looking for opinions on a 2007 r6

[brendan113]

I found what seems to be a good deal on a 2007 r6 race bike.
bike has all the usual race work plus i believe he said the bike had a 3 angle degree or 3 way degree(guy was hard to understand, plus i am not very educated on engine work) and shaved head
      bike has 3500 race miles, don't know what weight he said 175-200 closer to 175(im 165  ohlins in front and rear.
scotts damper quick shift, power commander tuned, full leo, race rearsets.




i would have to have bike shipped and at a total cost of 4600. does this seem like a deal that's worth it. i currently race a 2003 r6.


please excuse my ignorance.

[Shipley81]

How many miles since the engine work?  07 R6 is a good bike but they lack some low end that the YCC-I helps with on the 08+ R6.  With him degreeing the cams it sounds like he has alot of engine work meaning it's probably a SS or SB built engine.  That gets expensive when it comes time for it's rebuild which if you want the engine for competition would be something you would want to do at least once a year.

[MELK-MAN]

good info posted above by Shipley81 above..

you would need to get more info on the "3 angle" thing, cause if he means he did a 3 angle valve job.. the valves are junk. You can NOT do anything with the OEM titanium valves. They are coated. Now he may have done seat work to the head, and that would be good (if done right.. you can easily mess these engines up).
I would want to know WHO did the engine work.
BUT .. to be totally honest, i would keep the 03 before buying an 06-07 r6. Save your pennies and get an 08 or later model. I have raced em all, 03,04,05, 07 and have a very good pair of 08's now. The 06-7 although LOOKS the same as the 08 and later, and is basically the same motor, lacks midrange.. BIGtime.. due to not having the variable velocity stacks that were introduced to the 3rd generation r6 in 2008. There are also some other "refinements" to the 08+ bike that give it better feel. you can do a search on here, google, R6 forums, etc. The 03 was a VERY good bike. I loved my 03-4-5 bikes.

[brendan113]

 Thanks for the info, i guess i'll let this one go and keep my eyes open for an 08+.
The 03 has been good to me and maybe it will have to do for next year. my bike can take a beating

[MELK-MAN]

honestly, the 03 is a very very good bike. For most riders, and at most tracks, it is capable of winning races. The only tracks the newer r6 really shines is Daytona where the aerodynamics of the newer bike is better allowing more top speed. But really.. you will LIKELY turn faster times on the 03 than the 06-07 unless you are a very experienced expert rider. even with the 08, it will take a good rider to go significantly faster than the 2nd gen r6.

IS the 08 a better bike? sure, but you will spend at least double (or more) for it than you will get for your 03. If you are just having fun with this, and just run local tracks, and don't have a ton of money, i would consider freshening up the 03. You can gain some HP with a thin head gasket, cam timing, and good mapping on that bike. More hp is found in that motor than the 3rd gen motor as well.. (but the 3rd gen motor was more "race ready" out of the box). No B.S. The 03-05 r6 has as much midrange as the 08+ motor, and WAY more midrange than the 06-07.

[brendan113]

 For me it's not the horsepower as much as wanting to see what the new chassis feels like. Last year was my first year racing, but I  travel to  to most of the tracks in my region and run pretty descent times. I have come in second and third a few times and would like to give first a shot .

[brendan113]

 I'm going to spend the extra money and try to find a race ready 08+ or possibly pickup something newer stock.

[MELK-MAN]

If you are sill AM status, keep the 03. Seriously. In the AM class the good rider will always win, regardless of the bike he/she is on provided the tires are decent, and the bike is in good mechanical condition. A 3rd gen r6 won't make any diff right now. And waiting a year, there will be more 08+ bikes out there for less money. GOOD race ready ones are still bringing good money..
Keep GOOD tires on your bike, have the suspension serviced and go racing.

Or get a new bike :) If you can swing it, keep your 03 as a spare bike/rain bike. You just won't get much for it, and until you have the new one sorted out, you may still enjoy riding it more.

[DanO966]

BUT .. to be totally honest, i would keep the 03 before buying an 06-07 r6.

I really didn't like my 06 R6...My '05 (and my 03 and 04s) was a million times better than the 06.  With that said, if I knew what I know now I would of gotten my 06 to work a bit better. 

In 2008 Yamaha got it right. They solved pretty much all of the issues that the 06/07s had.  From chassis flex, geometry, internal oiling issues, to power delivery (adjustable v stacks). 

There is a reason a bike that's 6 years old, still pretty much fills the grids and wins! 

