What do you know about the R6?

[S2KUK]

Hi all I'm looking for my first big bike and was originally thinking CBR 600 but after trawling through some ads (biketrader, here, ebay, etc) have since been thinking about the Yamaha R6. But having read some reviews in an old bike magazine I found in the dentist (!) I'm no longer sure. The review seems to indicate that the handling of the bike around the age I'm looking at (around 99/01) would bean I'd spend more time on the floor than actually on the bike.

Now I'm not normally swayed too much by these sort of reviews - I'd normally just go for what I wanted and see how it was. But as well as the financial impact of continually having to buy new fairings everytime I come off (if I'm to believe the review) I'm also worried that if I pick the wrong bike I'll get fed up with biking pretty quickly - which at the moment puts a huge smile on my face everytime I go out (even if my current stead is only a 125!).

What do you guys think to the 2000 model R6? Should I stick to my original plans and get a CBR600 or possibly something else? (I really do like the look of the R6 though!! ). Looking to spend no more than £3k (including the px of my CBR125).

[Rawwr]

Designed by Yamaha, crashed by Chilli.

[DesmoTip]

Rawwr said:

Designed by Yamaha, crashed by Chilli.

Damn - you beat me to it. So much for laying off Chilli this year.....

[M5player]

Great bike - make sure it has a steering damper and some sticky tyres and it is as forgiving as anything else. I started on one and didn't have any problems. The GSXR 600 is much the same but a bigger bike (of that year)

[S2KUK]

DesmoTip said:

Rawwr said:

Designed by Yamaha, crashed by Chilli.

Damn - you beat me to it. So much for laying off Chilli this year.....

I was aware that Chilli had (has!) a R6 - wasn't sure if it was a newer model than what I'm looking for though. Although if he's off it that often it may even have been the same bike that was reviewed

[sjtscott]

S2KUK said:

Hi all I'm looking for my first big bike and was originally thinking CBR 600 but after trawling through some ads (biketrader, here, ebay, etc) have since been thinking about the Yamaha R6. But having read some reviews in an old bike magazine I found in the dentist (!) I'm no longer sure. The review seems to indicate that the handling of the bike around the age I'm looking at (around 99/01) would bean I'd spend more time on the floor than actually on the bike.

Now I'm not normally swayed too much by these sort of reviews - I'd normally just go for what I wanted and see how it was. But as well as the financial impact of continually having to buy new fairings everytime I come off (if I'm to believe the review) I'm also worried that if I pick the wrong bike I'll get fed up with biking pretty quickly - which at the moment puts a huge smile on my face everytime I go out (even if my current stead is only a 125!).

What do you guys think to the 2000 model R6? Should I stick to my original plans and get a CBR600 or possibly something else? (I really do like the look of the R6 though!! ). Looking to spend no more than £3k (including the px of my CBR125).

I've got a 1999 R6 same model/design R6 ran from 1998-2002. Brilliant bike handles and goes fantastically. Mine had its 24k mile service before christmas. Don't pay too much attention to that review sounds like a load of rubbish to me. If you're gonna fall off due to control/rider issues it won't matter which bike you choose! lol
BTW it doesn't need a steering damper either despite the comment above!

To be honest I'm looking to change mine due to its age and I've been offered a great deal on a much newer hardly used mates bike he wants to sell. I use my bike pretty much every working day all year round.

Edited by sjtscott on Tuesday 30th January 17:25

[tentative]

Beautiful bike - I still rue the day I chopped mine in.....

Agree about not needing the damper as well - did get sticky tyres though.

[5150]

I've ridden one, but never owned one.

First thing I said when I got off it was....

'Needs a steering damper'

Had a rather nasty tank slap off it

[r5gttgaz]

Check tyre pressures if suffering alot of slaps, reducing the pressure by 1 or 2 psi on my R6 sorted it out and I never needed a damper.

[oilyyyy]

I had a 99 R6 in red and white as my first bike - fantastic bike to learn on.

I ran it on Bridgestone 010s (replaced by 014s i think) - they saved my skin a couple of times!!! Don't go for some super-sticky track focused tyres as they really need to be hot to get them sticky. I would think something that's aimed at fast road for the tyre choice, maybe 70% road - 30% track (depending on how you're going to use it).

Never had a steering damper on mine, although it did get a little excitable sometimes.

I wrote it off after 2 years (playing silly b*ggers with my new sparky knee sliders on a roundabout ).

I got another one after (blue 2003) which is what i'm on now!

