Our guide to bagging a brilliant 600 sports tool for under £4k
There are thousands of 90s headbangers for sale. Buy wisely and bag a bargain
Whatever happened to the supersport 600? Go back 15 to 20 years and it was one of the most vibrant classes in motorcycling. Manufacturers fought each other for sales and there were no shortage of buyers.
Then, 10 years ago, a shifting economic picture pushed prices up sharply which, combined with motorcyclists’ changing tastes, slowed the rush for a sporty 600. Now £4k will bag you a serious supersports weapon. This was far and away the most track-focused and high-tech of the 600s when released in 2006. It had a stratospheric 18,000rpm redline, which you would have to probe to release most of the claimed 131bhp. That level of commitment doesn’t make for the easiest of road bikes as power trades off low and midrange. But it looks great, especially in red and white, and if you want a full-on sports experience the R6 delivers. You will need to accept lessthan-perfect to bag one for under £4k. Look out for crash damage which is often given away by body panels that don’t fit as well as they should because of underlying damage to bracketry. Some bikes stretched the titanium valves that were fitted to help the bike rev higher, although this is usually only an issue on ex-race and trackday bikes. Some bikes burnt out exhaust valves through lean running. However, as many were raced and used as track hacks, there’s a decent supply of pristine bodywork removed in favour of pattern race plastics.
The redline is lying to you as the rev counter over-reads to the tune of around 1000rpm. Exhaust power valves can stick, so listen for it not turning properly.