Yamaha has introduced the R6 supersport bike for the model year 2014 in the international market to keep up with the competition such as the Honda CBR600R and Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. The Yamaha YZF-R6 is a well known middleweight sportsbike with high racing dynamics. The speed machine retains its key elements such as the chip-controlled intake and throttle, dual fuel injectors per cylinder and slipper clutch for smoother downshifting. The new updates include a GP-style titanium muffler to shed some weight. Magnesium engine covers and rear subframe have also been used to minimize weight.
Yamaha has centralized the body mass weight on the R6 in order to increase stability and handling. Coming to the suspension setup, both the front and rear suspensions are four way adjustable – preload, high-speed compression, low-speed compression and rebound damping. This setup provides high flexibility with the removable rear shock space and adjustable fork ride height. The Japanese bike maker has done several tweaks and provided new inputs sourced from the GP program. The 2014 Yamaha YZF-R6 now gets enhanced street level performance.
Powering the Yamaha YZF-R6 is the same 599cc, liquid-cooled, inline 4-cylinder engine with a DOHC layout having 16 titanium valves. This engine produces 123 BHP of maximum power at 14,500 RPM and a peak torque of 66 Nm at 11,000 RPM, mated to a 6-speed close ratio manual gearbox. The 2014 Yamaha YZF-R6 is launched in the international market for $10,990 (Rs. 6.88 lakhs) for the Matte Gray colour option and $11,190 (Rs. 7 lakhs) for the rest of the colour options. The Japanese automaker has no plans to launch the Yamaha R6 in India yet.
