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| {{Motorcycle
| | #Redirect [[Yamaha YZF-600R]] |
| |name = [[Yamaha]] YZF600 Thundercat
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| |photo=Yamaha-YZF600R-96--1.jpg
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| |aka = YZF600S Thundercat, YZF 600 S Thundercat, YZF600R Thundercat, YZF 600 R Thundercat, YZF 600 R, YZF600R
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| |manufacturer = Yamaha
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| |parent_company =
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| |production = 1996
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| |model_year =
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| |predecessor =
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| |successor =
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| |class =[[Motorcross]]
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| |engine = Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
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| |bore_stroke =
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| |compression = 12.0:1
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| |top_speed = 246.8 km/h / 153.3 mph
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| |power =
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| |torque =
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| |fuel_system =
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| |ignition = Digital TCI
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| |spark_plug =
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| |battery =
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| |transmission = 6 Speed
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| |frame = Twin spar, steel, delta box
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| |suspension =Front: 41 mm telescopic fork adjustable preload, compression and [[rebound damping]] <br>
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| Rear: Monoshock adjustable preload, bump and rebound
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| |brakes =Front: 2x 300 mm Discs, 4 [[piston]] [[calipers]] <br>Rear: Single 245mm disc, 2 piston caliper
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| |front_tire = {{tire|120/60-17}}
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| |rear_tire = {{tire|160/60-17}}
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| |rake_trail =
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| |wheelbase = 1415 mm / 55.7 in
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| |length =
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| |width =
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| |height =
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| |seat_height = 810 mm / 31.7 in
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| |dry_weight = 189 kg / 417 lbs
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| |wet_weight = 210 kg / 463 lbs
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| |fuel_capacity = 19 Liters / 5.0 US gal / 4.2 Imp gal
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| |oil_capacity =
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| |fuel_consumption =
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| |turning_radius =
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| |related =
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| |competition =
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| }}
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| It could reach a top speed of 246.8 km/h / 153.3 mph.
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| ==Engine==
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| The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. The engine featured a 12.0:1 [[compression ratio]].
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| ==Chassis==
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| It came with a 120/60-17 front [[tire]] and a 160/60-17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 300 mm Discs, 4 piston calipers in the front and a Single 245mm disc, 2 piston [[caliper]] in the rear. The front suspension was a 41 mm telescopic fork adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping while the rear was equipped with a Monoshock adjustable preload, bump and rebound. The YZF600R Thundercat was fitted with a 19 Liters / 5.0 US gal / 4.2 Imp gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 189 kg / 417 lbs. The wheelbase was 1415 mm / 55.7 in long.
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| == Photos ==
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| [[File:Yamaha-YZF600R-96--1.jpg|600px|Yamaha YZF600 Thundercat]]
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| [[File:Yamaha-YZF600R-96--4.jpg|600px|Yamaha YZF600 Thundercat]]
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| [[File:Yamaha-YZF600R-96--3.jpg|600px|Yamaha YZF600 Thundercat]]
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| [[File:Yamaha-YZF600R-96.jpg|600px|Yamaha YZF600 Thundercat]]
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| == Overview ==
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| Yamaha YZF 600R Thunder cat
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| Like many bikes, Yamaha's
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| Thundercat was initially launched as a sports A-imachine, but has remained
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| successful in a different, sport-touring role after being superseded by more
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| advanced designs. First seen in 1996, the Thundercat replaced the elderly
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| FZR600R and was an immediate success. Its inline-four engine was based on
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| the FZR, but heavily revised for improved power and torque. The frame was
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| also similar to the FZR, using a steel Deltabox design, together with an
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| aluminum swingarm. The result was a bike that was heavier and less focused
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| than its predecessor, but with more modern performance.
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| The styling is very distinctive.
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| The aerodynamic single headlight nosecone is similar to the Thunderace 1000,
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| also launched in 1996, and incorporates a ram-air induction system which
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| increases the engine's output as speed increases. Also shared with the
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| Thunderace are the four piston front brake calipers, manufactured by
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| Sumitomo and shared with many recent Yamaha models. These brakes, which were
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| a revelation to many riders in 1996, are still among the best performing
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| brake components on the road.
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| The conventional suspension setup
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| is soft for a sportsbike, but is still capable on road and track. Many 600
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| Supersports racers campaigned the Thundercat, with remarkable success,
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| including at world level (Vittoriano Guareschi finished second on a
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| Thundercat in the 1997 WSS championship). The suspension's built-in
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| adjustment front and rear can improve performance, but aftermarket
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| improvements can pay dividends for track use.
