Yamaha YZF-R6 Sport Bike Reviews on Cycle Insider (31)
Avg. Rating

This is my first bike ever. I've been riding almost daily for six months and approaching 6K miles in the seat. The performance, fit and finish, quality and reliability are impressive. The '05 design is almost timeless IMHO. She's a pretty bike in blue and I get compliments from passersby. I actually like it better than the third generation for the street but this second generation is no joke when it's time to go supersonic. I've smoked other middle weights and bigger super sports with more experienced riders in the turns and straights because she is all business on demand but friendly enough to navigate my local streets, downtown Seattle and the freeway comfortably - for hours. I feel safe and confident on this bike as it somehow naturally inspires and instills that confidence to lean just a bit more and push the envelope but at your own pace. The '05 is a forgiving communicative bike that has helped me learn quickly and made me a better rider with each ride. It's hard to park her for the night. And it will be harder to park for the winter. A+

I was not very experienced on sport bikes until I got my 05 R6, and it was easy to learn on and packed with power. It took a little while to get used to everything but once I did I was able to unleash it and WOW, this bike has an incredible amount of power.

I have ridden several different super sport bikes and I have to say that nothing compares to my 2005 Yamaha R6 in a nice turn. Even after riding a 2006 R1, 2006 Suzuki GSXR 600, 1000, Honda 600RR, 1000RR, and the 2005 Kawasaki ZX6. In my opinion, the only 3 that even came close if any are the Honda CBR 600RR, the Suzuki GSXR 1000, and the R1 (in that order). A lot of people say that it's just riders preference, but I pass them on the curves.

I used to have a 2001 yzf600 but I wanted an R6. Well I stopped by a dealer and there was an 05' red R6 . I bought it. The bike is great it handles very well. My only problem is that I can't handle seeing it dirty. The only thing I dont like about the bike is that it does get a little uncomfortable when I am in the city or stop and go traffic. Maybe because I have bad shoulders. But that is it.

Before I got the '05 R6, I had never been on a motorcycle besides the one in the MSF safety class. So when I picked up my bike I'll admit, I was quite nervous. But as soon as the bike starts to move, you quickly realize that you're the boss and the bike is your servant. You can go as fast as you want, as slow as you want, accelereate and decelerate which ever way you want. Turning is the easiest thing in the world on the R6. After just a few weeks of riding, I was already draggin my knees in the turns!!! This bike is a must have for anyone who wants to dominate the road!!!!

I picked up my Raven Black R6 on Friday, April 29th. I have to admit that this bike is great. I was in the market to buy a Kawasaki 6RR, but I had a co-worker suggest to me to try out the 2005 R6 because it was a great bike. Well, I have to say that he wasn't wrong. Even during the break in period I have been having a blast and I have to keep the bike under 7000 RPM. If you're in the market for a new bike, do yourself a favor and pick up the new R6, but find another color because I don't want too many Raven black out there.

I researched 600s long berfore I purchased. I like all the features and reliability I found in the R6. I got an awsome deal, too. It being my first bike I was nervous, but it pretty much teaches you how to ride. It handles the curves and straight aways beautifully. Braking is amazing and cruzing is extremely comfortable. I couldn't wait to start "fixing it up"

This is my first bike and I feel that I made the right choice. It was easy to learn on and real fun to drive and take through the canyons. It is also a lot more comfortable than other bikes and I'm a big guy.

I bought this bike in the early summer of 2005 and have ridden it a lot. This thing is awesome, lightest bike I have ever ridden, and it literally feels like it flows through a curve. Great power from take off through top end and is a wheelie monster. Extremely easy for maintenance with only two complaints. # 1: The two plastic pieces at the top of the fairing behind the headlight are difficult to line-up after removing and # 2: The seat is very uncomfortable on a long ride. Other than these, it's truly awesome.

Great bike, this is my second one. Definitly recomend it to anyone! Just a warning, it's very popular and mine was stolen when I only had 1300 miles on it.

This bike is awesome! I bought it in March, the blue R6 and right away I felt that I had made the right choice. It is a great learner bike and once you build confidence it will satisfy you in every aspect of a street bike. The only complaint I have is that at my height it is hard to reach the floor with my feet flat. I got on the R1 and I was able to stand up with feet flat on ground,but this is a minor flaw compared to all the great things this bike holds.

This is the best bike I have ever owned. Granted it is my first street bike, I have ridden every brand, and this is my favorite. It's quick, handling is unbelievable, and it is scary FAST. Deffinately my best investment ever.

