Yamaha feedback

[sternsi]

We are looking for any feedback on Yamaha motorcycles or other items you may own. Feedback can be from a demo ride, bike, or other product that you currently own. Please leave good or bad feedback.

The most common feedback I have seen from the demo rides that members' or other riders feel is no site glass on the R6 for oil, no shift indicator and no steering dampner.

Please keep in mind, this thread needs to stay about feedback. Any threads that are discussing anything else WILL BE DELETED

 

[Steve]

The FZ6 and FZ1 are both more comfy for the street than my standard SV650. I did a test ride on these 2 bikes at VIR last year and the torque on the FZ1 was pretty impressive.
Thanks!
Steve

 

[Burnall4]

I'd Rather own a new R6 than my CBR. For a lot of reasons, that are positive. Here is my only complaint:

I have ridden the new R6 on the street, I liked it a lot and really would love to own one. The only thing I found annoying was having to keep the Revs up to get it to go anywhere, however I see where that isn't a problem on a track and thats where the new r6 motorcycle really belongs.

I have not signed up for a demo on a new R1 but the first chance I get I am going to do so, because either i am getting an r6 or r1 in the next year or so.

 

[mx3TT]

I own an 05 R6 and an 08 R1. I bought the R6 brand new in 05 and it was my first bike i have ever ridden. Now, 4 seasons later, i still love this bike. it is now my track bike and i still go back to this bike and it puts a smile on my face. It has good power and loves to be leaned over. the seating position isnt aggressive so its not to bad on the wrists and back. My 08 R1 is basically way to powerful. but the stereotype of liter bikes not turning as well as the 600's, is just plain wrong. maybe it wont go side to side as fast, but it really drops into the turns and loves to stay there...just be gentle on the gas because it bites back fast. Ive ridden kawi 636, gixxer 600's, gixxer 750 and a gixxer 1000. the R6 and R1 def fit me a lot better then any of those bikes for seating and set up. The only bad thing i have to say about them both is the transmission isnt smooth at all. after 21,000 miles on the R6, some motul synthetic, and rear sets made this much better. The R1 was actually worse and still at 4,000 miles and motul, still is a bit rough. with that being said, i would, and do, recommend them to anyone i meet.

 

[meowculpa]

2006 R6
- sexiest 600 among it's contemporaries.
- a major pain to ride on the streets. have to keep the revs high and the gears low. at low revs, it's powerless and jerky. on the tracks - can't love it enough. at higher revs, good power and smooth delivery.
- yamaha defly need to improve transmission. at times notchy, sometimes downright difficult
- steering damper is necessary for the track. [for the street - overkill, in my opinion]
- they absolutely have to have a fuel guage. not the low fuel light. [start bike- no fuel light on, on to the track u go, 3rd corner on the outlap - bam! the indicator comes on! there goes your session. similar situation is worse on isolated roads too]

shall add stuff to this as and when i remember...

 

[HondaGalToo]

Rode an R6 at the Beave last year. I was impressed with the stability over the ripples, even though the bike has no steering damper. Shook less than my bike with a damper. Committed riding position, but good for the track. I think they should add a gear indicator, the R1 has one.

 

[nategrant1234]

I have an 08 R6 and think this is a great bike. The transmission is very smooth and I haven't had any problems with it. I use Yamalube in it and have about 4500 miles. I do wish that it had a sight glass and can really use a steering dampener. The only other thing that I wish this bike came with is a rear seat cowl. I would rather them come with the cowl than the rear seat personally. Rode from SC to PA in a tropical storm on this bike last fall and was rather comfortable the whole way. My previous bike was a 00 R1 and I had the infamous problem with second gear. When high in the rev's in first it gave me a hell of a time shifting to second and sounded horrible when it would bouce off or finally slam in. The only other bike I have had was an 01 ZX6R. This bike was alright but it was down on power from the GSXR and R6 of that year.

 

[riddler]

I have a 98 R1 for the track and an 05 R1 for the street.

98 R1 probs:
- second gear slipping - fixed by under cutting
- no steering damper - not a huge problem, but sometimes the tank slappers can be pretty fierce - apparently not enough of a problem cause I haven't ponied up the cash for an aftermarket.
- welded on rear subframe... - fixed on later models

05 R1 probs:
- Battery doesn't hold charge
- Don't get enough good weather in IL to ride.

The transmission on the 05 is way more smooth than the 98. I am surprised to hear people having problems with later models.

 

[rcr14]

I did own an '04 R6. Wish I would have kept it. One problem was the Throttle position sensor. known problem but at my dealer not covered under warrenty. BS. Maybe not yamaha us's fault,but it wasn't cheap. Fit&finish was excellent. I would buy again, just stop offering burgandy as a color. i know someone has bought that color ,but it could'nt have been their 1st choice.

 

[wally]

I don't own one but I would definately be buying an R6 for a track bike. As for the new R1, the underseat dual exhaust is a major turn off for me and makes the bike look wierd, should always offer the classis yellow/white/black color scheme.

 

[jimgl3]

currently in the market for a new street bike next spring. wish the FZ1 came in a full-fairing model like the FZ6R.

 

[Bottlecap75]

Had an 06 R6s, loved it untill an 85 year old in a minivan help me out of it. Went straight to the dealer and ordered and 08 R6s...only to come across a deal on an 07 R1 I just couldnt pass up. Both bikes are amazing. I signed up for a Demo at Lightning 8/9, but it got rained out. (2009 R6)
If I had one complaint, i mean if you held a gun to my head, it would be gearbox, both bikes. Its not terrible or anything, just a bit clunky. That wouldnt shy me away from another Yamaha, like I said, if you held a gun to my head.
The R1 actually seems a bit more forgiving to me-- maybe the damper, R6s didnt have one.
How does a person go about buying a Demo bike? Looking for an R6.....track bike....

