Yamaha YZF-R6 Reviews

The horn stopped working due to a screw that worked itself loose. Absolutely no other issues or gremlins.

This is a highly focused sports bike and heaps of fun on windy roads. Unfortunately its trade off is that it is very painful as a tourer. I'm unable to ride longer than an hour before having to stop for a break.

Not recommended for learner riders or inner city dwellers, since it has terrible turning circle (worse than other 600cc sports bikes) and the throttle does not detect small throttle angles.

Before owning the R6, I had not been riding motorcycles for 10 years. The only motorcycles I have ridden were a 75cc Yamaha scooter (1 year) and a Yamaha DT-175 trail bike (6 months).

I'm a light male who weighs 60kg. It was a necessity for me to adjust the suspension settings, as the factory settings were so firm that the bike would occasionally bounce off of road repairs, cause the wheels to leave the ground and buzz up the engine revs.

As a novice rider, the R6 is an easy sports bike to learn at road speeds since the power is predictable and anemic at low RPM. The engine is absolutely wild at high RPM and will rip your arms out. There's easily enough power from a standing start to lighten the front wheel and induce a small wobble when trying to accelerate whilst performing a slight turn.

The chassis and suspension is so confidence inspiring, that long and extended wobbles will not bother me. I've also recovered from a slide which occurred mid corner whilst at massive lean angle caused by a small patch of loose gravel, which slid the front wheel, then the rear. I have never felt my body so close to the ground or in such a slide, but recovered amazingly quick and natural, then zipped off before the city traffic caught up.

I agree with a previous review's (the 2000 YZF-R6) comments, the R6 feels perfect for riders who like to hang off the bike. Stability during mid corner and exit is very confidence inspiring. Corner entry, especially when I travel on random/unfamiliar roads, is not as good as mid-corner handling, since the R6 tends to under steer, and is not very forgiving if you mess up the braking and have to wrestle the bike to lean it over (especially for you are a 60kg rider who has no formal rider training).

This bike is highly enjoyable for all levels of riders. Just don't rely on your bacon to get saved if you are late braking whilst riding at the limit (of your tyres or confidence).

Needed to replace the spark plugs in 2007, as the engine started misfiring.

Tires were replaced twice due to wear and tear from stunting i.e. burnouts.

Very very quick and light.

Due to the extremely light weight, it could take corners like no other.

Extremely easy to pop the front end up.

I definitely will be buying another one when I pay off my car.

Very little has broken down on this bike that wasn't due to poor maintenance or bad installations.

The first chain and sprocket kit was poorly installed and the chain ran at a slight angle between the sprockets. This wore the sprockets and the chain down quickly and made a horrible chunking noise. Replaced with a 15-50 gearing and it ditches 954's now.

The timing chain and tensioner needed replacing at about 23K.

This is a VERY high performance motorcycle. It brings a challenge to everyone on the track, even the litrebikes.

The seating position is aggressive and well positioned for fast transitions. This detracts from its touring quality somewhat, but in my opinion the trade off is worth it for this bike.

Not a bike for someone who has not owned a street/race bike before.