#R6

Scam or steal? You decide.

Last month, the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) provided the first look at  the new “ Supersport Next Generation” models that will redefine middleweight racing class.

Starting with the 2022 season, the World Supersport class (and their equivalents in various national racing series such as MotoAmerica) will add new models such as the Ducati Panigale V2, MV Agusta F3 800, MV Agusta F3 Superveloce, Triumph Street Triple RS, Suzuki GSX-R750, and the 636cc Kawasaki ZX-6R. The primarily 600cc models that previously represented the class will continue for one more season, before the Supersport Next Generation models take over completely in 2023.

It turns out, however, that at least one traditional Supersport model will live on in the Next Generation category: the Yamaha YZF-R6. According to a list of FIM-approved parts eligible for competition, the R6 will be classified as a Next Generation model for the 2023 season, continuing to be eligible to race in the World Supersport class along with the new, larger displacement models.

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released provisional regulations for the revamped World Supersport championship, including new motorcycles being added to the series as “Supersport Next Generation” models.

The WorldSSP shake-up comes as the traditional 600cc Inline-Fours that have dominated the class have lost their market relevance, because of strengthened emissions standards, changing customer demand, and other factors. The Supersport Next Generation models debuting in the 2022 season include the Ducati Panigale V2, MV Agusta F3 800, MV Agusta F3 Superveloce, and Triumph Street Triple RS. The Suzuki GSX-R750 is also included, but with asterisks indicating it is pending approval. The 636cc version of the Kawasaki ZX-6R (listed in the regulations as the ZX-636R, suggesting a potential name change for the production model) will join the series in 2023.

For the 2022 season, the Supersport Next Generation models will race alongside existing WorldSSP models including the Honda CBR600RR, Kawasaki ZX-6R, MV Agusta F3 (675cc) Suzuki GSX-R600, Triumph Daytona 675R, and Yamaha YZF-R6. From 2023 on, only Supersport Next Generation models will be allowed.

The internet might have leaked photos of the new 2022 Yamaha YZF-R7 last week, but we now have official information regarding Yamaha’s new successor to the beloved YZF-R6. As the photos gave away, the YZF-R7 is basically an MT-07 with clothes – but is that such a bad thing? 

The departure of the R6 from Yamaha’s lineup has left a huge hole between the R3 and R1, and with the state of supersport sales basically tanking, developing a true 600cc R6 successor really doesn’t make much business sense. Especially not when Yamaha’s own 689cc CP2 parallel-Twin fills the middleweight gap nicely and has been a popular engine since its inception in the FZ/MT-07. Better still, using an existing platform means Yamaha can keep costs down.

Yamaha has been granted a 2022 CARB certification for one its most iconic model names: the YZF-R7. We know this because Motorcycle.com‘s very own Dennis Chung stares at CARB filings like other people stare at artwork. For anyone who has followed Yamaha’s sportbike history, the R7 holds legendary status as the ultra-rare, 750cc four-cylinder the company used to go Superbike racing with names like Haga, Gobert, and many others. Hearing of the model name’s revival, then, is understandably exciting.

Except the new R7 won’t be anything close to a fire-breathing 750cc four-banger. Instead, the CARB filing lists the new YZF-R7’s engine as 689cc – the same size as the current parallel-Twin used in the MT-07, XSR700, and Tenere 700. This all but confirms the new R7 will likely be a fully-faired version of the MT-07 – or at least its engine.

With news of the Yamaha R6 going the way of the dodo bird, we thought it fitting to take a look back through the Motorcycle.com archives to see all the things we’ve written about Yamaha’s mighty little sportbike. Like the R6, Motorcycle.com has gone through a few changes since its inception in 1994, but fortunately for us, we’ve (barely) been around just long enough to see the R6’s journey. What follows is a trip through time with all the R6 stories that haven’t been lost during various server changes in MO’s history.

It’s all relative. How good or bad a thing is all depends on the competition, doesn’t it – a thing that’s kept us employed and entertained for more than a few years now. Competition is good for business; MO comparison tests usually always draw in more eyeballs than single-bike reviews. In a perfect world, we’d gather up all five or six contenders in a given class for a week-long flog over hill and dale and racetrack. But in the real world of today, well shoot – it looks like our Top Five most-read comparisons of 2020 are only two bikes each.

After 21 years, Yamaha has announced the venerable YZF-R6 will be discontinued after the 2020 model year. This coming on the news today of the V Star 250, Bolt R-Spec, XSR700 and XSR900, Super Ténéré ES, FJR1300ES, Star Venture, and XMAX all continuing on for 2021 with what basically amounts to, as we say in the moto-journo biz – Bold New Graphics (BNG).

