Yamaha YZF-R6

The '99 R6
As I promissed, nou you are about to read a compare between the 2003 R6 and the 2007 one.
Technology has been heaped upon the 600cc class late as the manufacturers desperately try to outdo each other on the race track. But this has affected the bikes we ride on the road, too.
From the moment you first set eyes on the two bikes, it’s instantly apparent that they couldn’t be more different. The soft, almost friendly curves of the ’03 machine
contrast against the aggressive angles of the latest model.
The weather had hardly been kind to the bikers for this test. So much for global warming, it’s more like global downpour! Not the kind of thing you want for pushing sports 600s to their limits... So you may be wondering why they didn’t bother waiting for a sunnier day. In fact, bearing in mind they’ve tested all and indeed owned most types of R6 over the years, riding them mainly in blistering sunshine on some of the best tracks in the country, was there even any point in riding them again? Yet the real-world weather turned out to be a god-send, showing up one bike as a much better road machine than the other. The flatlands of East Anglia are a bleak place to be when the rain clouds beckon, but offer just about every type of road imaginable. From wellsurfaced sweeping bends to bumpy hairpins, the Fen roads offer variety, not much traffic and plenty of cow shit.

Having spent a lot of time in the saddle of the new R6 on various tests, at first the older bike feels, well, old. The riding position is far less focused than the head-down, ass-up posture of the newer bike, although the older bike still feels lithe and agile on the move. Size isn’t everything The newer machine does feel tiny, but then the ‘03 bike hardly feels big. It has a slender feel to it. It’s fairly narrow between the knees, yet manages not to feel as cramped as its younger brother and offers better wind protection too, making it the bike we all wanted to be on for the run back down the A1. Less than grippy roads can reveal a lot about a motorbike. In the past, racers have criticised the ’03 R6 for being a little lazy steering, a bit slow to turn. Having raced a 2005 model, anyone would be inclined to agree with
them, but then only when you’re riding at a pace that would spell either prison or hospital on the road. What it does create is a bike with superb feel and neutrality on the road, and that inspires calm and confidence mid-turn. Rapier sharp By contrast, the newer machine’s inclination to turn up its own pointy ass at the merest whiff of a handlebar input makes it a rapier-sharp track tool for smooth, flowing corners, but something of a liability on a greasy wet hairpin – which during the test only served to make them feel on edge. Suspension has come a long way in the past few years, but again this is another area where the newer machine needs
adjustment for the roads. While it works well on the racetrack, it’s way too stiff as standard here. The slightly softer set-up of the ’03 machine suits the road perfectly and to my mind, that’s how it should be. Surely we should adjust bikes for the track, not the other way round? The cliché ‘racer on the road’ really couldn’t
be more fitting for the latest R6. It has all the ingredients to make a superb track or race bike, although much of its focus has compromised its ability on the road. The engine seems to rev forever, and the resultant exhaust note is pure audio heaven. Working the slick gearbox to keep it screaming above a fairly flat bottom end
makes you feel like a Supersport god. That is until the rider on the ’03 machine comes past on a fatter wave of midrange torque, wondering what all the noise was about. The newer bike may have more top-end power, but on the road, midrange is king.

The final analysis?
The 2007 R6
Make no mistake, the new R6 is a great bike. That’s why I’ve recently started rasing some hard earned cash for one. The thing is, I'd buy it to go racing with and
given the choice for the road, it would be the earlier model every time – especially with some great deals to be had on new 2005 models.
But then, that’s just me. If you’re the kind of rider who lives for trackdays and simply has to have the latest of everything, then the most recent version of the R6
won’t disappoint. Be honest with yourself about where and how you’ll be doing most of
your riding, and book test rides on each.
Dry roads, riders!