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Gone Riding: 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6

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Good morning from cloudy California. Today’s adventure takes us to one of my favorite race tracks, Thunderhill Raceway Park, to test the 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6.

It should be an interesting day, namely since Northern California is getting some much-needed rain, although that makes it tough to test a 120hp+ supersport machine.

On second thought though, maybe these are ideal conditions for the “new” R6 – with its freshly added traction control, riding modes, and anti-locking brake system.

It’s this electronics suite that will be the focus of our testing today, considering that the 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 keeps the same frame and engine as its predecessor.

Definitely more evolution than revolution, other changes to the R6 for 2017 include revised suspension and braking components, magnesium subframe, aluminum tank, and bodywork that improves aerodynamics.

Yamaha calls this its “4th Generation” YZF-R6 model, though the spec list is suggesting something closer to a “3.5 Generation” machine…maybe 3.75, if I have had my Mountain Dew this morning and am feeling generous.

Yamaha feels confident that the 2017 model is a “new” bike though, and they even brought a 2016 model to ride, in order to prove the point to us. So, that will certainly be interesting. It looks like Bridgestone W01 full-wet rain tires will be the order of the day, and we’ll keep our fingers crossed that things don’t get too moist out there.

Per our new review format, we will be giving you a live assessment of the 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 right here in this article (down in the comments section), and there we will try to answer any questions you might have. So, here is your chance to learn what it’s like to ride the 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6, before even my own proper review is posted.

As always, if I don’t know an answer, I will try to get a response from the Yamaha personnel (we have members from both the Japanese and American teams here on-site) that are here with me here at Thunderhill. So, pepper away.

You can follow our thoughts on the bike live via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also try searching for the hashtags: #Yamaha #RWorld #R6FirstRide for the thoughts of my colleagues as well.

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Recall

Another Recall for the Yamaha YZF-R3, As Expected

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As expected, the second recall this month for the Yamaha YZF-R3 has hit the computers of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this time affecting the bike’s ignition switch.

As with the fuel tank bracket recall, the ignition switch recall affects 14,320 units from the 2015 and 2016 model years (bikes manufactured between January 13, 2015 and October 24, 2016.

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Recall

Yamaha YZF-R3 Recalled, As Expected

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As we predicted, the Yamaha YZF-R3 will be recalled by Yamaha USA because of engine vibration that can cause the fuel tank mounting bracket to contact the fuel tank, which overtime may result in the tank leaking fuel.

This recall is expected to start on March 9, 2017 and will affect 14,320 motorcycles in total in the USA (bikes manufactured between January 13, 2015 and October 24, 2016), though the recall is likely to affect models in other markets as well.

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Bikes

Yard Built Yamaha XSR700 “Double-Style” by Rough Crafts

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Yamaha is continuing with its “Yard Built” custom motorcycle efforts for 2017, and the first bike of the year is actually two machines in one, from Tawaineese custom house Rough Crafts – the same builder of the very tasty MV Agusta “Ballistic Trident”.

Shown above is the road going “Corsa Scorcher” model, which takes the XSR700 heritage street bike model from Yamaha and turns it into a café racer.

Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts also has a “Soil Scorpion” scrambler model based off the XSR700, which can be created from the cafe racer by transforming the bike with swappable parts, in about an hour’s worth of time.

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News

World Superbike Season Preview – Part 2

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Our trained World Superbike reporter, Kent Brockman, has his eye on the World Superbike Paddock, and is ever vigil for the next big braking breaking story.

Submitting a lengthy preview of what to expect from the 2017 WorldSBK season, we have broken it up into two parts in order to make more money whet your appetite ahead of this weekend’s season-opener at Phillip Island.  

If you missed it, you can read Part 1 of his WorldSBK season preview here, other continue on for Part 2 of this opus. -JB

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News

Yamaha Motor USA Shakes Up Motorcycle Division

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Changes are afoot at Yamaha Motor USA, as the company’s US President Terry Okawa announced a bevy of changes to the company’s motorcycle division, the most notable of which being the ascension of Mike Doughty to the role of General Manager, in charge of Motorcycle Operations.

With that announcement, Doughty announced a restructuring of Yamaha’s motorcycle operations in the United States, along with more personnel changes for the company.

