Even my six-foot frame seems to fit the bike, rather than sitting on it with my lug nuts on the top yoke like the CBR600RR, and it looks great. But the engine seems weak. When I think back to the technical briefing the night before, I remember the Yamaha engineers talking about the engine making 127 horsepower, 133 horsepower, including the effect of the forced air box. But it certainly doesn’t feel that much. It makes a lot of noise, but the burst of power you’d expect from the noise isn’t there. Then I look at the rev counter. It shows only 10,000 rpm… and 7,500 to go. It’s time to give up any concept of mechanical sympathy. And this is the key to the new 2006 Yamaha YZF R R6. Don’t think about what the pistons in the new oversquare engine actually do. Just give him the berries. Do not feel guilty. If the engine makes a noise like a banshee with particularly rough nipples pinched, then it’s almost power.

Yamaha still uses the phrase “no compromise” with the 2006 Yamaha YZF R R6 (and it’s still called the R6, not the R6R, as rumor has it). Yamaha wants it to win races, a lot of them, so it has allowed its engineers to design the bike with race wins in mind, as well as full access to MotoGP technology. Once this was done, the stylists were able to put the finishing touches. A quick glance at the naked bike in the pit lane reveals many of the clever technicalities made for the competition. The frame is a combination of die-cast and pressed aluminum profiles and runs in a straight line from the head to the swingarm pivot for maximum rigidity. Just like Rossi’s. The inverted forks and shocks are adjustable for everything, including high- and low-speed compression damping—a first for a mass-produced 600 (and again, like Rossi’s). The bike has Yamaha’s new Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T). Just like Rossi’s. It comes with radial brakes and a radial master cylinder, slipper clutch, stacked gearbox, shift light, lap clock, like… well, you get the idea.

As a piece of technological ingenuity, the 2006 Yamaha YZF R R6 is far more advanced than any of today’s 1000cc sport bikes. And it costs £1500 less than them. It also works very well. Like I said, forget to get the engine running smoothly, give the R6 full throttle and that engine is strong. I’m not convinced by the claim of 127 hp maybe at the spark plug, but I think if we put it on the test bench it will probably show up around 108 hp. That’s more than the current crop of 600, and possibly on a level playing field with the 636cc ZX-6R at the top (where the R6 will no doubt spend most of its life).

Once the engine is in the 11 to 15,500 rpm range, the new close ratio gearbox gives the impression of delivering more power, as there seems to be a very short time between the ratios up to fifth gear. On the long start/finish straight the Yamaha YZF R R6 creeps into 5th and shows about 250mph before I take it to 6th, then the acceleration seems to stop. It feels like Yamaha has treated sixth gear like a highway-focused overdrive gear on the highway because it doesn’t really want to pull it. On the track, this isn’t much of an issue as once the power drops out at about 16,500rpm, there’s still 1000rpm of overdrive to dive in. Down the road it should help the economy, I think. One of the key features of the new chassis, according to the designers, is balance under braking, something the first corner in Qatar proves well. The R6 brakes from about 250 km/h to the second gear corner and is impressive. The brakes are as good as any other, but it’s the slipper clutch and balance under braking, aided by the YCC-T (see opposite), that really stand out. According to the engineers, the fly-by-wire throttle slightly increases the tap to help stabilize the bike when the throttle is closed and the RPM is high (such as when you’re braking and shifting hard). Very thorough.

Now, I’m not a big fan of a transistor box that takes over the driving feel (BMW’s ABS and power brakes, for example), but the R6’s YCC-T is very impressive. I try to brake, shift to second as fast as I can, then release the clutch. The shoe and the YCC-T are untouched and the bike remains balanced. It is very impressive and on track the throttle response is excellent. It may sound like a backward compliment, but the YCC-T does its job so unobtrusively that it would be hard to feel what it’s doing and when. It will be very interesting to see if it works on the road as well; could be the next step for motorcycle fuel injection. Once again the motorcycle world follows the example of the car world. With the straight out of the way, the rear section of the Qatar circuit consists of a series of second and third gear corners that really test a chassis and demand a lot of confidence up front. The Yamaha YZF R R6 is up to that challenge, although the track is so new it hasn’t had time to develop the kind of bumps that are a strict test of stability, but the R6 is excellent in the middle of the corner. When you’re on an unfamiliar track (especially one with no scenery to guide you), there’s often an odd mix-up when it comes to cornering, but even closing the throttle in the middle of the turn and leaning further didn’t bother the R6.

I haven’t ridden much on the track this year so felt a little rusty before getting on the bike, but the R6 is so confident that in a few sessions I feel like I never really got away. After a while, long hero drops start moving at high angles, but nothing to worry about. I’d be happy to sacrifice a little dollop for a comfortable ride.

