Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

SECOND PLACE lO5 Points \. ENGINE rEY CHANGES: . Ove6quare 67 x 42.5mm bor,e/stroke dimensions . l'itanium v-alves . 12.8: I compreirion ratio . Slipper clutch . Secondary shower-type fuel iniectors Forget all the garbage that has been circulating around on the lnternet chat rooms about the R6 not actually rewing to 17,500 rpm. lt does- n t. VVlo cares? The fact of the matter is that the R6 has one hell ofa potent engine, making the most horsepower of any of the mid- dleweithB on the Area P dyno, regardless of what the actual redline on the tach says. The R6 w:s built for the racetrack, and that's where it's the most effective. The R6 is demanding - that's a fact. lt requires that ),fou ride it unlike aiy of the other bikes in this shootout, screafiing the motor deep into the revs. because the en8ine is all ebout top-end horsepowei not torque. "The engine is useable off the bottom, but you have ro tet used to the powerband and its 12,000- 16,000-rpm sweet spot," Sorensen said. "With the slipper clutch, it is easy to keep in the power, and it keeps rewing and keeps making power" Montano, who did his fastesr time at Euttonwillow on the R6, added, "Very good power if you like to rev it, and I do. Good pick up from I 1,000 rpm, and dren it goes throu8h the revs the quickest ofthe bunch. The slipper cluLch worl.s treat - t's very smooth entering the corners. The Yamaha scored wellon the track takrnt the second-most points to the less-demanding- to-ride Triumph. The big lactor is simply the riding style that the Yamaha requires. The new fuel-iniection s)stem on the R6 is all new and leatures Nvin-injectors for the llrst time. A couple of the testers commenred about a slight hiccup when opening the throftle from a closed position in lower-rpm range. "The R6 is smooth on the street," Montano noted. "But is a little rough going from ofito on throttle on the track." The R6 is a wolf in wolf's clothing. On the treck, if the rider ,lgures out how to utilize it, i!'s wonderful. The enSine is the closest thingto a mce bike of any in the test. On lhe stre€r the R6 was much better thafl expec(ed. The fact that the engine is top-end oriented wasnt that bi8 of deal, especially when the pace was more spirited. The only time that the R6 realy shows its race-oriented cards is leaving stoplights and around town, when the bike iust doesn't have the torque ro make things easier At the drag strip the Yamaha took some patience to launch - trying to flnd $e righr rpm to state at was a true lesson in trust. Too low (below 10.000 rpm) and the bike would bo8 instently, and too high (13,000 rpm) and ir would either spin the tire or snap up into a wheelie. We finally started leavinS the light at 12,000 rpm on the tach face, and slippang the hell out of the clutch; it worked. bu! was a lot of work. Lets just say that the Yamaha is belter once in motion thafl in getting there. Oh, by the way, the new stubby exhaust makes sweet music when the engine is at full chat. CHASSiISi/D{ANE,LING KEY FEATURES . New Delta Box aluminum freme . New 4lmm inverted fork w/ higrylow-speed compression dampint . New pito/back shock w/ hiSh/low- speed compr€ssion dampin8 . Longer aluminum swintarm . All-new st/ling and dywork The R6 chassir took on the character of Dr Jehy' and l'1r Hyde at the racetrack. Some of the tuys struSgled with ercessive headshake before finding susp€nsion settings thar would cure it. Others never had a problem all day. The priman/ culprit has to be, once atajn, the tall Dunlop rear tire that put the R6 w4/ up on its nose and made the teometry steep€n "lstruggled to make the Yamaha my friend," Carruthers said. 'After some wort that finally happened. I finally got to the poinr wtlere I could do decent lap times with it, but it was a lot of work. The headshake earlier in rhe day had me pretty spooked, but we wo.ked that out with some suspension adjustments." The 8r€at thinS about the Yarnaha is that like the rest ofthe bike, the suspension was made to perform. Both the front fork and rear shock have provisions for high- and low-speed com- pression damping in addition ro rebound damping and preload. With so much adjustabil it,. all of the set-up problems we encounrered were easit remedied for the most part. "l love fiat the fork has hith- and low-spe€d compression," Sorensen said. 'l would like more time to adjust settings. For a better lap time. I ne€d a more plush setup. lt was too harsh for the Buttonwillow track." The shock received perfect mark across the board from all oI the testers. "No problems widr the shock," flonrano said. "lt soaked up the bumps well. both on the track and on the street. k was smooth enough for the street, but was stifr enough for the track." The R6 chassis is a natuml-born racer wirh the abrliq/ to carve up apexes with ease. The bike handles in a very predictable and exa.-tint "The R6 is one of the best, ' Sorensen said. "Knifelike, super racer closest rhing !o a 250 GP bike yet - very precise. The stability was good, but we had set it up too stiff. lt was the YITAL STATISTICS Measured wet weight: 419 Ib. Peak horsepower: '107.89 hp Peak torque: 43.19 ft.-lb. Weight-topower ratio: 3.88 lb./hp Fastest lap time: 2;OO.57 (Sorensenl Ouarter-mile time: 1O.794 @ 1 32.14 mph Price; $9199 smallest, lithtest feelinS bike of the bunch. I could chanF line or adjust it wit}l iust a thoutht." The brakes on the R6 are excellent, provid- ing a strong initial bite, tood overall power and a lot of fe€l at the levell TtEy are sorne of the best in the test- Do you tet the picture? The R6 is a very c+able racetrack weapon, but how is the chas- iis on the streetl For starters the riding position is a little more radiaj !han, say, the Kawasaki or Honda" but it was fairly comfortable and offers an informatve dash. The bike is so litht feeling that riding it on ahe street is really nice. Make a mistake and the R6 will respond instantly when you try to correct it, ldon't think anyone said one negative thing about the Yamahas sq/ling, but Puetz said it best: "lf shootouts were won on styling alone, this bike would win hands down every time. lt looks like a proper mce bike - i( look fast iust sitting there. Kudos for what Yamaha has done - they went out aM built the most extreme, advanced 600 yet, ' CYCLE NEWs. APRlt12,2006 35 O-E istl o j"' , (r ::ii Powen = 107.89 i :,,,,,.,,.,,,,,,:,,,,,,,,,'' !'',,,,,,,,,,,,!, Xorque = 53.:19 j iiii ....... i. uex I lttat{ YAI\IAHA YZF.EB RPM x l000) En ine 5 eed Racedike engine Racerlike chassis Beautiful styling Great execution of desisn A little sluggish at low rpm Can be twitchy if not set up properly More radical riding po6ition PCISITIVES NEGiATI\/ESi t4 v t- 1 YAMAHA YZF-H6 l .o r'; ,\ t \\ f, \ / ., J a a ia rt lo \E ) .: 'l I '.,1t -.4 , , -

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