Alright, folks, gather ’round. Today, I’m gonna spill the beans on my little project with the 1999 Yamaha R6. You know, that old beast that’s been sitting in my garage, collecting dust and whatnot. I finally decided to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty. I saw some guys doing some crazy stuff on the internet with performance parts and whatnot so I started looking into it.
So, first things first, I had to assess the situation. This bike, she’s a classic, but she’s seen better days. The engine, a 599cc inline four-cylinder, liquid-cooled thingamajig, still had some kick to it, but it felt like it was running on memories and hope. I read somewhere that these things used to push out around 116 horsepower back in the day, but I wasn’t seeing anything close to that and wanted to really change that so I started to look for things to add.
I started by giving her a good once-over. Cleaned out the carbs, changed the oil, the whole nine yards. I figured, might as well start with the basics, right? Then I started looking into some upgrades. Some dude online said that they had made their old R6 max out at 98 horses. I think mine was getting like 50.
- Tire Warmers: I got my hands on some MOTO-D tire warmers, ’cause who wants to ride on cold tires? Not this guy, and I always wanted to try them out so I finally got a set.
- Quickshifter: Then, I stumbled upon this IRC quickshifter. Let me tell you, it’s a game-changer. Shifting gears is smoother than butter now. It was a bit of pain to get it dialed in, but after I watched a couple videos I got it to work.
- Filters: Oh, and I swapped out the old air filter for a DNA race filter. Figured it couldn’t hurt to let her breathe a little easier. And, of course, some Eazi-Grip tank grips, because, why not?
I also heard about these tuning kits that supposedly boost performance. Now, I’m no mechanic, but I’m pretty handy with a wrench. So, I did some more digging. Found a bunch of forums where people were talking about all sorts of mods and tweaks. I read about “Restomods” and how they put things like power steering, power brakes and A/C into muscle cars, which got me thinking, “What could I do to this old R6?”. Then I saw a post somewhere saying the best upgrades are for the rider, so I got a new helmet, jacket, and gloves.
After all that tinkering, I took her out for a spin. Let me tell you, it was like riding a different bike. The power delivery was smoother, the acceleration was quicker, and she just felt more… alive. I mean, she’s still an old gal, but she’s got some new pep in her step.
The Final Test
Finally, I wanted to see what she could really do. I took her to a track day, just to see how she’d handle in a controlled environment. I wasn’t breaking any records, but man, it was fun. The engine was screaming, the tires were gripping, and I was grinning like an idiot. I was hitting some pretty decent speeds, and the handling was surprisingly sharp for a bike of this age.
So, there you have it. My little adventure with the ’99 R6. It’s been a fun ride, and I’m not done yet. I’ve got a few more ideas up my sleeve, but that’s a story for another day. Hope you enjoyed my ramblings. Keep the rubber side down, folks!