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| Equipment levels are sufficient
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| rather than extensive, and the Thundercat's sports-derived dashboard is less
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| comprehensive than some all-round competitors. Having said that, its
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| 19-litre (4.2 gal) fuel tank gives an extended range, and the spacious dual
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| seat offers comfort for many miles.
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| The Thundercat has received only
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| minor changes during its life so far, suggesting Yamaha got the design
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| largely right to begin with.
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| YAMAHA'S REVISED AND REFINED YZF600R OFFERS NUMEROUS
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| facets for admiration. First glance will become a stare because Yamaha's
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| stylists have finally found a look that works for their midsize sport bike, from
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| the uniquely shaped, wind-tunnel-tested fairing complete with ram-air scoop to
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| the tasteful and, dare we say it, classy paint work.
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| The same strong YZF chassis that took Jamie James to the '94 AMA 600
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| Super-Sport championship is updated with all-new cartridge front suspenders
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| matched to a recalibrated shock, while the ram-air scoop feeds pressurized air
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| to carburetors measuring two millimeters larger than last year's mixers. The
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| power increase we noticed from the seat was blunted amazingly well by the YZF's
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| stunning front stoppers, a beautiful set of one-piece, cast-aluminum calipers
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| that add whoa to the YZF's show-and-go. After two months of tireless flogging,
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| touring and track-testing, Yamaha's YZF600 threatens to be the best 600cc street
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| bike Sport Rider has tested.
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| Yamaha's positioning of the '97 YZF600 depends upon your perspective. Racers
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| will claim Yamaha's target is the 600 SuperSport class, pointing to the fully
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| adjustable suspension components and reciting the 88 rear-wheel ponies we saw on
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| the Graves Motor-sports Dynojet dyno, then referring to the 11.48-second
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| quarter-mile and 119.8-mph trap speed as proof that Yamaha is chasing all-out
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| performance first and foremost. Street riders, however, will find substantial
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| proof that Yamaha's sights were focused on their interests, fingering the same
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| suspension adjustability that can adapt to differing roads and loads and
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| wrapping their argument around the YZF's real-world ergonomics and outstanding
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| wind protection from the all-new fairing. Each faction will find strong points
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| to support its views, but as the Sport Rider staff came to know our black
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| and silver 600 m6re intimately, we found ourselves convinced that Yamaha aimed
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| its revised YZF600 more at the real-world street rider than the relatively few
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| racers who will make the jump to the track.
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| The bare-bones look of many repli-racers just isn't apparent in Yamaha's
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| latest 600. In fact, the YZF's fit and finish are significantly updated over
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| last year and put the bike on par with Honda's benchmark CBR600F3, as we
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| discovered when stripping the bike in the studio. The styling received
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| significantly more positive comments than the flash-boy F3 graphics, or last
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| year's YZF for that matter, and no one can deny the importance of styling in the
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| pride-of- ownership debate.
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| Yamaha's YZF600R appears 750-sized and offers 750-size ergonomics as well,
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| with excellent legroom for those under 6 feet 2 inches tall and a relatively
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| short reach to the handlebars mounted just above the upper triple clamp. While
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| the seating position isn't significantly different from that of the other
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| 600-class competitors, the wind protection from the revised fairing is certainly
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| the best in the class, with a smooth plane of air coming off the sculpted
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| windscreen that is bracketed by wide ABS-plastic borders, similar to Biaggi's
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| Aprilia racer. You might not notice the improvement in a short ride, but we
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| certainly appreciated the air management during our two months of testing. Last
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| year's comfortable two-piece seat is now a single unit and is good for most
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| hauls, though some felt it a bit too soft for day-long rides. The YZF spent few
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| if any nights in the SR garage and was a popular ride for weekend duty.
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| The YZF extracts no penalty for its performance in day-today living. Cold
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| starts need only the smallest enrichener settings, facilitated by the
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| bar-mounted lever, and carbure-tion was marred only by a slight off-idle lean
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| stutter that muddied throttle response below 2500 rpm. Last year the YZF mixed
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| gas and air in a set of 34mm Keihin carbs, but the '97 wears 36mm units that are
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| better suited to the engine, not just helping to produce more power, but
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| offering cleaner jetting choices as well. The street-based ergonomics are backed
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| by a street-based torque curve that peaks at only 9500 rpm with 45.9 foot-pounds
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| of torque, meaning you don't need to rev the rings out of it to squirt ahead in
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| traffic; we found ourselves short-shifting the YZF just as if it were a 750 or
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| 900. The bike shifted nicely prior to our dragstrip testing, but a few abusive
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| launches took an early toll on the clutch, affecting not just leaving a stop
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| sign, but the bike's ability to shift smoothly as well.
