The weather's getting warmer which is good news for fair-weather riders, and it's also that time of the year when a rush of updated bikes are revealed.
Yamaha has taken the wraps off the new 2010 YZF-R6 and though it doesn't get much of a style update (save for 100mm longer titanium 'zorst), it is "bristling with knowledge gained from years of racing".
So you get two wheels, which is a good start, and all the other stuff from the '09 model, but the big news is an increase in mid-range power which will give the 16,000rpm Yamaha R6 even more poke.
Though it still doesn't make use of a crossplane crank, the 2010 model R6 does get a revised exhaust system, featuring a revised "Mid Ship" 4-2-1 setup, which together with tweaked ECU mapping and a modified airbox lead to the gains in midrange power.
Another update to the 2010 model Yamaha R6 is the revised YCC-I, also known as Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake funnels. This variable length intake system gives the R6 its high rev ceiling which is suited to track day thrashing, while keeping a level of mid-range civility for road riding.
Along with the new bits and bobs, the 2010 R6 keeps the magnesium sub frame and die-cast aluminium chassis parts which Yamaha claims "adds up to a bike that snaps into corners, clings to inside lines, and shoots itself down the next straight."
The new R6 model is being launched in the UK in October, so expect to arrive in Australia a at year's end.