However, the shock announcement of the R6 coming to an end may not be such a shock after all considering looming Euro5 regulations and the languishing state of sportbike sales, especially in the 600cc supersport category. It appears as though Yamaha brass didn’t see it worthwhile to update and/or upgrade the Euro4 R6 in order to meet the more stringent Euro5 requirements.

Don’t you ever get tired of reading track comparisons from guys that are riding at international race-winning levels? From guys who have been racing their entire lives and who drag elbow like it’s their job (literally)? Me neither, but the guys here at MO and I thought there might be someone out there who could appreciate insight from what a novice track rider might experience when comparing some of the latest 600-class supersports. The two most recently updated of which happen to be the Yamaha R6 and Kawasaki ZX-6R.

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There seems to be much doom and gloom in the motorcycle industry surrounding the state of sportbikes these days. We keep hearing about dropping sales and shifting consumer interest, which will combine to turn the sportbike as we know it into a museum piece one day, gone the way of the Dodo bird.

Weird – Yamaha never got the memo. In fact, since the original R1’s introduction in 1998, Yamaha have sold more than 284,000 R-series motorcycles in the U.S. alone. Team Blue is steadfast in its support of sportbikes and the unmatched thrill they provide, offering a ladder system for those wanting to join the fun.

In other markets, the R15 is the first stepping stone to the Yamaha family, but here in the U.S. one can get their feet wet and learn the ropes on an R3. An excellent learning tool no matter how much experience you have, once the R3 is mastered, the next step is the hugely popular R6. Winner of numerous races and championships worldwide, from there, if one is really serious about their sportbikes, the next jump is the R1. The R1 is my personal favorite Japanese literbike on the market, with an excellent exhaust note to boot, but if you absolutely have to have the cream of the Yamaha crop, then the R1M is your final destination, complete with carbon fiber and magnesium goodies, not to mention Öhlins electronic suspension. (MO’s official favorite literbike, as compared to all the others last June, would be the Aprilia RSV4 RR.)

During the media launch of Yamaha’s significantly updated R6 at Thunderhill Raceway, the bikes were fitted with the GYTR Communication Control Unit (CCU) first available on the high-end YZF-R1M. This electronic device logs data incorporated from a GPS sending unit and the bike’s ECU that allows riders to analyze braking, throttle position, gear indication, as well as other data that can be helpful in evaluating performance of both bike and rider.

2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 First Ride Review

The GYTR CCU can be added to the 2015 R1, 2016 R1S, and 2017 R6 in a plug-and-play installation and allows users to interface and download data logs directly to their mobile device. Using the Yamaha-Telemetry Recording and Analysis Controller (Y-TRAC), the CCU allows riders to see their position on the track or street when reviewing their ride. The following 11 data channels are available for analysis, helping reduce lap times and increase performance to the next level:

This just in from the Too Much Of Everything Is Just Enough Department: Nothing exceeds like excess! And we found two great examples. First, we give you excess in the form of a R6-powered lawnmower:

At long last a “new” 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 is here! And in case you don’t know already, the rumors are true: Yamaha’s R6 shares the same inline-Four as the last generation R6 – but you know what, who cares? I sure didn’t as I was flogging the R6 near 16,000 revs before tapping the quickshift-enabled shifter to engage the next gear.

Yamaha calls the fourth-generation R6 a new bike based on the fact it has traction control, ABS, a revised front end, upgraded brakes, and new bodywork inspired by the R1 which Yamaha says makes the R6 the most aerodynamic production motorcycle it has ever created. Be sure to check out my First Ride Review of the 2017 Yamaha R6 to catch all the details.

By now fans of the middleweight sportbike class are well aware of Yamaha’s new 2017 YZF-R6. A bike long overdue, the R6 borrows some styling and technology from its R1 big brother. With a fresh new look and a host of electronics that top the middleweight class, I’m really excited to throw a leg over it. And in fact, by the time this list is published, I’ll have just finished riding the new R6 at one of California’s best racetracks, Thunderhill Raceway. My First Ride Review of the bike will be up shortly, but in the meantime, here are eight things you didn’t know about the 2017 Yamaha R6.

Next week (Wednesday, to be exact) I’ll be riding the new, 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 (look for my review Friday). Now, because we’ve already featured the 1999 R6 in a past Church feature, this week we fast forward to the second-generation R6, which our own John Burns got the chance to ride in late 2002. A sharper tool than the original R6 as far as racetrack chops go, after reading this piece stay tuned to my review of the 2017 model to compare and contrast. Something tells me the two models will be very similar in many ways…

Also, be sure to check out the photo gallery to see many more pictures of the 2003 Yamaha R6.