The R6. Well, what can I say about this little beauty?
I passed my bike test (Direct Access) in November 1998 - Yes, I have a Full Licence. Can you believe some people don't? The R6 is my first bike. When I told my instructors what I was planning to get, the responses ranged from "what's one of them then?" to "I hate you, jammy git". This was at a time before the R6 had even been released. How I knew about the bike so far in advance of its release is another story.
I picked up my R6 in January 1999. On arrival at P&H Motorcycles, I knew I had made the right choice when I saw my bike.
I collected the keys from Colin and went through all the pre-delivery fuss of form filling and explanation of the controls, alarms etc. Then came the moment of truth. Sitting outside the dealers, with a small crowd who had gathered around to watch this "lucky b*st*rd" drive off on his R6.
I sat there trying to look relaxed-but thinking to myself, with all these onlookers, I'm bound to either fall off or'Gonzo' it. Sit on, side stand up, start up-so far no problem. Engage first gear and trundle off-yup, no problem. Accelerate up road-big mistake! I thought on opening the throttle gently "hmmm, bit like the 500s I've been riding, wonder what happens if I really open it a bit more". Well, I'm sure you can guess, up comes the front wheel, like BB when passing a teenage school girl, and I head off down the road accelerating like a crazed ferret on 'speed'. Out of sight of P&H, I shut the throttle and the front drops to earth and now it's time to think about braking for the roundabout. A rather more sedate ride home follows.
Next time I visit P&H, a few comments about "flash git" are made-little did they realise that "git who had just shat in his leathers" would have been more appropriate!
The next few days are spent trundling around trying to keep below 6,000rpm-not easy to do when you have such a large power range to explore. Unfortunately due to the intervention of a total w*nker of a car driver, who decided to try to drive through me while I was parked in stationary traffic-resulting in dislocated left shoulder and elbow, along with several avulsed tendons- I now have a "holiday" from biking for about three months. The car driver has now been succesfully prosecuted for careless driving etc.
After my brief interlude, I get my bike back. Once finally run-in, it's time to explore what it can really do.
Ok, this is what I found.
Engine- No power until at least 2,000rpm, not even for slowriding. Not too bad power upto 6,000rpm, then ooooh a kick in the back, approaching 8,000 now, another kick, closing on 10,000 another bigger burst of acceleration, now 12,000, sh*t who lit the rocket motor, nearly 14,000rpm, another bloody rocket lit and the power keeps rising until 15,000 before it trails off slightly to redline at15,500rpm.
The engine is superb generally. However there is one little problem area. Slow riding in traffic/town below 30mph is a pain, as you have to keep it boiling-let the revs down below3-4,000 and it gets sluggish.
Gearbox- Pretty smooth, good positive gear changes. First into second gear can be temperamental when changing up. Unless you are absolutely firm, it drops out of second into neutral.
Brakes- Only one way to describe these. Bloody awesome! Very positive with loads of feel. These will get you out of all sorts of sh*t. Even the back brake works well!
Handling- You need to spend some time setting it up properly. Straight out of the box it is damn good, but take the time to set it up and you enter a whole new ball game. Hammer up to a corner, brake hard-plenty of feedback allows you to haul harder than you think-tip it into the corner, with a slight nudge. Too fast? no problem, brake and slow, if necessary-usually wont sit up with moderate braking, even most hard braking. Running wide? just lean in further and add throttle. It's amazing how much you can abuse it and the bike is still willing to respond. I still haven't found the limits yet. Push this bike harder and harder and she will look at you as if to say "Come on boy, is that all you have got?"
The Dunlop D207s fitted are very good tyres with bags of grip and plenty of feedback. About 4,000 miles of hard riding is their limit. Tyre pressures are very important though, even 5-6 psi down and you can tell the difference.
Some people reported a problem with tankslappers. So far, despite several occasions where conditions were ideal, the worst I have got is a mild 'headshaking'.
Steering lock is limited, especially if you have big hands. This is a pain to start with as it is possible to turn and not be able to open/close the throttle. You get used to it.
Looks- Gorgeous.
Comfort- I'm 6'2'' and about 'mumble mumble' stone (Oh alright, 19 stone- shut up Bear and Gonzo!) I don't find the riding position uncomfy, even on journeys of up to 2 hours. However, in slow traffic, the wrists do feel the pressure and so you need to adopt a more upright posture. I do find wind blast a problem on high speed journeys-120mph plus- so I'm going to fit a different screen.
Extras- I fitted a Scotoiler touring kit behind the rear number plate. It is easier than refilling the reservoir every 500 miles, and has kept the chain in beautiful condition. There is also less 'lube' covering the tail end of the bike.
Other Comments- I love this bike. I would buy another one without hesitation.
