Yamaha YZF-R6
Does the last surviving supersports 600 still make sense as a road bike?
ANEW 600CC SPORTSBIKE, you say? Don’t worry, you’ve not picked up an old copy of RIDE from 2007; this really is a new Yamaha YZF-R6 – and it’s the last of a breed. The supersport sector has seen a huge decline. Once the cutting edge of sports motorcycling, interest in the class has waned to the point where almost every single factory chose not to update their offering to meet Euro4 emissions regulations. Yamaha’s £11,116 YZF-R6 is now the only new supersports machine remaining.
But far from just limping on in its current guise, Yamaha has given its 600cc stalwart a whole new image for 2017. Gone is the mantis-style bodywork introduced back in 2006 and in its place is an R1-like fairing. New forks and brakes have taken their cue from the R1 too, while electronic rider aids like ABS, traction control and switchable throttle maps have been added for the first time.
Yet while it’s refreshing that Yamaha is still offering customers the choice, is there still a place for a rev-happy and ultra-focused supersports 600 on Britain’s roads – especially one that costs over £11,000? We took to the tarmac to find out.
B-ROADS
The new R6 has many changes and updates from the previous model, but none of those are geared towards comfort or practicality. The model’s new bodywork has been inspired by the R1 and honed in the windtunnel to allow the R6 to slice through the air on a race track, not necessarily to protect the rider from the elements. The riding position is equally uncompromising. Perched in a sporty stance, you are gently canted forward on weighted wrists. There’s no escaping the fact it feels awkward on national speed limit lanes, especially as the taut chassis does little to mask bumps, jarring the spine and shocking the wrists.
Dial into it, however, and the R6 comes alive in your hands. By keeping the needle buried between 12,000rpm and 15,000rpm, the R6 flits from corner to corner like a mayfly in a high-frequency blur. At these speeds on these roads, it means flailing the bike hard in second or third with the LCD tacho constantly demanding another shift, but at that point in the rev range, the R6 will surprise you with its spread of power. It feels unnatural if you’re not used to revving a bike that hard, but it is the only way to make progress.
Below the surface, Yamaha has worked on the manageability of the power and torque available with specific fuel/ignition maps for each gear, and it really shows. For the first time, the R6 gets a comprehensive electronic rider assist package. There are three riding modes; A, B, and STD, which all give the same peak power but change the throttle sensitivity. The B mode gives a softer feel, A mode is sharp and precise for sport riding and the STD mode is the compromise for normal riding.
On slower roads or in poor conditions, once you drop the revs the R6 quickly goes off the boil. Sub-12,000rpm, the revs drops off and with it the urgency to brake and change direction, leaving you with a bike that’s almost as docile as an A2 machine.
MOTORWAYS
The titanium-valved R6 engine is vibration-free and revs roughly to 6000rpm (of 17,000) in top at legal speeds. The ergonomics of the bike are not best-suited to motorway cruising, and when the fuel light illuminates after 130 miles, you’ll definitely be glad of the rest. However the screen is 5cm higher than the previous model, which takes a bit more air pressure off the chest.
As well as the riding modes described earlier, the new R6 is also equipped with six-level traction control, which can be switched off. The level is adjusted by the button on the left-hand switchgear. For normal motorway riding there was no noticeable intervention at any time whilst in the highest setting, only when you chose to accelerate almost from a standstill with full throttle did the system cut in and try to reduce wheel slip. Obviously, in the wet or on poor road conditions, the traction control would be beneficial, especially as the engine does have the potential to rev really high.
The R6 has also had its lighting system updated. There’s not a conventional light
“The R6 flits from corner to corner in a high-frequency blur”
bulb to be found as everything, including the headlights, is LED. Viewed from the front, the upper cowling has two narrow LED daytime running lights, and below at either side are the headlights, which give a surprising amount of pure white light.
IN TOWN
The R6 isn’t a machine for hacking through town. There’s little low-range torque to propel you swiftly away from traffic lights and, because first gear feels far too revvy, you often find yourself in second which only compounds the problem.
Its 850mm seat height means that care also needs to be taken when paddling the bike in and out of parking spaces, as shorter-legged riders may find it difficult to get a good foothold on the ground. But escape the inner-city and as your speed increases, you can enjoy the pure luxury of seamless upshifts thanks to the factory-fitted quickshifter.
ON THE TRACK
Yamaha has made some key weightreducing measures to help the new R6 excel on the track. The petrol tank is now all aluminium and the newshape subframe is made entirely from magnesium. There is a new rear shock and the forks have been replaced with 43mm units with adjustment for damping and preload all at the top of the fork. Combine these upgrades with the three rider modes, six-step traction control and quickshifter and you have a sublime supersport race replica.
Heavily compromised on the road, it takes a visit to a racetrack for the R6 to truly come alive, and riders of all abilities will find that there is so much potential to unlock from this bike. The new forks give it a taut, well-damped feel that aids steering precision. The same precision feel from the forks is repeated when braking hard, as the larger diameter brake discs give superb feel and power. And it’s in all of the extremes that the new R6 excels; if you’re an expert rider, you could fit sticky rubber to this bike and run at the front of any trackday.