2020-01-01_Motorcycle_Trader

MOTORCYCLE TRADER 23

Ifyou’reusedthebig-bikecornering

techniqueof‘slowin,fastout’then

chancesareyou’rea lazyrider,andyou

won’trealisethefactuntilyouridea

supersport,likethelightweight,high-

revvingandresponsiveR6,inanger.

SimilartotheR3,theR6is about

carryingasmuchspeedfromcornerentry

toexitasyoudare.Ofcourse,theR6offers

muchmoremumboovertheR3inaddition

towell-sorted,quality-specsuspensionand

brakingperformancetomatchaswellasa

considerableelectronicsarsenal– asyou’d

expectforalmost 20 gorillas.That’squitea

premiumoveritsag eing,ever-diminishing

competition,butthere’ssomejustification

in theformofthreeridemodesandseven

levelsoftractioncontrol– allofwhichcan

beadjustedonthefly.

There’salsoa slipperclutch,one-way

quickshifterandwell-calibrated(though

non-switchable)ABS.

TheR6begstobehammeredfora fast

lap,allthewaytoits16,500rpmredline.

There’snoneck-snappingsurgefromthe

bottomlikea litrebike,butit getslively

fromaround7000rpm.Ideally,you’dkeep

it inits8000-16,000rpmsweet-spot,which

canadmittedlytakeSherrin-sizegonads.

Buttherewards...

ComplyingwithEuro4 emissions(not

theforthcomingEuro5 standards)hurt

the R6’s peak outputs compared with the

old pre-2016bike,butchangingthestock

exhaust,chockerswithpower-sapping

cats,fixesthat.Reallythough,there’slittle

sensetheR6lacksperformance– youjust

needtoadjustyourstyleif you’reusedto

biggerbikes.

Distinguishedbyitssharperexterior,

the 2017 modelintroduceda hostof

refinementsincludingbiggerfrontbrakes

andaxle,andfullyadjustable43mmKYB

forksfromtheR1,albeitwithspecific

internalsettingsforthelighter,sharper

R6.It alsopickedupLEDlights;a revised

dash;a lightweightaluminiumfueltank

anda magnesiumsubframe.

Thelatestfrontendgivesyouthe

confidencetobrakedeeperintocorners,

andthebikehitsapexesassoonasyousee

themwhileencouraging– nay,demanding

• morecornerspeedthanyourprevious
  lap. The bigger the speed, the bigger the
  reward.Thefaster,thebetter.That’stheR6.

599cc inline four; 87kW (117hp) at 14,500rpm; 67Nm at 10,500rpm; 17L tank; 190kg wet

$19,549

RIDEAWAY

ABOVETheR6’sdashis an

olderbuteffectivemix

ofdigitalandtheall-

importantanalogue.

TheR6arrivedaround

September 2018 with

sharperstylinganda

superiorfrontend

fromtheR1.

THE

MIDDLE

CHILD

YAM

AHA

LAUNCH

REPORT

YZ

F-R 1 & R^1 M