5 minute read
INSIDE TECH
As I write this, it is December 31, New Year’s Eve, a time of reflection on the season behind and excitement for the season ahead. When you read this, it will be 2023, and although winter is just getting started in Canada, for motorcyclists, it is the season of hope. Now the upcoming riding season is just ahead of us, rather than having just ended. The days are getting longer and the bike shows are arriving! Here in Ontario the bike show held during the first week of January at the Toronto International Centre, heralded as the North American Motorcycle Supershow, has been for years where we have seen next year’s technology show up for the very first time from all the manufacturers. The internet has changed things for sure, allowing us sneak peeks and early exposure to what is coming up for the next model year, but still for many of us, the bike show allows us the first opportunity to look at, touch, and even sit on the latest technology available at our dealers this year.
When I was a young racer at the turn of the century (although it sounds funny to say that), it was a very busy, exciting time in the motorcycle industry. The 600 class of competition street bikes was blown wide open by Yamaha and their introduction
By John Sharrard
600 Cc Evolution
of the YZF-R6 in 1999. It was a brilliant follow-up to the ‘98 Yamaha R1, which revolutionized the litre class open sport bike category. Up until that time 1,000 cc ‘sport’ bikes had always been a compromise of creature comforts which resulted in aggressive sport touring bikes at best. However, the ‘98 Yamaha YZF-R1 was one of the very first race track focused sport bikes built by a Japanese manufacturer, and it hit a home run.
The following year the 1999 YZF-R6 was released following in the footsteps of its bigger brother, and so began a gloves off battle between the manufacturers for middleweight super sport supremacy that lasted almost 10 years. The unwritten rules melted away of leaving a newly released motorcycle for two to three years before updating it with fresh ideas and thinking. That traditional cycle allowed a manufacturer ample time to recoup their engineering investment over a couple of model years while they spent heavily and prepared for the next generation of improvements. However, the years of 2003, 2004, and 2005 especially were feverish times as the manufacturers struggled for either supremacy, or just to keep up with the competition. Kawasaki released the ZX-6RR and the 6R in both 600 and 636 cc versions and updated them heavily between ‘03 and ‘04, then really stepped it up with the amazing ‘05 model, with basically six new bikes in three years. Honda had fresh 600s then and Suzuki was selling their GSX-Rs by the shipload, overwhelming the race grids all over North America. The 600 cc class was huge during this boon and grids all over the world were packed with models and competitors. The economy was booming, sales were high, and racing was the perfect platform to showcase all the latest technological advancements. Fuel injection spread through the paddock around 2003, which followed forced air induction, or ram air as it was nicknamed, designed to boost power and efficiency at high speeds. Each year the bikes were aimed more at the track and less at the street as track focused seating positions and bodywork prevailed.
I remember the race paddock at that time, and once bodywork was changed, it was often difficult to tell the difference between a 600 and a 1000 cc from the same manufacturer from a distance. For a year or two, the easy method was a cheap straight swingarm graced the 600s, while a larger cross section, more expensive gull arm identified the 1000 cc models. The gull arm was nicknamed such due to the curved shape as it left the centre of the motorcycle and then abruptly raised up then back down to the axle, purely to make room for the exhaust system. Cornering clearance was becoming paramount, and everything needed to be kept very tight to the bike, as tires had improved so much that dramatic lean angles on track became the norm.
Up front, the other method to tell between a 600 and a 1000 model was the appearance of the forks. Since about 1998, the litre bikes had inverted forks with the larger diameter aluminum outer tube held in the triple clamps and the smaller diameter inner tube attached to the wheel. The 600 used the older cheaper conventional style where the small chrome tube was held in the triple clamp and the large cast aluminum section embraced the wheel and brakes. There were two schools of thought on this, the inverted fork on the 1000 had to be a more expensive version because the fork was broken into three parts: the large aluminum upper tubes, the chrome steel lower inner tubes, and then threaded onto those were cast aluminum lower fork ‘feet’ which then held the axle and the brake calipers as well as the fender. This three-part design, expected to be more expensive, graced the flagship litre bike model. It was also suspected that this fork design was stronger and flexed less as the longer, larger upper aluminum fork tubes were held in the triple clamps offering more length and more rigidity. On the 600 model the cheaper fork prevailed for a few seasons being a two-piece design where the longer narrower steel upper tube was held in smaller triple clamps and the larger cast aluminum lower tube held the axle, calipers and fender. But that norm was abandoned for all the manufacturers in the years between 2002 and 2005 as the 600s embraced the larger, more expensive inverted forks from their larger stablemates.
Model year 2006 marked a big year for Yamaha, as not only did the bike get a complete update to the frame, engine, suspension, and bodywork, but it also saw a massive leap forward in electronics with the debut of the ride-by-wire throttle system. This throttle system was not new to Yamaha as they had been using it for years in MotoGP, but its debut to the general public was a pretty big deal back then. The enthusiasts who lined up at the dealers that year were excited by claims of a 16,000 rpm red- line and horsepower numbers never before seen in a 600, and prospective owners hoped that the ride-by-wire throttle system allowed new-found methods of unleashing hidden power, but the reality was the system’s true goal, quietly, was primarily to reduce emissions. The engineers also realized it gave them all kinds of control over the engine that they never thought possible. Things like reduced power drive modes for wet weather debuted on the Suzuki GSX-R and traction control, wheelie control and engine breaking control were in the near future for all manufacturers once this system was tested and in place.
Two years later in 2008, Yamaha again updated the R6 and added electronically adjustable intake manifolds that changed their length based on rpm and load. This dramatically helped the engine designers to avoid struggling with compromise, as tuners for years had used different length intake manifolds to select between higher torque at low rpm with a long intake manifold, or peak horsepower at high rpm with a short manifold. Now, the bike could give have both benefits and no negatives.
Massive physical changes in the models seem to have slowed, while the progress has focused on developing and refining the electronics… Or has it? So, as you head out to the bike shows this new year, take the time and talk to the sales reps and technical staff from your favourite manufacturers and ask them what’s new. Challenge them to sell you on why buying their brand is the best place for your hard-earned paycheque. I like to reward the OEMs that are trying hard, taking chances, making changes and advancing forward when I spend my money. I don’t really know if brand loyalty is as big of a deal as it used to be, but maybe it’s a good year to look around at the competition, try something new and embrace some new technology. It may just revolutionize your riding experience! IM