Ever since its inception, the YZF-R1 has always been the flagship Yamaha bike and it has the credentials to back this up too. So when the Japanese marquee wanted to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the R1 was the pre-destined pick for a limited edition variant, and thus, birthed the Yamaha R1 50th-anniversary limited edition.

Only 500 examples of the special R1 ever went into production, making this an exquisite affair. However, if you want one, Iconic Motorbike Auctions has an immaculate piece up for grabs with just six miles on its odometer!

2006 Yamaha R1 50th Anniversary On Sale

Like most special editions, the most notable difference between the standard R1 and this one was the livery. The 50th anniversary R1 donned a special tricolor livery comprising OG Yamaha racing colors - yellow, white, and black - which also paid homage to Kenny Robert’s YZR750 race bike.

This wasn’t all, though. Yamaha also equipped the special edition with bespoke fully adjustable Ohlins suspension at both ends, tuned by none other than Yamaha’s MotoGP engineers. In addition, the bike rolled on top-shelf forged aluminum Marchesini wheels finished in gold, matching it with the suspension.

It goes without saying the Ohlins suspension and the forged wheels were put in place to make it handle better than ever and bring it closer to the riding experience of the YZR-M1, which we completely believe it will.

Yamaha kept away from up-speccing the 998cc, inline-four engine which made over 170 horsepower. The only engine-wise notable upgrade was the addition of a slipper clutch to the six-speed gearbox, helping make downshifts smoother.

Apart from this, the 2006 R1 boasted a radical design with twin projector headlights and twin underseat exhausts. This design still ranks among the most iconic and popular motorcycle designs, even after nearly 20 years of its existence. The cockpit, meanwhile, had a semi-digital instrument cluster with all the necessary readouts and no electronic rider aids.

What’s The Price?

Being an auction, there’s no fixed price here and we suggest you head to Iconic Motorbike Auctions to put in your bid. In case you get to take it home, you’ll be happy to know the bike comes with a special Yamaha toolbox, a 50th-anniversary key chain, all original paperwork, and one original key.

While all this makes it ready to ride the moment it reaches you, we suggest you swap the OEM Pirelli Diablo rubber with fresh tires before doing so.