If you didn't know much about bikes, you'd probably expect them all to be pretty similar-especially Japanese 600 sportbikes. Inline-four engines, 600cc capacity, similar power, similar weight, similara price. They can't be too different, right?
Of course, it'd only take a few minutes to prove this notion wrong. And you couldn't pick a much better example than a Yamaha R6. The little Yam has always been the standout crazy horse option in the 600 class, particularly in the early days. Way back in 1999, if you'd hopped off a Honda CBR600F4 and onto an R6, you'd have thought someone had dressed up a racebike with lights and turn signals. The R6 revved like a chainsaw, turned like a dog chasing a rabbit and stopped like it carried its own brick wall to hit.
The R6 shined at the track...
The R6 shined at the track thanks to an insanely high rev range and light, easy to toss around chassis.
The engine screamed out for more revs, more gas and more gear changes, while the chassis tracked like glue through every bend, changed direction like a 250GP bike and hovered on the edge of stability.
But while the R6 looked a lot like its bigger brother, the R1, which had launched the year before, it didn't quite have the same impact. Perhaps it was because the class was more competitive, but the other Japanese 600s seemed closer to the R6 than the R1 to its competition. The CBR600F4, for example, didn't have the craziness of the R6, but was a much better road bike. Suzuki's GSX-R600 was dated but great on the track, and Kawasaki's venerable ZX-6R could also stick with the R6 in most conditions.
The competition heated up, and within a few years of the R6's launch it was looking rather long in the tooth. A minor update in 2001 marked time with new cosmetics, and while the 2003 update was much more serious, Yamaha was beginning to fall behind. First, Kawasaki's ZX-636 appeared with USD forks, radial-mount brakes, radical styling and a white-hot fuel injected 636cc engine. Then Honda earned some payback from its MotoGP program by bringing out the RC211V-aping CBR600RR. Its styling, underseat exhaust and superb handling made up for the rather flat motor, and both the Kawi and the Honda left the 2003 R6 reeling. Even Suzuki's plain-Jane GSX-R600 was catching up on the R6 with fuel injection, ram-air, and the kudos of its 1000 and 750 brethren.
By 2005, Yamaha was finally getting it right. It bolted on some radial-mount brake calipers, USD forks and added another couple horsepower. While the R6 looked similar to the previous model, it was a much more competitive, rounded bike. Minor criticism centered on slightly jerky fuel injection, but the strong engine, balanced chassis and high-quality components put the R6 back at the top of the class.
Ironically, that much-improved bike turned out to be a bit of a stopgap. Yamaha had the next generation R6 up its sleeve for 2006, marking a definite break from the original design. The new bike boasted a whole heap of cutting-edge technology, including ride-by-wire fueling, but it also marked a further move towards the racetrack, with ever-revvier power and little compromise for road use.