IT’S DIFFICULT to think of a bike class which has hit tough times as hard and as fast as the 600 supersports sector. Not so long ago, the 599cc inline-four sportsbike was common as dirt, a genuinely ubiquitous sight on the roads. Now? The manufacturers have given up building them, no-one buys them (European sales are down 90 per cent in a decade), and it looks like a class on the way to oblivion, smashed out of existence by the growth of adventure and naked bikes, and the changing tastes of riders. Add in the need for Euro 4 emissions homologation for this year, which meant a load of investment in engine redesigns, and you have a perfect storm for the former superstar showroom and track performers.

Read the full review here: http://www.visordown.com/road-tests-first-rides/first-ride-2017-yamaha-yzf-r6-review