[brendan113]

I don't know melk-man, those leading amateurs were pulling some pretty quick times. But i am gonna do one more year on my 03. It has all the race goodies and has been good to me. Also doesn't hurt so much when it goes down hahaa

[MELK-MAN]

I don't know melk-man, those leading amateurs were pulling some pretty quick times. But i am gonna do one more year on my 03. It has all the race goodies and has been good to me. Also doesn't hurt so much when it goes down hahaa

the leading am riders were likely pretty decent riders :) i think you are making a good choice though. and the money ya save keeping the current ride will allow you to keep good tires on the bike. THAT is as important (or more so) than a slightly newer model bike or a few more HP.
I will say this, for about $2000+- you could get some very good gains from your 03 motor. That 2nd gen motor REALLY responds to cam timing and a thinner head gasket (removing the mid layer of a stock head gasket). But.. that is $2000+- and some dyno time. I would just race it as you are considering doing, and spend a bit more on tires.

[LoneStar]

Brendan, you rode the hell out of that beater 03 R6 of yours.  You smoked some guys pretty good with your skill alone.  Being a rider that shows promise, I say if you have the bucks left-over after you get that ring for Bri, get yourself a solid platform that has all the goodies so you tune and can continue to grow into.  If I remember our discussion correctly at VIR, it's not just engine you needed, you needed suspension too.

[brendan113]

 That was more or less my goal.  I might use the 03 for one more season but that would be it. I would rather start earlier getting comfortable with something more up to date. Also  understanding more, and being able to describe more how the suspension was or wasn't working for me, was a big reason i wanted to run this season  on a newer bike. If i do stay with the 03 for this season, i'm still gonna have a blast.

[twilkinson3]

Has the suspension been gone thru and setup professionally yet? if not do that...makes a big change most times....

[LoneStar]

Has the suspension been gone thru and setup professionally yet? if not do that...makes a big change most times....

I hope so.  Just got mine overhauled and we're gonna start working at the track on setup.  My suspension was a total hoopty last year.  I really believe I am losing a couple seconds because of bad lines b/c chassis not settling well on entry and I can't be as aggressive on the gas on exit b/c of wallowing.  Plus I feel like I'm working too hard getting it side to side.  Some days, I just didn't feel right riding a bucking horse so I didn't push it.

[brendan113]

I had the 20mm penske put in beggining of last season and set up for my weight but at the time didnt know as much about what the bike can do compared to what it is doing. For most the season I was under the impression that the problems I was having were completely on me as a rider, next year I definately plan on having a suspension guy work with me a bunch of days to see what is possible. I remember specifically taking a sharp left and running wide everytime then having a hard time flipping bike from left to right. Got me thinking

[MELK-MAN]

I had the 20mm penske put in beggining of last season and set up for my weight but at the time didnt know as much about what the bike can do compared to what it is doing. For most the season I was under the impression that the problems I was having were completely on me as a rider, next year I definately plan on having a suspension guy work with me a bunch of days to see what is possible. I remember specifically taking a sharp left and running wide everytime then having a hard time flipping bike from left to right. Got me thinking

FWI, there is a good eye-to-eye shock measurement for a 2nd gen r6. any good suspension guy will know it. then i ran about 25mm of fork tube showing above the clamp on the 2nd gen bike. keep in mind the bike came stock with clip ons that were ABOVE the triple clamp. many try to run the forks close to flush like the 3rd gen bike (i run 10mm of fork above my clamp on my 08).. and that won't work for MOST riders.

[brendan113]

I remember specifically taking a sharp left and running wide everytime then having a hard time flipping bike from left to right. Got me thinking

I believe this was turn 4 and 5 at vir.

I run my clip-ons under tripple and believe i have the forks out about the same.

[brendan113]

0-0

[LoneStar]

I believe this was turn 4 and 5 at vir.

I run my clip-ons under tripple and believe i have the forks out about the same.

Turn in later on T4.

[brendan113]

 I'll keep that in mind next time, hopefully i can get a practice day or two before the races.

[brendan113]

 Keep your eyes out for a freshly painted 2nd gen r6.  8)  @Darren

[MELK-MAN]

Keep your eyes out for a freshly painted 2nd gen r6.  8)  @Darren

sweet ! be sure to put a tiny scratch in some inconspicuous spot for "luck" before you get on track

[brendan113]

sweet ! be sure to put a tiny scratch in some inconspicuous spot for "luck" before you get on track

   Hahaa Thanks man, will do. Guy told me that the light weight paint adds hp too lol jk!