The first changes were made in 2001 when the fairing was restyled, adding wind deflectors to improve airflow.

The fuel tank was changed to a plastic item (with a reduction in capacity), and the rear shock on both the standard and the 'R' models was revised.

The SP stands for Sport Production and this version was made as a homologation special for the Superbike World Championship.

Only 150 motorcycles, the minimum requirement to homologate the model for Superbike World Championship, were manufactured in 1999.

The motorcycle has the same livery as the bike used by Noriyuki Haga at the Superbike World Championship and came with a circuit kit, which included a full Akrapovic titanium exhaust system and an Eprom injection unit.