The sporty naked middleweight segment looks to become more exciting than ever next year. Just check out this list of anticipated new models: Honda CB600F Hornet, BMW F800R, Aprilia RS or Tuono 750, KTM 690 Duke III, Kawasaki Z750, Suzuki SV 650-700, Ducati Hypermotard 695, Cagiva Raptor update and more. Then look at the next level of naked 1000's with new Kawasaki Z1000, Ducati Hypermotard, Suzuki GSR 1000 and a possible Honda CB1000F Hornet. And the revolution in V-twins will bring loads of new big bore torque machines, KTM Venom 1150, Ducati Monster and Multistrada 1200, new Aprilia 1200, new big Suzuki SV, Honda Firestorm not to mention Yamaha's new V4 V-max and twin MT-02. It looks like we will be spoilt for choice not only in the middleweight segment but also with big all-rounder's. To the point of this piece it is expected that Yamaha will show us a brand new FZ6 and FZ6S at the Intermot in October. You would have to say that the new FZ1 was a pretty radical departure from the old big R1 powered Fazer both in the design department and the latest generation R1 engine. We think Yamaha have given the old FZ6 the same treatment. That could mean latest generation R6 engine, probably with a conventional throttle though, lower rev ceiling, stubby MotoGP exhaust and a new front fairing with design clues from the FZ1. The R6 engine is far from ideal in a naked chassis with the lack of midrange. From my chat with Yamaha UK's press officer it becomes clear that they are not great believers in the factory putting the 2006 R6 engine into a new FZ6-Mainly due to all the criticism of poor midrange and a buzzy engine. On the other hand, the current R6 is jam-packed with high tech solutions which really should enable Yamaha to tune the R6 whichever way it wants to go with it. The 2006 engine is incredibly compact and a larger bore and stroke is as far as we know out of the question due to the nature of this engine. The tolerances are very tight enabled by the electro plated bore. So are we just dreaming? If it is impossible for the Yamaha engineers to make the midrange at least as good as Suzuki's current GSR 600 with a better top end. Yes, if the bike cannot be sold at a competitive price with the R6 bits. Yes, then we are dreaming. However, Yamaha can build a beautifully compact, light and top handling naked utilizing parts from the R6 that is spewed out from the factory every day. The R6 might be expensive to make, but in Japans mass producing state of mind this cost will be reduced every year. They might not be making too much money on it now, but they will at some point when the cost of producing it can be shared on more than one model.
Triumph has had endless success with the Daytona 675 this year. The Speed Four has no speed left in it and the 675cc triple engine is ideal for a naked, much more so than Yamaha R6 for the new FZ6. Which means less work for Triumph to create a baby Speed Triple, or baby Tiger for that matter-popularly called the Tiger Cub. I instructed our designer to add a half fairing to the Speed Triple 675 just to see how it worked out. I have no information from Triumph to suggest it actually will come as a S version, however just looking at the design makes me think that this could be just as great a bike as the naked. This Tiger Cub is also just a rumour but with the new road-biased Tiger in mind such an idea does not seem too far fetched anymore. The 675 engine is a great engine that deserves several platforms and maybe our S version is not too far from how Triumph is thinking. That half fairing seems to be very important in markets such as in the US where people cover great distances regularly. In the core market for nakeds in central Europe where most people live in big cities a naked makes both sense and a statement at the same time. That is why most of the Japanese manufacturers sports both a naked and an S version. Anyway, whatever Triumph has planned to do next with its 675 engine will be welcomed by most people as it has all the right ingredients both for sports and leisure riding. Torque and power. Tor Sagen/CGs: Luc1 and Robert O'Brien 2007 Triumph Daytona 675
