Track-honed R6 is tastier with chips

4:24pm Tuesday 26th February 2008

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INTO THE bend, flick it right, then heel it over to the left overtake the car on the outside and snap the throttle back to leave the four-wheeled competition in the dust - all the while being serenaded by the thrilling yowl from the exhaust.

That sounds moderately exciting and I use those few words as an illustration of the adrenalin-inducing handling and power of the Yamaha R6.

But I've got to come clean, not about the performance of the Yam 600 which was all I could have hoped for, but rather the car that had been dogging my back wheel for the previous four miles prior to carving me up, in a race-like manoeuvre, on the roundabout.

It was driven, admittedly with skill and panache, by a very mature lady of the blue-rinse brigade!

Good for her, but a bit embarrassing for me considering I was riding a cutting edge 600cc sports bike.

In my defence I'd like to point out that when I picked the R6 up from Doug Dearden, in Holbury, it had almost three miles on the clock.

So, out of respect to the new engine and un-scrubbed tyres, the outward leg of my road test was carried out with due reverence.

However, once the tyres were hot and sticky and the motor loosened up I tempted the beast out of the bike and played - with respect for the speed limits and other road users - to my heart's content.

Yamaha have been capturing the hearts and minds of other riders for years with their pack-leading mid-range sports bike, which could have been seen as a problem when it came time to design this year's model - how to improve on excellence?

The answer was by revisiting the place it all began, the race track.

Last year's YZF-R6 (the first three letters are redundant in the biking community) was a prime example of technology improving motorcycles through the use of chips.

"Do you want chips with your Yam?" - "Yes please, they make it go better than ever by controlling the intake, throttle and fuel injection".

"Salt and vinegar?" - "no thanks, it's tasty enough as it is."

Tweaking the techno control elements of the bike, as proved from race experience, Yamaha added more compression and reshaped the pistons before delving deep into the motor where they made improvements in line with the improved performance. The rider doesn't need to worry about all the adjustments and tuning though, just lie forward (over the modified seating position) and enjoy the sharper handling.

Going faster and being able to throw the bike around is all well and good, but - you knew there had to be a but - stopping is more important than going quicker.

No stress for the enthusiastic rider though, the braking system has also been tweaked by increasing the twin front, 310mm discs, from 4.5mm to 5.0mm for improved heat dissipation during extended use.

The extra metal also optimises the gyroscopic momentum of the front wheel for a more planted' feel on the front tyre, which combined with the lighter machine, gives more feedback to the rider while allowing for more agility.

All of which translates as, more fun and better times on an R6.

The R6 is now available for demo rides, as in fact is the entire Yamaha range, call DD on 023 8089 2468.

I'd like to thank Doug Dearden and his family for all their help and assistance over the years.

While Doug will soon be leaving, the Yamaha dealership will stay on and the business will continue, through the new owner, to maintain the high standards we've all grown accustomed to.

So it's goodbye to them and hello to him.