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| First-time sport-bike buyers might be surprised to find no centerstand, but
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| that, along with terribly weak horns, is the norm rather than the exception.
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| Unfortunately, Yamaha ditched last year's electronic reserve switch in favor of
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| a single low-fuel warning light that increases the fuel-level guessing game.
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| Also, Yamaha added a helmet lock that leaves your helmet dangling against the
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| chain side of the swingarm, which isn't the cleanest place on a motorcycle; the
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| underseat hooks of last year are preferable.
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| ARE THOSE BRAKES AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK?
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| In a word: yes. The racy blue-anodized plugs on the outside of the Sumitomo
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| calipers signify the one-piece design of the cast-aluminum calipers, which
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| required the pistons to be inserted from the outside. They're attractive,
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| distinctive and 18 percent more rigid than last year's binders, bringing
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| world-class braking to the front of the YFZ in terms of both feel and strength.
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| Despite the YZF's relatively hefty wet weight of 485 pounds, only one finger is
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| needed on the adjustable brake lever, no matter what speed you're traveling or how hard you need to stop. Jumping off any other
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| bike and onto the Yamaha necessitates a mental adjustment, because you don't
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| just grab brakes this strong without either putting your helmet through the
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| windscreen or pivoting the whole machine into the air in a stoppie. And, yes,
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| those are illegal.
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| Yamaha's componentry update isn't just confined to the front brakes, it also
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| includes revised damping rates in the cartridge fork, focusing on a more
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| progressive compression action at the bottom of the fork stroke. We praised the
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| YZF's around-town ride last year, and the kudos are still applicable. If
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| anything, the YZF seems more poised and confidence-inspiring than last year's
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| bike, at least at street speeds. Many testers used the word "exact" in their
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| descriptions of the light-steering Yamaha because it could be placed in the
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| corner with precision and slight adjustments were little more than a thought
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| away. The '96 YZF didn't care much for small, quick stutter bumps, but the
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| suspension revisions have improved the '97's ability to deal with these small jolts. But as we'd later
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| discover during our track testing, the chosen spring rates are biased a bit more
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| toward comfort than performance, being a bit softer than even an aggressive
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| street rider would choose.
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| ARE THE SPRINGS TOO SORT?
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| The answer depends upon how you ride. If you hammer hard or ride extremely
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| rough roads, you may find yourself running the shock and fork springs near their
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| maximum preload, with correspondingly high rebound and compression settings. Our
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| lighter and smoother testers had few complaints, but the hammerheads among us
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| felt the bike a bit loose and in need of an extra moment before it settled
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| during aggressive or bumpy corner entrances. The YZF's weight certainly hurts in
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| this instance.
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| We were pleased with the mileage and traction quotient of the stock
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| Bridge-stone tires, even at elevated street speeds. Hard-core corner chargers
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| would be smart to look at spring upgrades and stickier skins, simple updates
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| that would make the YZF a delightfully responsive canyon charger.
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| HOW DOES IT WORK IN THE REAL WORLD?
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| Yamaha's suspension choices that may prove marginal at the racetrack's
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| elevated speeds make perfect sense on the pot-holed streets of the real world.
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| (We'll pit the YZF against the CBR, ZX-6R and GSX-R for a full street and track
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| shootout in the near future.) The '97 model absorbed sharp-edged jolts like
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| frost heaves and cement freeway undulations significantly better than last
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| year's YZF, the trade-off being slightly increased fork dive under hard braking,
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| even with the preload adjusters showing only three lines. Each tester remarked
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| on the tight, exact steering characteristics, and the planted feel of the bike
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| at same street speeds. The standard (noninverted) fork was praised for its feedback,
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| even on the stock tires that usually mask traction information, and everyone
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| that rode our black beauty commented on the light, willing steering that made
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| the relatively large 600 immediately ridable. The YZF tends to fall into the
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| corner at steep lean angles due to the triangulated front Bridgestone, but the
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| steering remains predictable and neutral at less radical lean angles, which
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| translates into a bike that's easy to go quick on.
