R6 triple rumours quashed

THE long running rumours of a three-cylinder Yamaha R6 replacement have taken a hit with the release of emissions documents showing that the existing four-cylinder R6 will remain on sale in 2015.

The California Air Resources Board documents show that, in California at least, there will be a 599cc, four-cylinder R6 available as a 2015 model with no engine changes at all compared to the 2014 version.

While that’s perhaps bad news for those hoping for a 675cc three-cylinder R6 replacement, the existence of a 2015 R6 four-cylinder doesn’t extinguish all hope. The 2015 certification could be simply to allow existing stocks to remain on sale throughout 2015. Equally, Yamaha might intend to offer both machines – when the R6 was given its track-focussed revamp in 2006, the firm kept the softer, previous-generation machine on sale for several years in America as the R6S.