VOL. 53 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 18, 2016 P55
Y
amaha revealed its 2017
R6 at the AIMExpo in
Florida and, although it's
not totally an "all-new" motor-
cycle, it did get some notewor-
thy updates, like a new 43mm
KYB fork, which replaces the
previous 41mm unit, and a larger
25mm front axle.. The front
brake is beefed up, too. The
discs are 10mm larger in diam-
eter (320mm). You can pretty
much say that the new R6 takes
its front end right off its bigger
brother, the R1.
The '17 R6 is also fitted with
a new six-level traction control
system and Yamaha's D-mode
system, with three levels to
chose from: A, B and Standard.
The bodywork, however,
is all new. It's designed to be
more aerodynamically efficient
(improved by 8% according to
Yamaha), and the reshaped
fuel tank is now made out of
aluminum instead of steel for
a 2.7-pound savings in weight.
However, overall wet weight has
gone up two pounds to 419.
It also has a flatter seat and a
narrower subframe. The mo-
tor and chassis have not been
changed at all, though Yamaha
will offer an upshift-only quick
shifter as an accessory.
The new R6 will be available
in three colors: Matte black,
Team Yamaha blue, and Intensity
white/Matte silver. Availability is
March 2017, with an MSRP of
$12,199. CN
Yamaha R6
