Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

~ c..:JOUc 0 x0 J11'J: 0 )(J[J[s 2001 Cycle News BOOee Sportbike Shootout 100 90 80 ... Gl 90 80 70 70 CII » ~ m &. 60 Gl ... 0 60 X .. ~ ,g III 50 c CD 50 w cl: 40 CII 40 30 30 20 ~ c;: 20 .!!!. 10 +-~-+-110 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1213 1415 RPM Ix10001 YAMAHA YZF·RS Yamaha YZF·R6 ~ (g@Q1J~D@ fF~ATUR~(§) ~@@)[fU§ ~[R)W @cLr @J ~ Q1J [fJ [fJ D10@ We knew going into this test that the Yamaha R6 was going to be a serious contender in our comparison. After all, almost every freakin' club racer in the 600cc class around the country is on one, and there's a reason for that. The bike turns like no other. The R6 makes you instantly comfortable on the racetrack with the lightest, fastest turn-in of any of the bikes here. It tracks weJl, feels predictable and can be trail-braked all the way to the apex without upsetting the chassis or making the bike stand up. The Yamaha is so confidence-inspiring on the track that it only takes a lap or so to get used to - it's so easy to ride fast. On the street, the front-end of the bike was much more stable on the stock street tires than at the racetrack on the race-compound tires. The different size front tire (the Dunlop 0207 Star has a larger circumference) changes the geometry of the bike by 14mm. Lowering the front by raising the forks in the tripleclamps would have helped a ton, but once again we were running short on time. One of the common complaints was that the bike was under-steering 0.0- the exit of corners - which makes sense with what we knew about the front-end geometry. We were able to adjust the front suspension enough to stop it from running wide, but really needed to raise the forks in the triple clamps to keep the bike from tank-slapping so badly over some of the rough transitions. One of the Yamaha's best traits is its brakes, the really, really good front brakes. They perform flawlessly-both-on--the-stfeel:-a-nd-on-the..t~ack...-ln.Jac.t,...J!l don't think you can find better stock brakes on any other streetbike. The mono-block calipers offer the best combination of feel and power of any bike in this test. Yamaha claims that if the R6's motor was a full liter it would make 200 horsepower. This may just be advertising hyperbole, but over the last couple years no one would've argued the point because the motor was a class leader. Enter 2001, and the competition has fought-back hard. The R6 lacks the torque of the other bikes, and that torque sometimes feels higher up.io the rev-range than on the others (the dyno 28 .JANuARv24, 2001 • a U a len e _ chart backs this up). The biggest problem is that the torque curve is all over the map - it has way too many peaks and troughs in it. In addition it doesn't pull as hard in the top-end of the rev-range as the Honda and Suzuki. It pulls hard, but the others are really accelerating up top. The throttle response is perfect, and the R6 still carburetes better than the fuel-injected bikes, especially when feeding in throttle mid-co·rner and trying to pick up the throttle while exiting tight corners. The problem with the carburetors is that even though they offer the crispest throttle response, fuel-injection would help clean up the power and torque curves. Unfortunately one of the areas that Yamaha really needs to look at more carefully is the transmission. Some changes were made to the shift-shaft in an effort to improve the feel, but it just isn't enough. The clunky, notchy shifting really leaves the rider with a bad impression of the R6 - like immediately after they hop onto one of the other bikes and sample what a smooth tranny feels like makes it feel even worse then. It may be an inherent design flaw - because the R1's transmission isn't any better. Ih R6's !y:Jing.b.lmpeccable. Everyone on our staff really liked the new Championship-Replica paint· scheme with the bumblebee stripes (only 1000 of the bikes will be available in this color combo). The most obvious change to the R6 for 2001 is the redesign of the tail section, and that just happens to be our favorite styling element of the bike. The new LED (Light Emitting Diode) taillights are very cool, and are also the brightest taillights we've ever seen. If the Yamaha isn't designed for the track. than we don't know what bike is - the new rear turn-signal/licenseplate assembly can be removed by taking out four bolts, and it looks really cool without it. CN !S Engine • Compact design allows improvement of weight distribution • Redesigned forged-aluminum pistons treated w/ Alumite coating to reduce friction • Electroplated cylinder walls to allow tighter piston-tocylinder clearances • Carburized connecting rods redesigned for lighter weight. more strength • New crossover chambers in exhaust headers for lighter weight • Shift shaft altered to allow smoother. more positive shifting Chassis • Steering stem redesigned to cut weight • Shortest wheelbase in class • Redesigned tail section w/ new LED taillights. painted undertray (below fender) {, removable license plate/tum signal assembly • Swingarm-mounted rear fender • Battery weighs over a pound less than last year's • VariOUS other components lightened throughout the bike What's hot? • Handling still on the razor's edge • Class-leading brakes • Hey, nice arse! What's not? • John Deere-like shifting • Life doesn't begin unti.! 12.000 rpm Bottom Line Too bad, Yamaha. A bit more midrange, and you could have won. Yamaha YZF-R6/Champions Limited Edition ~P~COfFOCATOON(§) LIST PRICE $7999/$8499 DISPLACEMENT .599cc ENGINE TYPE Liquid-cooled. in-'line four-cylinder BORE X STROKE 66.5 x 44.5mm COMPRESSION RATIO 12.4:1 CARBURE.TIOI'L ~_~ __ .~(.4~-J7.mm Keihin __ IGNITION ....':- .......••... ~ •. : ,. I)igital TRANSMISSION Six-speed STARTING SYSTEM E1ectric FUEL CAPACITY ....................•.... .4.5 gal. WHEELBASE _, •. , •..............54.4 RAKEjTRAIL " ., 24°/81.02mm SEAT HEIGHT , 32.8 FRONTTIRE 120/60·17 REAR TIRE 180/55·17 FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL '" .52 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL .5.1 in. FRONT BRAKE ............••.. _ Dual disc REAR BRAKE , Disc FINAL DRNE ..................•..••.......Chain CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 365 lbs.

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