{"id":537999,"date":"2017-09-28T15:41:02","date_gmt":"2017-09-28T05:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeme.tv\/?p=537999"},"modified":"2017-09-28T15:41:03","modified_gmt":"2017-09-28T05:41:03","slug":"2017-yamaha-yzf-r6-sexy-is-as-sexy-does","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/2017-yamaha-yzf-r6-sexy-is-as-sexy-does\/","title":{"rendered":"2017 YAMAHA YZF-R6 \u2013 SEXY IS AS SEXY DOES"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It would be entirely appropriate to pronounce \u2018R6\u2019 as \u2018ARGHSEX\u2019. In fact, I would insist on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Look at it.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you cannot see this is one of the sexiest-looking sportsbikes ever made, then you are blind. The next R1 must immediately take its forthcoming styling cues from this baby, because this is the best-looking motorcycle Yamaha has made in a long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You just can’t say that isn’t pleasing to the eye.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Me, on the other hand…not so much.<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is the one in Bedouin white. There’s silver on it and yellow wheels. At times I thought it was stunning. At other times I thought it wasn’t and went to ride the blue one.<\/p><\/div>\n

I will take questions early in the piece\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Is that hyper-aggressive profile and come-get-some-baby stance all there is to the new R6? <\/span><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Is it just style with no substance?<\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>After all, it\u2019s not like the supersport class is booming, is it?<\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Why would Yamaha, or any manufacturer, bother all that much with it?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Well, the answers go like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>1.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>No. Like any proper supersport there\u2019s some two-stroke evil in its veins. There doesn\u2019t seem to be much zest below say 9000rpm. It feels all fluffy and pleasant and not at all interested in showing you the face of the Baby Jesus. But wick it up over 9000rpm \u2013 in fact, if you\u2019re doing it properly you\u2019re redlining its 190kg (wet) in every gear (peak power is at 14,500rpm) \u2013 and whoa\u2026there He is! The Baby Jesus. And He\u2019s winking at you.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This one had a lovely Akrapovic on it.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Look where the redline is. Yeeessss….<\/p><\/div>\n

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You can just drink beer and look at it.<\/p><\/div>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>No. There is quite a lot of substance to this style. But then there always has been. There\u2019s a reason why the R6 has dominated the supersport racing class all over the world for more than a decade. There have been no changes to the R6 since 2010 (and why would you change a bike that is winning everything anyway?), but for 2017, this is what\u2019s changed \u2013 the magnesium subframe (20mm narrower at the front with a flatter seat, so even big blokes can now be a bit more comfortable), the fairing (allegedly 8 per cent more aerodynamic and easier to tuck in behind), the flywheel (lighter for a more two-stroke-like experience) and the suspension (it now has the fully adjustable 43mm front-end off the R1. Also off the R1 are the brakes, 320mm discs being squeezed by four-piston radial calipers), and a new dash. Other new stuff includes a smaller lithium battery, an R1-type swingarm, a more rigid front brake bracket, an ECU to match all the new electronics, sexier LED lights and LED blinkers, and a different-shaped wheel-hubs for better ABS braking.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It climbed up here all by itself just to look down upon us all.<\/p><\/div>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>True, the supersport class is not booming at the moment. But the reason Yamaha makes an effort in a currently not-all-that popular class is the same reason the Big Four all try very hard when it comes to building 1000cc superbikes. It\u2019s not because the demand for 1000cc rockets is huge. It\u2019s because there is a great deal of honour and glory in building the best 1000cc superbike. And there is similarly a great deal of honour and glory in building the finest 600cc supersport \u2013 and that is what Yamaha has done. Once again.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You turn the rubber thing and evil runs into those cables.<\/p><\/div>\n

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And then there is the black one. The satiny matte black one.<\/p><\/div>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>Because it can and because it must. Don\u2019t ever forget, there are a lot of mean-eyed motorcycle freaks in positions of power in motorcycle companies. And they very much relish telling bean-counters to piss off. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Of course, the R6 is very track-focused. I did spend a day riding it on the road, and it\u2019s certainly a hoot in that regard. You\u2019ll recall I\u2019m the crazy person who did an Iron Butt ride on an R6 some years ago. So don\u2019t tell me it can\u2019t tour or commute. It can and it can be very fulfilling in that regard. But it\u2019s happiest place is the track. That fantastic screaming, shrieking, howling motor. How can you not love that? Have you no soul?<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the crazy corner speeds, lightning-fast line changes, leg-checking cheeky bastards into the cabbages\u2026none of which I did much of, but all of which is what happens when you unleash herds of feckless, wild-eyed youths onto a racetrack astride R6s.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You can just imagine this being fired down the Corkscrew…and ending in a ball of flame.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The black one is rather special.<\/p><\/div>\n

