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Monday, 19 September 2005 |
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Page 2 of 4
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First up was the change to the front end, once fairly radical for a 600, that change now incorporates the soon-to-be class-standard inverted fork. These 05' Kayaba's are 2mm smaller that last year's set-up yet retains the 3-way adjustability that we all know and love. The same damping as last year was also retained but with a little more rake and trail added for improved stability. The spring rates have also been improved and increased with an emphasis on race track ability. To further enhance your on-track experience, the front tire has also been replaced with a taller profile 120/70 Dunlop radial. The change from street to race tire is now possible without altering suspension geometry. If you never see a race track, you'll still benefit from an improved ride due to the increased tire wall height. |
| Tacked on the bottom of those "proper" forks are a set of radial caliper brakes. These brakes are the same units found on the 04' R1 - Sumitomo (just like the R1). I can attest that for the R6 they offer an improved brake feel and are remarkably consistent at high and low speeds. Part of this obviously has to be attributable to the caliper but I must admit I'm a big fan of the radial master cylinder that Yamaha saw fit to fit, to compliment the lower unit. Again the same one as found on its bigger brother, feel is exemplary and is a literal life saver if you have the inability to behave yourself. Heavy duty brakes are easy to bolt on but thought did go into this as well - Example: The rotors are up 12mm to 310mm but reduced in thickness .5 mm. The result is a nice fat sweep area and a 7% reduction in weight - cake. |
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Changes begat changes, the tech crew also revised the rear suspension to compliment the front. The linkage is reshaped to allow it to work in harmony. The byproduct of this is the increase in seat height by 10mm. Being a ripped, rippling 'roided-out six-foot-one'r, it doesn't bother me, however I know a few girly girl riders with little legs who might have trouble with this - our very own AlexF springs to mind. This wasn't a simple linkage swap, the cheeky factory chappies also increased spring rate and then beefed up the rear lower frame, mostly as an aid to responsiveness and precision but probably because the "computer-program-race-pace-simulator ™" said they could. The bike is so tall it even warranted a longer side stand. Did they forget about the little people? |
| Next up for the tuning fork tuners was engine power. More power is always a good thing especially when you have a Daytona 200 coming up. To address the bean issue they decided to up the throttle bore size 2mm from 38 to 40 mm. This and reshaped air intake funnels combined with a re-tuned ECU netted them a 3-horsepower increase. The good news for slowpokes like me is the fact that this was at no detriment to the existing low or midrange power - whoopee, I say to no one in particular. Those intake funnels, by the way, produce a noticeably noisier but delightful intake honk, not quite Ducati but definitely busier sounding. |
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As per the rest of the project, this motor also needed some additional peripheral adjustments. Due to the reshuffling, the bike now has two smaller radiator fans instead of the big single unit employed before which in turn necessitated a revised inner cowling. Ooh, I forgot... while ya' down there love; there's also a new front fender too. So, what does this all mean to you? Basically everything that has been done to this bike enhances its race abilities and street riders benefit too (unless you're short of leg). How does it perform? Here's the skinny... |
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