The Yamaha YZF600R (Thundercat in European markets) is a
sports bike
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
made by
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
from 1996 to 2007.
Overview
The YZF600R Thundercat was introduced to Europe in 1996 as a replacement to the
FZR600R. During the 1997 European 600 super sport championship season, the YZF600R Thundercat was the only four-cylinder motorcycle to win a race against the dominant
Ducati 748
The Ducati 748 was a Ducati sport bike made from 1994 to 2002. The 748 was the smaller displacement version of the 916, and was succeeded in 2003 by the 749.
Design
The Ducati Desmoquattro engine began as displacement engine, with cylinder ...
.
It retained major mechanical components such as the engine, transmission, suspension components,
and steel Deltabox frame.
In 1998 ''Sport Rider'' magazine said the YZF600R is "More fun on the racetrack than we ever dreamed, brakes that embarrassed the rest of the field. Consensus: Best middleweight street bike on the planet."
''
Motor Cycle News
''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly Motorcycle, motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Verlagsgruppe, Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspape ...
'' describes the YZF600R as more suited to
sport touring
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
than aggressive sport or road racing., while the fully adjustable Kayaba suspension and Sumitomo mono-block brakes, later used on the
R1,
R6 and other models, also make it a good choice for track racing.
Yamaha sold the YZF600R Thundercat in Europe from 1996 through 2003, an in the United States and Canada lasted through 2008, with little more than periodic aesthetic changes after 1997 when exhaust system and wire loom were updated.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamaha Yzf600r
YZF600R
Sport bikes
Motorcycles introduced in 1994