Ever had to live through trying to order an item only to be told that the item has sold out? That’s what interested buyers of the Yamaha YZF-R1M are feeling right now because the bike many believe is the unicorn superbike->ke1888 of the year has sold out throughout Europe. Good luck trying to score a YZF-R1M in that region; you’ll probably have better luck trying find the Heart of the Ocean in the bottom of the Atlantic than getting the special edition bike.

The speed by which racers and track riders scooped up the YZF-R1M isn’t that surprising considering that interest in the bike shot through the roof as soon as it was launched in Australia in January 2015. Yamaha->ke301 even had to take special measures on the bike’s ordering system, launching an exclusive online registration that still didn’t do much to quell the demand for the bike. And so, after less than two months of being in the market, the YZF-R1M has officially reached “sold out” status in all 20 European countries that Yamaha has a presence in.

For those lucky enough to score a YZF-R1M, they get a bike that really lives up to its billing as the crown jewel of Yamaha. It has everything that its slightly less special brother, the YZF-R1, has, including state-of-the-art electronics, carbon fairings, and an advanced electronic suspension system. Would-be owners of the YZF-R1M will get all of that to go with an opportunity to Yamaha’s top racing staff led by former MotoGP racer Colin Edwards at the upcoming Yamaha Racing Experience events in July.

I know what you’re thinking: if you missed out on the Yamaha YZF-R1M, you’re probably pulling your hair right now. That or you’re cursing under your breath. Either way, we feel your pain. We really do.

Continue reading to read more about the Yamaha YZF-R1M selling out in Europe.

Why it matters

I know the feeling of wanting something you can’t have because you were slow enough to act on it when you had to chance to do it. It’s an all-too familiar feeling so don’t feel too bad about missing out on the Yamaha YZF-R1M. It might seem like the end of the world, but it really isn’t. Besides, it’s not like the YZF-R1M isn’t going to appear in the second-hand market in the future. Some models will end up in there; it’s just a matter of when and, well, what state the superbike will be when it gets there.

If that didn’t lift your spirits up a little, you can at least take comfort knowing that YZF-R1 can still be had provided you act quickly. The street-legal motorcycle has just arrived in Yamaha dealerships all over Europe, so if you can’t get your hands on the track-focused YZF-R1M, the YZF-R1 is a pretty darn good consolation prize, if you can even call it that.

In some ways, you’re probably better off with the YZF-R1 than the R1M. For one, it’s street legal. Second, it still has some pretty incredible technological gadgetry, including what Yamaha describes as “the most comprehensive suite of MotoGP-developed electronic control technology ever featured on a street-legal motorcycle.”

So count your blessings when you see them. You may have missed out on the YZF-R1M, but that doesn’t mean you can’t luck out on getting the YZF-R1. Just hurry up and make a decision on whether you want one or not. If you stall, there’s a chance that you’ll end up in the position you’re in now: lamenting what could have been if only you had acted sooner.