Don’t Miss Your Chance To Own One of the Rarest Yamahas Ever

This FZR750R homologation special is one of just 500 units, and Iconic's no-reserve auction is your best chance to re-home it.

By: Robbie Bacon

Apr 26, 2024 at 8:02am ET

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The 1989 Yamaha FZR750R was technically before my time by about four years. But thanks to its legendary status, it's not really before anyone's time. True gearheads will know about the 0W01, as it was widely known, regardless of whether they were born a decade before or after its creation.

This is one of the rarest bikes Yamaha's ever made, so to see one would be a dream come true for most... to own one is almost unthinkable. But thanks to Iconic Motorbike Auctions, it doesn't have to be.

Here's everything you need to know about this 1989 FZR750 0W01.

FZR750R (0W01)

We owe the creation of the 0W01 directly to the World Superbike Championship. It was made as a homologation special so Yamaha could use it in WSBK, meaning the brand only produced 500 units. That makes this model even rarer than Honda's iconic RC30.

This bike's parts selection reads like an aftermarket race website, but the most important things to note are the Showa forks, Öhlins rear shock, higher-quality aluminum alloy used throughout, and the $16,000 price tag. And if you wanted the race spec, which of course you would, that'd tack on another few thousand. For 1989, a motorcycle approaching $20,000 was obscenely expensive.

But it wasn't just this bike's hardware that'd make you think about remortgaging your house. Its performance numbers were outstanding, even by today's standards.

The engine put out 121 horsepower and had a 14,000 RPM redline. This, combined with its close-ratio gearbox and the factory race kit, helped it complete the quarter mile in 11.20 seconds at 130.81 mph, and it'd keep going to about 160 mph given enough space.