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MotoGP

The Winglet Loophole in MotoGP

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Winglets may have been banned for 2017, but the drive for aerodynamics development continues. This time, however, winglet development will continue on the inside of the fairing, rather than the outside. The development ban applies solely to the exterior surface of the fairing, and not the interior. 

What this means in practice is that while the shape of the fairing must be homologated at Qatar, with one update allowed during the season, that only applies to the outer surface of the ducts, and not to the vanes (the small struts or winglets inside the ducts which control the airflow and can be used to alter downforce) inside those ducts.

Development of aerodynamic control surfaces will still be allowed, as long as the changes remain on the inside of the fairing.

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News

Recalls Coming for the Yamaha YZF-R3

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Yamaha YZF-R3 should ready themselves for recalls affecting their pint-sized sport bike, as Yamaha Motor Corporation USA has determined that the YZF-R3 has defects that affects motor vehicle safety.

The recall will affect 2015 and 2016 models, and relates to two different issues. The first defect concerns the fuel tank fitting bracket, which may cause the fuel tank to crack and leak fuel, due to engine vibration.

The second defect relates to the main power switch, which can become corroded from water, and cold potentially cause the motorcycle to stall.

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MotoGP

What We Learned from the Movistar Yamaha Launch

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Yamaha have kicked off the 2017 MotoGP season. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team were the first to present their bike, their riders, their team, and most importantly, their sponsors and color scheme to the world.

Launches being what they are – a show primarily put on for the benefit of their sponsors – there was nothing radical to see.

The bikes on display had been painted in the correct colors – the Yamaha blue a little darker, the Movistar M a lot bigger, Monster’s sponsorship being visually demoted a little further, the green claw M looking a little too much like Movistar’s M – but they were not the actual 2017 bikes, the eagle-eyed MotoGP technical blogger Manziana spotted.

That is unsurprising, if a little disappointing. It makes little sense for Yamaha to fly new bikes halfway around the world from Japan to Spain just to put them on display, then pack them up again to fly them back to Sepang for the tests.

More disappointing is the news broken by GPOne.com, that Ducati are to present what is basically a GP16 in 2017 colors.

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MotoGP

2017 Yamaha MotoGP Team Launches in Spain

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It was billed as the launch of Yamaha’s 2017 MotoGP team, though it read more like a poorly choreographed Telefonica advertisement.

Yet, today was our first chance to see Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales dressed up in their new leathers, and our first chance at seeing the Yamaha YZR-M1 in its new livery.

Of course, the bike on display at the media launch is very different from the one that we will see take to tracks for the 2017, with Yamaha still exploring different aerodynamic packages before the start of the new season.

While the technical changes might be fewer than expected, the addition of Viñales to the Movistar Yamaha garage is sure to shake things up quite a bit. The Spaniard has already shown himself to be a quick study of the YZR-M1, which is sure to create some friction on the other side of the garage.

To his credit, Valentino Rossi looks to be in the form of his life, and has a keen on eye on making it 10 Grand Prix victories in the premier class.

All things considered, this formula is looking to be a potent recipe for a stellar 2017 MotoGP season. Note: the images we have of the Yamaha YZR-M1 are really big. The biggest. They’re yuge!

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A&R Pro

Some Notes on the 2017 Dakar Rally

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The 2017 Dakar Rally is done and dusted. The competitors are either already on their way home, or now spending a well-deserved vacation in South America, after tackling what is easily the most difficult motorcycle race on the planet.

The Dakar is of course iconic and well-known for its difficulty, where it is not uncommon to see riders perish on its course, but this year’s rally raid was billed as one of the most challenging editions of the Dakar Rally ever.

When a man like Marc Coma – a man who has won the race five times – tells you that, your default mode is to believe him.

Tackling that challenge were 143 riders, of which only on 96 made it all the way to Buenos Aires. And while KTM has been the dominant manufacturer for the past 15 years, the 2017 edition saw early on that any of the major four brands could have a hand on the trophy in Argentina.

Of course we know that KTM made it to a sweet 16th victory, sweeping the podium no less, but the results sheet betrays what happened on the course. As such, I wanted to share some notes I have from the 2017 Dakar Rally.

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