LNicholson

Why? Because they are designed & built with something other than profit in mind! Honda are designed by computers, built by robots and as bland as tap water. Suzuki are very capable but fall apart at the first sign of a British winter. Kawasaki have only recently began making mental sports bikes and as such are the only other make I'd consider owning. As for the Italians, designed with passion but sadly made from soft cheese and wouldn't survive a British summer. Triumph are good, but not focussed enough for me. In my opinion Yamaha are some of the finest bikes to ride & own, combining precision engineering with excitement and good build quality. As stated in a highly reputable British bike mag "The 2004 R1 is one of the most highly developed sports bikes of modern times". Buy one & enjoy!

:x Recently an idiot 200lb friend of mine decided to get on the back of my R6 by putting all his weight on the left pillion footpeg, there was a rather sickening creak and now the rear frame seams out of alignment. With the bike on a paddock stand I've measured the distance from the floor to the footpegs and also from the floor to the luggage pins and the bike is 4mm lower on the left side. Has anyone else had this problem? Do I need a new subframe? Can it be straightened? If so, can I do it myself as I'm a competent mechanic? Rest assured I gave my friend a good kicking. R6's rule!