Paul Pavelitch with the Yamaha OW-01 he ’ s raced for decades
ability to short-shift and tourque-stomp out of a sweeper with ease . In fact , at 4500rpm it puts out more torque than a certain tangerine 1290 twin , so being a few revs down is not the end of the world and in some situations helps avoid that scary upshift coming out of the bend with maximum hp raising its eyebrow and your arse trying to rip the seat foam off . Up around that zone , it feels very , very modern , just a little more feral than the new generation .
WHOA BABY ! Braking is one area where time has marched onwards inexorably . Within the parameters permitted , Team Pav has done wonders , but you ’ re not going to out-brake a modern rocket . The brakes are powerful - handy as the big Yam hurtles you towards the next bend , but to provide that stopping power , you don ’ t have 2023-type subtlety , making it feel easily as violent under brakes as under throttle when brave enough to ask questions of it .
“ MARK PAV ” THE BUILD … Mark Pavletich is Paul ’ s brother , and just happens to have 50 years of engine building experience , so here ’ s how it went … “ At the end of 2016 Paul and I decided that
we had unfinished business with regards to the Yamaha OW-01 . We picked up where Paul left off in 1991 when he rode his first OW-01 . He rode it in the local F1 class races and in the Pan Pacific Superbike series where , unfortunately , he was seriously injured following a high-side exiting the sweeper at Manfeild . It was hoped that this time around there would be no such outcome … The bike would be run in the Post Classic Racing Association pre-89 Formula One class .”
AN UNDYING AFFINITY “ The OW-01 arrived in the form of a used Japanese market bike . It was a very tidy example and there was a little bit of reluctance to molest such a prime example to convert it to a race bike . But you know how it is when you want to go racing . We decided that it would be a good idea to use a path that was frequently trodden back in the early 90s . It would involve transplanting a 1000cc FZR1000 motor . This motor was an historical contemporary of the 750cc OW-01 motor so it would conform to the rules of the Pre ‘ 89 class . I had been playing around with five-valve Yamaha FZ series engine since they first appeared in the 1985 FZ750 . Paul purchased the ex-Moller Yamaha FZR1000W
28 KIWI RIDER