But yes, I did spend a day hosing the R6 around Sydney Motorsport Park wishing I was 25 years younger and my balls were a few kilos heavier. If I was and they were, I would have gone much faster than I was going and I would have enjoyed seeing the Baby Jesus winking at me more than He did. But now and again, when I got it together, He did give me a bit of a grin.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the press launch was a blast. I got some solid road time in, as well as a day at the track \u2013 which was damp in the morning so that gave me a chance to see if the R6\u2019s electronic traction wizardry would keep me out of hospital. As you can see, it did.<\/span><\/p>\n

To be perfectly honest, I did enjoy the R6 more on the track than I did on the road. If I was 20, I\u2019m sure it would have been 50-50. So there is that to consider. The R6 is a young <\/span>man\u2019s game. I guess it always has been.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This could be you – but faster and slimmer.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Picture it parked outside a tent in the Sahara.<\/p><\/div>\n

That does not mean older blokes can\u2019t or wouldn\u2019t enjoy the shit out of it \u2013 hell, I did and I\u2019m closer to 100 than I\u2019d like to be \u2013 it\u2019s just that while I\u2019m happy putting in the supersport hard yards on a race-track and reaping the rewards, out on the road my brain just doesn\u2019t work as quick as it should anymore. And while the 2017 R6 is marginally more comfy than the old R6, this comfort thing is a relative term. This is a supersport 600. Don\u2019t lose sight of that, old people.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re 20\u2026oh sweet Baby Jesus, if you\u2019re 20, then you should get an R6 and wallow like a degenerate in the endless panty-shower that awaits you.<\/span><\/p>\n

I showed my beloved wife images of the bike.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow sexy is that?\u201d I demanded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to lose some weight,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot me. The bike.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to see it under all that\u2026um, man,\u201d she shrugged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook harder,\u201d I insisted.<\/span><\/p>\n

She did as I asked and then nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, that is a very sexy bike. And don\u2019t even think about it. I will stab you in your sleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When I went to sleep that night I dreamt of podiums, giggling grid-girls, and that jet-fighter-sounding engine.<\/span><\/p>\n

And because I do not talk in my sleep, I did not wake up with a knife in my chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK EDARDS.<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>SOME ADDITIONAL INFO<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How much?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

$17,499 plus ORC<\/span><\/p>\n

What colours does it come in?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Blue, black and white. The blue is Yamaha\u2019s factory racing blue. It\u2019s gorgeous, like the Caspian Sea at sunset. The black is matte black. It\u2019s perfect. Thank you. The white? Well, that reminds me of a Bedouin sheikh\u2019s white kufiyah. I am not the market that colour is looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>WANNA RACE?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yamaha very kindly provided the press with a single customised-for-racing R6 to try.<\/span><\/p>\n

It boasted \u00d6hlins (TTX up the back, FKR102 gas cartridge forks up the front, and a steering damper), Power Commander, fuel controller, blocked-off ABS, PC auto tuner, race-pattern quickshifter, GYTR 520-pitch race chain and sprockets (geared for Sydney Motorsport Park), Dunlop racing tyres, crash knobs, GB engine cases, etc. It was splendid and you can make your R6 look and perform exactly the same. Sadly I did not ride it, but by all accounts it was some next-level sorcery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why didn\u2019t I ride it? Well, I was busy riding Daniel Falzon\u2019s ASBK-spec R1 Superbike, so I had some next-level next-level stuff to be getting on with while the rest of the press stood in line for turns on the customised R6.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Wait until I tell you this story…<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>FOR SPECS AND MORE INFORMATION GO <\/strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It would be entirely appropriate to pronounce \u2018R6\u2019 as \u2018ARGHSEX\u2019. In fact, I would insist on it. Look at it. If you cannot see this is one of the sexiest-looking sportsbikes ever made, then you are blind. The next R1 must immediately take its forthcoming styling cues from this baby, because this is the best-looking [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":538029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[106,310,58,103],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537999"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537999"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":540478,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537999\/revisions\/540478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}