You're looking at our manifesto in metal - everything we've learned in 50 years of competition.

It begins with a third-generation, 998cc, liquid-cooled, short-stroke, 20-valve, in-line four-cylinder engine designed to make 180 horsepower power at a stratospheric 12,500 rpm. The shorter cylinder head is re-angled farther forward to 40 degrees, far enough forward to allow the main frame spars to go over the engine instead of around it.

That straighter load path makes the Deltabox V frame massively strong, even as it makes the bike narrow to better fit the rider. Together with its light, strong and long Controlled Fill die cast truss swingarm, all that power is deployed to the pavement with the help of a fully adjustable piggyback shock absorber.

Titanium exhaust with Yamaha's lightweight Exhaust Ultimate Powervalve (EXUP) is routed under the seat for greater mass centralization. 56 degrees of cornering clearance is a good thing too.

New, five-spoke wheels at both ends are light to spool up fast. Radial-mount forged calipers and 320mm discs provide outstanding braking performance for bending controllably into tight chicanes at the end of long, sixth-gear straights.

These are just some of the features that enable the YZF-R1 to blow the dust out of your synapses every time you hop on and twist the throttle.