Description
Click here for an CycleVIN Motorcycle History Report on this 1995 Yamaha YZF600R. Additional photos of this Yamaha YZF600R are available here for your perusal.
The increasing popularity of the World Superbike Championship in the 80s and 90s since its inception was responsible for the introduction of over-the-counter road bikes boasting specifications aimed squarely at the racetrack. In 1989, the four-valve Yamaha FZR600 was introduced. The FZR600 engine was slanted forward in the frame. This was the basis of the Genesis engine and Deltabox frame concept, and helped to lower the center of gravity and help centralize mass.
This layout allowed the real fuel tank to sit behind the cylinders, low between the frame rails, and further aided with lowering the center of gravity. Forward of this sat the airbox, with four 32mm Mikuni downdraft carburetors, and all these assemblies were covered by a plastic cover dummy gas tank.
In 1994, Yamaha offered up a successor to the FZR in North America: the YZF600R. It retained major mechanical components such as the engine, transmission, suspension components and Deltabox frame. The 599cc inline-four made 87 hp at 11,500 rpm and 44 ft-lb. of torque at 9500, while the bike weighed 453 pounds dry. Though that might seem like a bit too much weight and little power for today’s 600-class standards, the YZF nevertheless clocked a very respectable quarter-mile time of 11.33 seconds at 120.78 mph. More telling of the time, it won the AMA 600 Supersport championship in 1994 with Jamie James at the bars.
Cycle World named it the Best 600cc Streetbike of 1996 because it was the best mid-sized sportbike to enjoy in the real world, not just on racetracks. That logic extended to why Cycle World would also go onto call it a Best Used Bike and why it lasted so long in Yamaha’s lineup (until 2007), even while track enthusiasts flocked to the R6.
This YZF (VIN: JYA4NCC02TA002228) is registered in California, however the owner has misplaced the title so we’re currently waiting for the duplicate to arrive.
The odometer shows 8,714 miles.
It is offered by a California-based client of ours who is paring down his collection. Included in the seller’s reserve is a service/refresh with Iconic – we will flush the fluids, change the oil and filter, check plugs, and sort out the carbs as it has been sitting for some time and the seller wants to make sure that she runs nice for the new owner. With that in mind, if you’re rather we prepped this YZF-R for storage if she’s going into a collection, we’d be glad to do so!
Noted cosmetic issues are minor and include scratches on the left mirror, scratches on the swingarm, scratches on the windshield, key wear on the top triple, scratches on the right side engine cover, a couple of scratches in the bodywork, and a missing mounting bolt for the bellypan. None of the issues are serious, and all are documented in the photo album above.
As sportbikes have become hyper-specialized, bikes like this YZF are a nice flashback to when your sportbike could tear up a racetrack or turn into a weekend tourer with a set of soft bags.
