2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 test: no, the Supersport is not dead
Yamaha is the only major motorcycle manufacturer to keep its 600 cc sports car in its catalog in 2017. The R6 loses several horses in the operation – thank you Euro4 – but also gains a lot: look of M1, equipment of R1… Site tested everything on the Almeria circuit !
2017 R6 test page 3 – one last Supersport for the road ?
Between two sessions, Site wonders: why do manufacturers insist on approving sports motorcycles which, by their own admission, are more and more used exclusively on closed tracks? The work of engineers would be considerably facilitated, and the exclusive – even explosive – character of their motorcycles could be preserved. !
"It’s not wrong …", replies Clement Villet, director of the two-wheeler division at Yamaha Motor Europe. "But this is not the philosophy of the Supersport category in which road bikes compete. Grand Prix machines are prototypes".
Does the R6 still have its place on the road? In view of its noise emissions and polluting gas, yes. The Japanese have even given it a warning to – carefully – go up the endless lines of cars with rigged diesel engines….
But it is above all on the track that the little Yamaha thrives. And this is all the more true in its "Race Kit" version that the Blues have created from scratch from the accessories catalog, which we were able to try during a session.
"These three R6s are equipped with the complete Akrapovic line (not approved for the road, editor’s note) and its specific electronics, but the engines and suspensions are entirely stock", explains Philippe Bigot, engineer at Yamaha Motor France. "Thanks to the elimination of lighting and other ancillary parts, they weigh about 8 kg less than the original version." That is to say 182 kg with the full 17 liters !
Site thus finds itself at the controls of a real racing motorcycle, devoid of ABS but still equipped with traction control: "the other two machines are in the" World Supersport "configuration, therefore without traction control. the sale as is: customers will shape their own motorcycle according to them, or the regulations of their championship ", concludes our interlocutor.
Barely started, the engine is more expressive: the sound of the pot is much louder! Once on the track, each acceleration is accompanied by a much more pleasant growl that resonates in the surrounding hills but does not deaf the pilot. Not in 20 minutes, anyway !
The 4-legged seems to breathe again and can lengthen the stride! In the straight line, the "prepared" R6s literally deposit their original siblings. The pilot then takes pleasure in pulling the gears fully before engaging the next one !
The maximum power reached at the top of the meter was not communicated to us, but another piece of data allows us to quantify the progress: we indeed reach much higher top speeds thanks to the "unbridled" R6s and MNC was able to observe a deviation of ” about twenty km / h (255 against 235 km / h).
Likewise, the pickups of the R6 "kites" are much more consistent – or much less mushy – from 8000 rpm. We can thus cross certain bends in a higher gear without risking to come out with the unpleasant impression – unfortunately founded – of dragging yourself miserably..
Another accessory mounted on "our" competition R6: the "blipper" which allows downshifts without resorting to the clutch lever! Hardly tried, immediately adopted … Site almost had a hard time going back to the standard version! We quickly get used to luxury, no ?!
This last reflection leads us straight to a second question about this R6 2017: is its price justified? Priced at € 13,999, the Iwata Supersport costs 1,000 euros more than its replacement when it was released, and 550 more than the ZX-6R 636 still present on the official Kawasaki website.
Embellished with "Reeecingue" parts, the R6 will easily increase the bill to around € 18,000 (quick estimate from Yamaha Motor France which does not have all the prices) … Either more very far from the price of an R1 of 200 horsepower, state-of-the-art electronics and such a sublime look…
"The R6 has the advantage of being more easily manageable," says Clement Villet rightly. "It is less impressive, but does not distill less sensations than the R1". MNC, who has tested both bikes, agrees that they are different machines and that the riding style should be as well. A matter of taste, therefore, more than money ?!
Anyway, the Blues claim to have made efforts to reduce the price of the new R6. It would also be for budgetary reasons that the small 4-cylinder did not adopt the "Crossplane" setting of the Superbike – and of the MotoGP -, although this possibility was mentioned at the very beginning of the redesign project. model.
The bikers / trackers who were waiting for a "mini" R1 will have to wait a little longer: in the event of commercial success with this 2017 model, Yamaha will perhaps push the development of the average displacement a little further? Answer to follow on Site: stay connected !
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