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| The engine really helps the first few miles of acclimation because it revs
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| with a willingness that belies its relatively long-stroke design, which has a
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| 62mm piston moving through a 49.6mm stroke (Honda's F3 uses a 65mm piston in a
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| 45.2mm stroke). Theoretically, the YZF's longer stroke can limit engine rpm due
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| to elevated piston speed, but the Yamaha redlines at 13,000 rpm, or 250 rpm
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| below the F3. A second long-stroke theory centers around increased midrange due
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| to more complete cylinder filling, and that theory is borne out by the YZF's
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| willingness to pull from any rpm, with anything over 6000 rpm getting your attention and 8500 rpm
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| serving as the take-off point as the YZF starts making some serious steam. The
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| power flattens about 500 rpm before redline, but we can't remember a more
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| rev-happy 600cc engine coming from Yamaha since the FJ/FZ600 two-valver. It
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| makes every facet of riding more enjoyable, from zipping through city traffic to
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| grabbing gears on the way up the mountain. One ride will impress you with the
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| packaging that Yamaha has at last achieved with its YZF600.
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| At $7399, Yamaha has created a 600cc sport bike that breaks through the class
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| barrier to ride and feel more like a 750, stressing streetability over racetrack
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| performance. And that's what the majority of us do most of the time, or so
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| Yamaha hopes by producing a package that combines a street-oriented powerband
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| and chassis with stunning styling that says "beautiful motorcycle" not "repli-racer."
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| Don't misunderstand, the YZF600R gets around a racetrack just fine, but it gets
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| through daily life in the real world amazingly well.
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| Source SPORT RIDER 1997
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |-
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| !Make Model
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| |Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat
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| |-
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| !Year
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| |1996
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| |-
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| !Engine Type
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| |Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
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| |-
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| !Displacement
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| |599 cc / 36.5 cu-in
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| |-
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| !Bore X Stroke
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| |62 x 49.6 mm
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| |-
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| !Cooling System
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| |Liquid cooled
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| |-
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| !Compression
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| |12.0:1
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| |-
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| !Induction
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| |4 x 36 mm Keihin CV downdraft carburetors
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| |-
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| !Ignition
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| |Digital TCI
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| |-
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| !Starting
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| |Electric
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| |-
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| !Max Power
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| |72.9 kW / 100 hp @ 11500 rpm
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| |-
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| !Max Power Rear Tire
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| |67.9 kW / 91.0 hp @ 11500 rpm
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| |-
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| !Max Torque
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| |65.7 Nm / 6.7 kgf-m / 48.7 lb-ft @ 9500 rpm
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| |-
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| !Transmission
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| |6 Speed
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| |-
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| !Final Drive
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| |530 O-ring chain OEM sprocket sizes per tooth Front= 15 Back= 47
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| |-
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| !Frame
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| |Twin spar, steel, delta box
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| |-
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| !Front Suspension
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| |41 mm telescopic fork adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping
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| |-
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| !Front Wheel Travel
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| |130 mm / 5.1 in
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| |-
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| !Rear Suspension
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| |Monoshock adjustable preload, bump and rebound
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| |-
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| !Rear Wheel Travel
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| |120 mm / 4.7 in
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| |-
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| !Front Brakes
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| |2x 300 mm Discs, 4 piston calipers
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| |-
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| !Rear Brakes
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| |Single 245mm disc, 2 piston caliper
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| |-
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| !Front Tire
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| |120/60-17
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| |-
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| !Rear Tire
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| |160/60-17
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| |-
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| !Rake
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| |25.0°
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| |-
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| !Trail
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| |97 mm / 3.82 in
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| |-
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| !Dimensions
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| |Length 2060mm / 81.1 in Width 754 mm / 29.6 in Height 1190 mm / 46.8 in
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| |-
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| !Wheelbase
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| |1415 mm / 55.7 in
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| |-
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| !Seat Height
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| |810 mm / 31.7 in
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| |-
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| !Ground Clearance
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| |135 mm / 5.3 in
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| |-
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| !Dry Weight
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| |189 kg / 417 lbs
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| |-
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| !Wet Weight
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| |210 kg / 463 lbs
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| |-
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| !Fuel Capacity
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| |19 Liters / 5.0 US gal / 4.2 Imp gal
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| |-
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| !Consumption Average
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| |6.1 L/100 km / 16.4 km/l / 38.6 US mpg / 46.3 Imp mpg
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| |-
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| !Braking 60 Km/h - 0
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| |13.5 m / 44.3 ft
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| |-
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| !Braking 100 Km/h - 0
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| |37.5 m / 123 ft
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| |-
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| !Standing ¼ Mile
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| |11.3 sec / 194.7 km/h / 121 mph
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| |-
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| !Top Speed
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| |246.8 km/h / 153.3 mph
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| |}
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| [[Category:Yamaha motorcycles]]
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