Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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r-2c:- :-: Yc- o-=- o- F--R -6-- - - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - O Or-S- o-m- h- Y-Z- 2005 YAMAHA YZF-R6 $8399-$8499 599cc Uquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder BORE x STROKE 65.5 x 44.5mm COMPRESSION RATIO I 2.4:I CARBURETION EFI w/40mm throttle bodies IGNITION Digital CDI TRANSM ISSION 5ix-speed STARTING SYSTEM Electric FUEL CAPACITY 4.5 gal. WHEE LBASE 1385mm RAKE/TRAIL 24.5-degrees/95mm SEAT HEIGHT 32.7 in. FRONT TIRE 120/70ZR17 REAR TIRE 180/55ZR17 FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL .4.7 in. REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL .4.7 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual 31Omm discs REAR BRAKE 5ingle 220mm disc FINAL DRIVE Chain CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 357 Ibs. LIST PRICE DISPLACEMENT ENGI NE TYPE The introduction for the new R6 took place at Willow Springs Inte rnat io nal Raceway, which is a momentum track, perfect for deciphering the R6's handling changes . The morning was spent on the bike's stock Dunlop street compound tires , which included the aforementioned new fro nt profile tire. O n the stock tires , the new R6 was very impressive in terms of handling. The bike's new geometry nurnbers are instantly noticeable, especially over Willow's tricky turn six rise, which goes off-camber on the exit. This is a place whe re I remember the previous R6 shaking it's head and getting nervous, but the new bike is much more stable , allowing a lot more speed to be carried. If you are not familiar with Willow Springs, the track's sig· nature corner is the ultra-fast turn eight . This Singleturn practically makes or breaks a good lap around the track, and the new bike's increased stability is a welcome change . The bike doesn't feel like it lost much if any turning prowess and yet is more stabl e and confidence·inspiring through the 140mph corner. It didn't take long for the stock Dunlops to become completely toasted on the abrasive and fast Willow Springs track, and a huge full-lock slide from the rear tire had me heading for the pits for a tire upgrade. The upgrade took shape in the form of the new Dunlop D208GP· JLB Supersport race rubber. Unfortunately, just like the previous R6, the front end is very sensitive to tire changes and requires some meddling to get set up. The Dunlop race rubber on this bike isn't a turn key change , as the bike became relatively unstabl e with the suspe nsion settings from the stock tires . The bike devel- oped a high-speed weave that was a litt le disconcerting when transitioning the bike from the turn-seven kink into turn eight. The other bad habit that the bike developed was that it suddenly wanted to understeer in turn eight, which is the last corner on earth that I would want to run wide in. Taking a trip through the turn-eight minefield isn't my idea of a good day at Willow. It took a couple of sessions to get things sorted, but some suspension changes got the bike tracking predictably again. The key was to increase front pre load (3.5 lines showing instead of the stock seven) and add a little rebound. Out back, I reduced the rear preload to help the front out; sometimes the front-end problems start at the rear of the bike, especially due to the bike's attitude (amount of squat). The bike never regained the perfect combination of stability and turn- in that it had on the stock tires , but the added grip from the race tires was well worth the compromise. Once the changes were made , the bike was a total blast to te ar around on. It's hard to say if the power is much different than that of last year's model without riding them back to back, but one thing that I did not ice both on the track and on a st reet ride later was that the fuel injection wasn't optimal when cr acking it open from a closed throttle. It isn't bad , but I expected it to be smoother at a tr ack like Willow, where the th rottle is WFO a lot, not to mention that it has new throttle bodies and ECU mapping . The new brakes are imp ressive and are definite ly better than the previous set up. The R6 has had exce llent brakes for years, but I really like the feel of the new master 30 DECEMBER 1,2004 • CYCLE NEWS cylinder ratio , which keeps the action very progressive and isn't at all grab by. Another area t hat was noticeable was the rigidity of the new fork under braking . Willow doesn't exactly require superheavy braking in too many places , but entering turns one, th ree and five proved that the new fork definitely flexed less und er braking and offered excellent feedback. It's hard to argue with t he changes that Yamaha made to the R6; the slight decrease in turn-in ability isn't even noticeable, but the added stabil ity is. These changes should ma ke the '05 R6 anot her excellent race platform that I'm sure will fill racing grids aro und the country. The bike is more stable unde r bra king and midcorner, and it has the added co nfidence of the new fork. It's clear that 40th Anniversary Yamaha will be in the hunt for a shootout win again this yea r. Once again , Yamaha has taken a proven, excellent motorcycle and raised it to the next level, despite the fact that we don't remember too many people corn plaining about the old bike . The R6 is available in th ree color combinations, including the black/flat black with red pinstriped wheels (pictured) for $8499, and the red and blue version s costing $100 less at $8399. If you are looking at buying one of the new R6s, they should hit dealerships in November. The bike has completely sold out the past two years, so ifyo u really want one , get do wn to your de aler sooner than later, becaus e by next sum mer, they may all be gone again. Now that 's popularity. eN