in large quantities in period, thus making them not “rare” 20+ years ago….
It is safe to say that many people did not think to save nice ones, so finding a clean, stock example with any amount of miles is getting increasingly hard, making it more and more “rare”
As for the prices, this era offers a tremendous value and while they are on the rise, I am sure are still under valued.
Markets move up and down.
This 98 R1 is cheap compared to the over inflated market of Australia. People are paying around 20k AUD / approx 14.5k USD. Considering these bikes aren’t rare and come to market rather frequently prices dont make much sense.
So is my 2001 5JJ with 6900 miles rare? It essentially looks like the day it was sold 20 years go. Meaning it is absolutely box stock, and very very few imperfections.
If I ran across your bike for sale I’d def make room for it on the site. “Rare” presents itself in many ways to different folks.