Yamaha YZF R6 20th anniversary special edition launched in Austria

- Yamaha YZF R6 20th anniversary special edition enters Austria

- Demands a hefty premium over the standard model

Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) has launched the 20th anniversary special edition model of the supersport, the YZF R6. The motorcycle was first revealed in Japan last year for commemorating the completion of 20 years of the motorcycle’s existence. In Austria, it has been priced at £18,000 (approximately Rs 16.91 lakh) which is massive premium over the standard model which costs £12,221 (approximately Rs 11.48 lakh) in the country. 

The first-generation Yamaha YZF R6 was launched in 1999, a year after its larger sibling, the YZF R1 was born. The R6 became a sensation in no time as it was a more performance-oriented alternative over the Honda CBR600F, which ruled the middle-weight supersport segment back then. Based on an alloy beam frame and weighing at 169kg (dry), the R6 produced 120bhp at 13,000rpm which was class-leading. The 20th anniversary edition pays homage to the first R6 with a red and white paint job. 

Strangely, the special edition model only gets a special cosmetic treatment while being identical to the standard motorcycle in all other aspects. Powering the new YZF R6 is a 599cc, liquid-cooled, inline four cylinder motor which churns out 117bhp at 14,500rpm and weighs 190kg. The electronics package comprises of a ride-by-wire throttle, six stages of traction control system, three riding modes and an LCD instrument cluster.

The Yamaha YZF R6 is not yet introduced in India and it’s unlikely to come to our shores anytime soon.