 

[rcr14]

First off thank you Yamaha US& Mark. Demo'ed an R6 on 9-12@ summit point. I've posted that i had an '04 already,but a company that puts their product on the track for customers to try is one I would buy from again. The handling is quick. After talking to adv. riders about that,it seems easy to fix. thottle response was touchy when opening from closed,i.e. exit turn 1. Hopefully a power commander could fix that. All other aspects were a notch or two better that my current bike.

 

[chaun]

I have the 2007 R6 - Gear indicator would have been nice...

 

[Steve]

Well, I now have a Raven FZ6 in my garage thanks (I think) to this program. It seems to me the shifting is even smoother on mine than the one I test rode, maybe it's because I adjusted the levers to my liking, instead of where Yamaha puts them.

I also got the "opportunity" to test the brakes in an emergency stop and all is well, so A+ on that.

Anyway, I'd like to thank NESBA and Yamaha for giving me the opportunity to test ride these bikes! I think I've ridden everything except the R1, lol.

 

[darth nater]

I know this is a little late, but I test rode twice at Summit over 9/12-13.

On 9/12, I rode an R6. I was really looking forward to riding the R6 since I have a 2003 Kawi 636 and was looking forward to some upgraded technology. The bike was very light and easily flickable. Never got to go real fast during the demo due to no passing rules, but the last lap I got to open it up a little and it definitely has some get up and go. As RCR14 (Doug) said, the throttle is a little jerky when opening from closed. My favorite part of the bike (since I don't have one) is the slipper clutch. Was so nice to be able to just pound down through the gears and not have to worry about locking up the rear wheel while under braking.

On 9/13, I was able to ride the FZ1. I understood that it is not a full blown sport bike made specifically for the track, but was really impressed with how it performed. The most impressive part of the FZ1 was the power delivery. No matter where in the RPM range I grabbed a handful of throttle, power was there. It was smooth and consistent the whole way through. The brakes were not as good as the R6, but still got the job done without any problem. The only negative on the track with the FZ1 is the height of the pegs. Obviously they are designed for street riders and are set low to accomodate. This is not a deal breaker for me as I would never buy one of these for a track bike, but I would definitely consider it for a street bike. Its comfortable, powerful, and fun.

Thanks to Yamaha and especially Mark for putting together the demo rides. Someday when I have the money to upgrade I will be considering an R6 for sure.

 

[CptCurt]

I own a basically stock '07 R6 that I use as a daily commuter and a track bike. I absolutely love it. 14,000 miles and no issues at all. As other have said- gear indicator, oil sight glass, and fuel gauge would be nice but its not a deal breaker. The only thing I can say negative is mine has an annoying dead spot between 5 and 6k RPM which is very noticeable on the street. I assume a mod of some sort would take care of it.

I did the r1 demo ride at Thunderbolt and here's how it went down. I'll begin by saying this isn't a rant - I'm just giving a humorous account of my experience which demonstrates how unlucky I am. Got lined up at the front of the grid behind the control rider with the R1 and the oil light comes on for about 5 seconds. I'm like WTF? It goes off and comes back on and stays on for about 15 seconds. I honk the horn to get the attention of the control rider. He says "Go back and get another one". Rushing back to the garage I'm thinking I'm either going to miss the session or the engine is going to seize up. I get to the garage and grab another R1. It has a brand spankin' new rear tire. Now I'm thinking, "It's about 47 degrees, I got a nice shiny new rear tire to crash on because I am used to GP shift pattern ." Luckily I get to the grid and the group hasn't left yet. Now I'm last in line, right behind a guy on an R6 who showed up off the street for the demo ride without any gear. Remember - no passing rules apply. We roll out onto the track all the riders in front of us disappear before I complete a single lap. I'm thinking,"OK maybe he's laying back to see what the bike can do. To make this long story short, we went 25 through turn 8 and 78 on the front straight. So remembering to use the std shift pattern and worrying about tire traction was not an issue. I didn't even need to fiddle with the mode selector either. When the white flag came out and his arm went up in turn 1, 2, 3,... , I just surrendered any hope of getting out of second gear or even applying the brakes. I actually ended up getting lapped on the demo ride.
Remember I'm not ranting. I think its funny and I realize the guy had every right to participate and ride his own pace.
I appreciate the opportunity to demo - it just didn't work out for me so I hope the program continues next year so I can give it another shot. The only thing I can say about the R1 is the horn worked, the speedometer came in handy for me to see how slow I was going and the oil light worked because I found out from Stern that it did have some sort of oil leak issue.

 

[rockertom]

I would have to say the opposite about the FZ1. I found that to be very comfortable and the cornering felt good at Barber. The suspension could be stiffer for a large guy. But I managed out there. The R1 felt too aggressive on the track for me. I couldn't get a decent feel for it. Keep in mind I am 6'4 and 300lbs. Now I could track the FZ1 just fine. Thanks for allowing us to ride on a track.

 

[thumpin250]

screw the gear indicator, just give me a 7th and 8th gear and we're good.

 

[barrysuperhawk]

I have noticed that the small inverter generators seem a tad louder than their red-painted competition. Overall they are not loud, but when sitting side by side....


Personally I wish there was a more of a market for a liter class twin. I am certain that Yamaha could make more power than a D or S and be smoother and more responsive than the H or D.... If only there were a market for that...:dunno:

Failing that, a fully faired FZ1 would be nice for a street bike for those of us that have X's in front of our size...