YAMAHA YZF-600R (1999-2000) Specs, Performance & Photos

The Yamaha YZF-600R, also called Thundercat in the European market, was a 599cc sports bike made by the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer from 1996 to 2007.

The bike was introduced in 1996 to the European market as a replacement for the FZR-600R and in 1997, during the European 600 Super Sports Champion season, the YZF-600R was the only four-cylinder motorcycle that won against the dominant Ducati 748.

Also, the bike retained all the major components from the FZR-600R, such as the engine, transmission, suspension, and Deltabox frame, while in the European market was sold from 1996 to 2003 and in the United States market was sold until 2008.

In 1998, the Sport Rider magazine said that the YZF-600R was "More fun on the racetrack than we ever dreamed, brakes that embarrassed the rest of the field. Consensus: Best middleweight street bike on the planet."

In 1999, Yamaha launched the YZF-600R, a more street-oriented and almost identical version of the R6, that was differentiated by the livery and the one-piece two-up seat.

In the power department, the 1999 Yamaha YZF-600R took its thrust from a 599cc four0stroke-four-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that delivered an output power of 100 hp with a peak at 11,500 rpm and 66 Nm (49 lb-ft) of torque available at 9,500 rpm.

With a dry weight of 189 kg (417 lbs) and set in motion by a six-speed manual transmission, the bike reached a top speed of 247 kph (153 mph)