Everyone always talks of the thrill and adrenaline rush of driving a fast car. This can either be a modified standard car, a sports car, a supercar, or even a hypercar. While this is valid, the rush you get from riding a motorcycle knowing the only thing between you and the open road is your gear, and nothing else stops driving a fast car any day.
If you have been riding for a couple of years and you feel like you now have the skills needed to advance from normal bikes to beasts, then you should consider getting yourself a sports bike that, if possible, can serve as your track beast and your daily driver. Before making your final decision, you should consider having a look at the Yamaha R6.
The Yamaha R6 is part of the Yamaha 600 class sportbike lineup. The first Yamaha 600 bike made its debut in 1999 and was in production for 21 years before it was discontinued in 2020. During the 21 years this bike was in production, it was updated five times. These times were in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, and 2017.
The Yamaha R6 was built to be the supersport trim of the Yamaha R1. This bike has over the years evolved to become one of the most iconic motorcycles on and off track. In 2011 this bike crossed the line with Chaz Davies winning the rider and manufacturer title at the Supersport World Championship.
This was repeated after the Yamaha R6 won the same title at the 2008 North West 200 Races. Being the best means, you are either leading the pack, or you are making significant strides within the pack. The Yamaha R6 falls in the latter category, and its strides cannot be missed. Here is how this beautiful bike compares with the competition, more specifically we'll be looking at the Yamaha R6's top speed vs the competition.
The Yamaha R6's Top Speed Overview
After 21 production years, one may assume that there is nothing new that the Yamaha R6 has to show us. While this is right, we cannot overlook the significant impact of this bike in the world of motorsport as well as the manufacturing of motorcycles.
While all the production year models are significant, we are going to have a look at some of the most recent builds. These are builds that debuted from 2017 to 2020. 2017 was the last year the Yamaha R6 got a major update. With this came more notoriety and an urge from Yamaha enthusiasts who wanted more.
This bike featured a 599cc liquid-cooled DOHC inline-four engine with 16 titanium valves. This engine was mated with a six-speed w/multiplate slipper clutch. This engine delivered 122 horsepower at 14,500 rpm and 42.4 lb-ft of torque at 11,500 rpm. All this power saw the Yamaha R6 hit a top speed of 160 mph without breaking a sweat.
Yamaha R6 Top Speed Competition
When looking to put the Yamaha R6 against any other bike, it is only fair if we pit it against another Yamaha bike, the Yamaha R7. A little history on the Yamaha R7, this bike is also part of the Yamaha 600 lineup. It was built as a motorsport homologation motorcycle, and only 500 units were made.
This bike is powered by a 749cc liquid-cooled four-stroke inline-four engine with 20 valves. This engine is paired with a six-speed constant mesh transmission. This engine had a maximum power output capacity of 106 hp at 11,000 rpm, and it delivered 53 lb-ft of torque at 8,000 rpm.
Given that the Yamaha R6 is now discontinued, it is not safe to assume that the Yamaha R7 is succeeding this beauty. You can make these assumptions based on the number alone. But this is a wrong assumption; the Yamaha R7 was unveiled 21 years alongside the Yamaha R6.
If you are to pit these two bikes against each other, it is only fair to look at some of the key features they have in common. One being that both bikes are in the same middleweight class. But the difference ultimately comes in when we look at the performance.
The Yamaha R6 has an extremely high revving engine compared to the Yamaha R7. This is, however, countered with the Yamaha R7 overall performance. To paint you a better picture, here is a comparison of the bikes’ speed in each gear at the 5,000 rpm redline.
In the first gear, the R7 clocks 25.6 mph, which is then followed by 34.3 mph, 44.7 mph, 56.1 mph, 66.9 mph, and finally 75.7 mph in gear six. The Yamaha R6, on the other hand, hits 24.5 mph, 31.6 mph, 38 mph, 43.8 mph, 49.2 mph, and 55 mph in gear six. While these numbers seem to be a big win for the Yamaha R7, they still do not give us a clear picture of the Yamaha R6’s top speed versus its competition.
The Yamaha R6 top speed is 161.3 mph, and the Yamaha R7 records a top speed of 139 mph.