Review: Yamaha FZ6R arrives as a rational sportbike

Before even throwing a leg over the new 2009 Yamaha FZ6R, we couldn't help but think that this bike fits neatly into the burgeoning entry-level sportbike category and is just the kind of motorcycle that most Americans would be better off purchasing than a bike from the more popular supersport category. Generally speaking, though today's crop of 600cc race-replica motorcycles are tons of fun to ride in a proper setting, there are few if any circumstances where it's necessary to have a machine capable of topping 160 mph or accelerating to 60 in around three seconds on public roads. With this in mind, we had very high hopes for Yamaha's latest middleweight sportbike. Did it meet our lofty expectations? Read on to find out.

In the past, many basic sporty motorcycles were let down by a distinct lack of technology, performance and looks. That's no longer the case today as bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 650 and ER-6n, Suzuki GSX650F, SV650 and Gladius and Yamaha's FZ6 and FZ6R all offer a reasonable amount of horsepower, attractive designs and a relatively low cost.