Well, I bought the bike in June. I have just under 4500 miles on it already, so you can say I ride a little. First off, I fell in love with the looks of the bike, Mine is the Raven color sceme. So hot! It even gets nods from the cruiser crowd, and here in Wisconsin (H-D country) I am deffinately the minority. The performance is outstanding. Whack the throttle and it thrusts you to 70mph in first. Then click through the gears and you are in triple digits. And then, when you see the trooper, the extremely responsive brakes bring you back down to legal speeds. There are a lot of twisty country roads here, and that is where the bike really shines. Lean it left, lean it right...no sweat. This is truly one excellent bike, with attributes across the board. If you are looking for a "the total package," then you have to look at the R6.

This bike is awesome. I bought this bike about a month ago and I must say, it handles and rides like a dream. I used to ride my friends 04 R6 and I fell in love with it. Easy bike to ride and it's much lighter than many others. Overall great bike.

I have to say, Yamaha has truly outdone itself with the new 2005 R6. This is my first streetbike and it is smooth enough on power delivery for a novice, but take her past 10k and hang on buddy!

This was my first bike and I love it. Handles very well. Real easy to learn. Great starter bike. It deffinately brought out the biker in me and I'm sure it will do the same for you.

This is my first bike ever, and its great! I have never ridden a bike before the R6 and it was so easy to learn on. I would tell anyone to get an R6!! No questions asked.

I bought my R6 in March 25 and in less than a month I put a thousand miles on the bike. This bike handles and brakes like a dream. I have never ridden a motorcycle before, this is my frist bike and I'm glad I chose the R6. But take your time learning to ride. This bike will build you up in confidence I promise.

I love my bike, it's my first bike and I would not trade it for anything. This bike turns heads and makes me feel respectable going down the road!! Even for being a first time rider, I deffinetly did the right thing in buying this bike.

I am an expirienced rider with years on everything from sportbikes to cruisers and I have to say that this bike is the most enjoyable ride I have had in quite some time. I am just re-entering the sportbike arena after a few years off a bike and I must say this bike is a beast. I have yet to even take it above 8000 rpms (due to break in) and I am still impressed. The handling of the R6 is unreal. You can throw this bike into a corner like it's nothing and all you have to do is hang on when you grab a handful of throttle clearing the corner. Keep in mind that the bikes power to wieght ratio is incredible and the front tire can go skyward with ease, though the extreme light wieght of the R6 makes this an easy scenerio to control. (Remember this all happened in break-in, below 8000 rpms) With all that go, you're gonna need some serious whoa. The R6 provides it. First day after bringing the bike home, a passenger and I were tearing up some twisties near home and I quickly realized the rider in front of us had decided to turn after making a quick right on a blind turn. All to often I have seen this turn into a "pucker-up" situation, but not on my new R6. The bike, my passenger, and I were all brought to an immediate stop with room to spare thanks to the brakes Yamaha put on this bike. Overall I would recommend the 2005 R6 to anyone looking for an adrenaline filled ride, from beginner to expirienced rider, this is the premier sport bike of 2005.

I picked up my Raven Black R6 on Friday, April 29th. I have to admit that this bike is great. I was in the market to buy a Kawasaki 6RR, but I had a co-worker suggest to me to try out the 2005 R6 because it was a great bike. Well I have to say that he wasn't wrong. Even during the break in period I have been having a blast and I have to keep the bike under 7000 rpm due to the break in period. If you're in the market for a new bike, do yourself a favor and pick up the new R6, but find another color because I don't want too many Raven black out there.

This is a fast and agile 600 cc bike. My previous bike was a 94 Kawasaki Ninja 600R. I live near the Smoky Mountains, so I get to ride the curves quite a bit. It would have been nice to have a slipper clutch, like the Kawasaki 6R.

It's worth every penny, it rides great, it feels great, and it is the most comfortable sportbike I have ever sat on, and at 6'2", that's a big deal. Bought it on March 30, 2005 and it's actually snowing today 4/2/05. I want to ride it, trust me. If you want a 600, buy the R6.

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT I LOVE MY NEW BIKE! I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2005 R6 ON FEBRUARY 9, 2005. SINCE THEN I HAVE GONE ON A FEW GREAT RIDES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND LOTS OF CITY CRUISING. THIS IS MY FIRST STREET BIKE AND WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE! GREAT HANDLING AND SPEED. BEAUTIFUL BIKE!! IT'S JUST ENOUGH FOR ME.

I sold my '02 R6 to purchase the new and improved '05 R6 Raven. I wanted to wait to get all the upgrades in this model and I am very pleased. I covered the break-in period in three riding days. The improved handling is quite noticible. The only draw-back is a slight jerkiness between gears one and two. Tweaking throttle slack and clutch settings have helped. I highly recommend the new '05 R6. P.S. I hate the one-eye low beam!