So is this a new race of 600, the one everyone will have to copy? There’s no doubt that the R6 is very, very impressive, and not just because of the amount of kit you get for your money. Remember, the only real difference between this and a 1000cc sports bike is capacity, but it’s cheaper and (for now) better specified. Against the competition? The R6 is definitely more comfortable than the CBR and ZX-6R, and I think the bike has a little more midrange than the CBR. Spin it and it comes close to the powerful ZX-6R. By pose and equipment factor, the R6 walks it. I’d say the handling of the R6, CBR and ZX-6R on the track will be very similar, but I’d go with the Yamaha because of the suspension tuning available, although it will take time to set up. It’s going to be another exciting year and we have yet to test the new GSX-R600, but Yamaha has fought its way.

ENGINE The 2006 Yamaha YZF R R6 uses an oversquare motor. The bore is larger than last year’s model, but the stroke is shorter, meaning the engine can spin higher with less mechanical stress.

SUSPENSION The R6 comes with fully adjustable suspension, including high and low speed compression damping in both the fork and shock.

SLIPPER CLUTCH The slipper clutch provides smoother cornering by absorbing rear torque forces transferred from the rear tire to the clutch during downshifts

Yamaha’s YCC-T electronic throttle took seven years to develop and is the same design used on the MotoGP bike. A fail-safe mechanism is included

JUDGMENT Back to the old R6 values. A screaming engine, excellent handling and a great looking bike. The contender for the title?

The first session at the Qatar Grand Prix circuit has only passed four or five laps and I am starting to get the hang of it. Which is quite tricky because, in the middle of a desert, it has fewer articles than Razzle magazine. But I’m coming. Despite having so few laps under my belt, I’ve already formed some impressions of the R6. It’s surprisingly comfortable.

Even my six-foot frame seems to fit the bike, rather than sitting on it with my lug nuts on the top yoke like the CBR600RR, and it looks great. But the engine seems weak. When I think back to the technical briefing the night before, I remember the Yamaha engineers talking about the engine making 127 horsepower, 133 horsepower, including the effect of the forced air box. But it certainly doesn’t feel that much. It makes a lot of noise, but the burst of power you’d expect from the noise isn’t there. Then I look at the rev counter. It shows only 10,000 rpm… and 7,500 to go. It’s time to give up any concept of mechanical sympathy. And this is the key to the new R6. Don’t think about what the pistons in the new oversquare engine actually do. Just give him the berries. Do not feel guilty. If the engine makes a noise like a banshee with the nipples squeezing particularly roughly, then it’s almost power.

Yamaha still uses the phrase “no compromise” with the R6 (and it’s still called the R6, not the R6R, as rumor has it). Yamaha wants it to win races, a lot of them, so it has allowed its engineers to design the bike with race wins in mind, as well as full access to MotoGP technology. Once this was done, the stylists were able to put the finishing touches. A quick glance at the naked bike in the pit lane reveals many of the clever technicalities made for the competition. The frame is a combination of die-cast and pressed aluminum profiles and runs in a straight line from the head to the swingarm pivot for maximum rigidity. Just like Rossi’s. The inverted forks and shocks are adjustable for everything, including high- and low-speed compression damping—a first for a mass-produced 600 (and again, like Rossi’s). The bike has Yamaha’s new Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T). Just like Rossi’s. It comes with radial brakes and a radial master cylinder, slipper clutch, stacked gearbox, shift light, lap clock, like… well, you get the idea.

As a piece of technological ingenuity, the R6 is far more advanced than any of today’s 1000cc sport bikes. And it costs £1500 less than them. It also works very well. Like I said, forget to get the engine running smoothly, give the R6 full throttle and that engine is strong. I’m not convinced by the claim of 127 hp maybe at the spark plug, but I think if we put it on the test bench it will probably show up around 108 hp. That’s more than the current crop of 600, and possibly on a level playing field with the 636cc ZX-6R at the top (where the R6 will no doubt spend most of its life).

Once the engine is in the 11 to 15,500 rpm range, the new close ratio gearbox gives the impression of delivering more power, as there seems to be a very short time between the ratios up to fifth gear. On the long start/finish straight the R6 creeps into 5th and shows about 250mph before I take it to 6th, then the acceleration seems to stop. It feels like Yamaha has treated sixth gear like a highway-focused overdrive gear on the highway because it doesn’t really want to pull it. On the track, this isn’t much of an issue as once the power drops out at about 16,500rpm, there’s still 1000rpm of overdrive to dive in. Along the way…