Weird Flex: The Iconic Yamaha YZF-R6 Lives On...

As a chinese ripoff in the form of 500cc Huaying R6

The 600cc supersport is a dying (if not dead already) breed of motorcycles, and manufacturers have pulled the plug on some of the most exciting motorcycles, including the Yamaha YZF-R6. Just like any other motorcycle enthusiast, China-based bikemaker Huaying found it a bit too difficult to see the iconic Japanese name face the axe, and decided to revive it… albeit with some changes.

The venerable 600cc in-line four screamers just didn’t fit in today’s market, with larger triples and twins in the equation that are easier to live with and pack sophisticated equipment. Huaying found the perfect solution to this with its R6 by plonking in a 500cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin motor churning a modest 38PS… way friendlier than the R6’s 118PS, right?

To tame all that performance, the Huayang R6 comes with butch hardware. It flaunts adjustable USD fork with faux reservoir emulating the Showa SFF-BP fork seen on the Kawasaki ZX-10R. And of course, anything but large dual discs with radial calipers wouldn’t cut it for this supersport.

It wouldn’t be fair to (re-)introduce the R6 without an ode to Yamaha’s motorsport prowess, right? Huaying did so almost perfectly, with a ‘46’ sticker up front to pay homage to ‘The Doctor’, while the side panels flaunt a Monster Energy and MotoGP logo. And as asymbol of sportsmanship, Huaying has even added a HRC logo (Honda Racing Corporation) on its R6.

The Huaying R6 replicates the styling of the Yamaha YZF-R6 perfectly, right from the fairing-integrated indicators and projectors, to the slim rear section. But let’s not discredit the originality too. The Chinese bike uses a completely different swingarm and exhaust. Its speedometer isn’t inspired by Yamaha’s either, but borrowed from its cousin Xinshiji Finja 500 (which takes inspiration from the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R).

The dream of owning a Yamaha YZF-R6 may always remain a dream for most of us, but Huaying has our backs. In addition to making the R6 more easier to live with, Huaying has made it light on the pockets too, as the bike carries a price tag of just CNY 22,600 or just Rs 2.60 lakh.