Yamaha FZ6 R

The Yamaha FZ6 is a sport bike first produced and marketed in 2004 after Yamaha people had the awesome idea of using the previous generation R6 engine on a commuter bike with lots of features worthy of a high-end bike. Immediate attractions on the new bike were the half-fairing and the underseat exhaust.
An easy to live with motorcycle thanks to the upright riding position and easy maintaining, the FZ6 was the perfect alternative for those who call themselves commuters during the week and adventurous riders during weekends.
The first revision came in 2006 and brought with it an improved engine, frame, subframe, rear swingarm and black painted rims. Most importantly, the fuel injection system was retuned for more torque from the bottom of the rev range and implicit a more appropriate behavior for a bike in this category. Blue and Shift Red were the only colors available.
As a 2007 model year, the FZ6 featured yet again optimized fuel injection system mapping and a new swingarm, but now the front suspension had revised damping and the front brakes, four-piston calipers. There have also been made modifications for more comfortable rides both for biker and passenger. The seat was redesigned and the bike was fitted with new passenger footpegs, while the fairing and screen did a better job in offering wind protection due to their new design. This is also the year when the 4-way catalytic converter was added. Also back in 2007, you could choose your Yamaha FZ6 painted either Team Yamaha Blue or Candy Red.

Unlike all-out sportbikes, the Yamaha FZ6R is designed more for comfort than it is for super high performance. The reach to the handlebars isn’t very far, the saddle is well-padded, and though your knees bend a bit for foot peg placement, there’s nothing extreme about this bike’s ergonomics. The fuel injected, 600cc liquid-cooled 4-stroke engine engine seems to have quite a mild state of tune. The fuel injection is crisp and the FZ6R picks up the revs cleanly and quickly from the bottom, but there is a noticeable lack of kick from the Yamaha power plant.
Comparing the FZ6R to the FZ6 (last ridden in 2006), one will notice the lack of punch at the whack of the throttle. The 6R has a milder state of tune, and this pays off with power being available at revs that are more easily accessible – no need to zing it to redline. The engine gains speed slowly but deliberately, accompanied by a slight buzz after 7000 rpm.
On the plus side, it does have enough mid-range snap to keep those wheeliers happy, as a quick twist of the right wrist in first gear lofts the front end to the sky without problem. The high bars and ample feel of the rear brake allow for easy continuation of said wheelies. Side-to-side transitions were totally stable and ridiculously easy to induce — possibly due to the narrow footprint of the stock tires — and there’s plenty of cornering clearance to incite the expected grins. The brakes worked just fine at the relatively brisk pace we were going and the wide spread of power meant that we didn’t need to jab constantly at the clutch and shift lever.
It’s a sweet little bike for every circumstance you might ride in, with a pretty decent turn of speed, stable chassis characteristics, and quite reasonable fuel consumption (Yamaha says 43 mpg, average). The sliding pin front brake calipers might not provide the instant bite you find on the R6, but there’s ample braking power when you squeeze the lever hard, with reasonably linear response to increasing pressure.