![]() ![]() The same comments that swayed many away from it on track proved true during our street evaluation keeping the YZF’s engine spinning into the stratosphere gets old while riding around town. In the ’07 version of MasterBike (CW, August, 2007), the R6 failed to get rave subjective reviews, but that didn’t stop three riders from posting their fastest “supersports” time aboard it, our own Don Canet included. A track favorite due to an almost unbalanced focus on that aspect of performance, the most recent generation perhaps pushed it a bit too far. When it comes to middleweight weaponry, the R6 has long been a Cycle World favorite, topping the Ten Best awards in class in ’99, ’02 and ’05. Both departments work on technologies that can benefit each implementation is then dependent on the unique requirements of streetbikes or racebikes. Sions while ripping around Mugello or Laguna Seca, but new rules aimed at controlling fuel consumption (due to a maximum allowable tank capacity of 5.5 gallons) has forced it to become more efficient and savvy.Īmano said that his division and the racing team are constantly in communication. Of course, a lot of the ideas come from the MotoGP R&D department. ![]() Systems like the YCC-T fly-by-wire system (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle) and variable-intake-stack lengths ofYCC-I (Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake), twin injectors per cylinder with shower secondaries, and a closed-loop fuelinjection system with 02 sensor on the triple-catalyzed, EXUP-equipped exhaust system have become necessary components just to overcome the performance lost through meeting emissions standards. High-tech wizardry in the case of the R6 isn’t just marketing mumbo jumbo, Amano told me. But squeezing the same amount of power-let alone more of it-out of new models has forced engineers to explore and implement technology like never before. In the past, the technology already existed it was simply a matter of how much a company wanted to reduce the profit margin by using expensive materials and components. According to Amano, the biggest hurdle is how to achieve more performance in this age of strict new emissions requirements. No longer does the designer simply worry about cam profiles and compression ratios, but each generation of bike focuses more on gigabytes and high-tech solutions to solve problems that didn’t exist 10 years ago. When I spoke with R6 project leader Kouichi Amano at the introduction of the 2008 model at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this past November, I learned that developing a modern sportbike like Yamaha’s latest middleweight requires a whole pile of compromises, including ratification by marketing types and bean counters, of course.Īn electronics revolution in motorcycle design is well under way. Times have changed and so has the process of building bikes. Think of the origicarbureted R6 as an LP, the previous generation a CD and the current iteration an MP3. No longer can a company like Yamaha simply grab the most current technology from its race team, throw it on the latest repli-racer, improve power, reduce weight and wheelie off into the sunset. MOTORCYCLE DESIGN has become very complicated. ![]()
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