[rsvmilly]

I bought a new 2001 - the first of the LED rear lights. Fantastic bike with fueling so smooth it puts the latest crop of Fuel Injected bikes to shame. Mine was a bit slappy so I put a damper on it.

I sold it to my sister, who ran it up until last Autumn (when a Daytona 675 replaced it).

Cracking bikes. Just don't expect to do U-turns on them - on full lock your hand is trapped against the tank and can't operate the throttle! (Hopeless lock, anyway).

[chilli]

DesmoTip said:

Rawwr said:

Designed by Yamaha, crashed by Chilli.

Damn - you beat me to it. So much for laying off Chilli this year.....

At least 2007 has started off well!

Get one! Sell your granny, put yourself on the streets, ang get the best one you can....I love my bike, great fun!

[Andy Oh]

I had an ex race 1999 R6 as a track bike for a couple of years, cracking little bike, but it was far from a normal road bike. I'd echo what Chilli has said and get yourself as new as possible you wont be disappointed

[sjtscott]

rsvmilly said:

Cracking bikes. Just don't expect to do U-turns on them - on full lock your hand is trapped against the tank and can't operate the throttle! (Hopeless lock, anyway).

Totally agree here, its a pain in the a**e, sometimes I need full lock to get around heavy traffic in London you simply can't operate the throttle properly like this! I won't miss that when its gone.

I still maintain you don't need a damper but guess its down to riding style/personal choice. My old gixer (nicked in 2005) had the standard damper on and the only thing I noticed was that it got noticably in your way riding around town. Outside of town you just didn't notice it at all, this is the only bike I've ever had a damper on.

I run my R6 on std pirelli diablos which are perfect for road use you really don't need anything else. I would use a diablo corsa up front if I could but they don't make them in the 120/60/17 size that the original R6 front is.

Edited by sjtscott on Wednesday 31st January 11:57

[rsvmilly]

sjtscott said:

I still maintain you don't need a damper but guess its down to riding style/personal choice.

I don't mind a wobble but I had a full on tank slapper on the R6.

[oilyyyy]

Nah - leave the damper off - if it starts flaping you just haven't opened the throttle enough to get the wheel completely off the ground !!


The steering-lock / throttle is a pain i agree, but it helps if you have a nice tight throttle cable without any slack so that it only needs a little turn to get going.

I run the Diablo's on mine too.

Edited by oilyyyy on Wednesday 31st January 14:28

[Steve_T]

chilli said:

DesmoTip said:

Rawwr said:

Designed by Yamaha, crashed by Chilli.

Damn - you beat me to it. So much for laying off Chilli this year.....

At least 2007 has started off well!

Get one! Sell your granny, put yourself on the streets, ang get the best one you can....I love my bike, great fun!

And don't forget to remove the hedge magnets!

[sjtscott]

oilyyyy said:

Nah - leave the damper off - if it starts flaping you just haven't opened the throttle enough to get the wheel completely off the ground !!


The steering-lock / throttle is a pain i agree, but it helps if you have a nice tight throttle cable without any slack so that it only needs a little turn to get going.

I run the Diablo's on mine too.

Edited by oilyyyy on Wednesday 31st January 14:28

I know exactly what you mean.
I have had problems on mine with amounts of throttle slack. A little too much and you just can't get the thing to do anything on full lock.
When its serviced its fine for a couple of weeks and but it seems to get slacker again. I've then re-adjusted it to a point where I was happy, asked the service place if there was a problem who then no and then said the way I'd adjusted to my liking it was too tight.
I guess its down to your preference again a bit like front brake initial response (which I like to be sharp with min lever slack/spongyness too).

I've found the front tyre pressure make a big difference to the way the orig model R6 handles, even more so than other bikes I've had due to its 60 profile tyre. All other bikes have been 70 profile fronts.
I found it really only handles at its best when its between 34-36psi (manual states 36psi usually). If its low i.e. under 34 it handles like a pile of crap.

Edited by sjtscott on Thursday 1st February 11:47

[S2KUK]

rsvmilly said:

sjtscott said:

I still maintain you don't need a damper but guess its down to riding style/personal choice.

I don't mind a wobble but I had a full on tank slapper on the R6.

Ok - new question! What's a tank slapper???





Why do I just know I'm not going to get a serious answer to this question...

[rsvmilly]

S2KUK said:

rsvmilly said:

sjtscott said:

I still maintain you don't need a damper but guess its down to riding style/personal choice.

I don't mind a wobble but I had a full on tank slapper on the R6.

Ok - new question! What's a tank slapper???

The most famous one I know;

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ymvVv_zbOj