New Yamaha R6 rumoured for 2015

If Yamaha’s YZF-R1 is getting on a bit, having not had a major facelift since 2009, its supersport R6 brother is now positively ancient.

Its last notable tweak was revealed in 2007 when the ’08-spec bike was shown, but the basic design dates back to the 2006 model, which was first unveiled to the world in late 2005.

So it’s not surprising that some sources suggest that Yamaha will replace it for 2015, even though it’s virtually unknown for a Japanese firm to simultaneously revamp both its 1000cc and 600cc sports models.

Little is known of the new bike, however. Some rumours suggest that it could be a 675cc triple, in line with Yamaha’s recent cross-plane strategy, and derived from the MT-09’s three-cylinder engine.

In fact, if that’s true, it’s likely that the original, pre-crisis plan would probably have been to launch the R6 first, and then follow it up with a naked bike derived from its platform, but the market pressures made the cheaper naked bike the higher priority.

Certainly, the 849cc 78mm bore allied to a shorter-stroke would lend itself to a high-revving 675cc triple – sitting between the Daytona 675’s 74mm bore and the MV F3 675’s 79mm, and wouldn’t pose Yamaha technical issues, all wrapped in a bespoke new frame.

The problem is that due to the absence of spy pics or confirmation from Yamaha, the rumours of a new R6 for 2015 are still very much just that.