YAMAHA XJ6 (2009 - 2015) Review

Version: xj6s

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £30

My father gaved this bike to me. It's just perfect for what it is. Yamaha should aiways have i motorcycle like that in their model lineup.

Buying experience: My father and i bought from a local Yamaha dealer. Back then 5900e, a very good price.

Version: Naked

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £120

With only a few add on’s, this bike now sounds and rides like it was meant to!

Buying experience: Privately

Version: xj6s

Year: 2010

Annual servicing cost: £200

Just a perfect motorcycle. Equiped with a supersport 4 cylinder engine detuned down to Earth specs. You have the supersport engine sound in an allaround machine.

Buying experience: My father bought it new from a local Yamaha store, just perfect experience. After 8 years gave the motorcycle to me with 27000km. Now 2yrs later 47000km.

Version: Naked

Year: 2010

Annual servicing cost: £450

Great first ''Big bike'' For the price of a really expensive bicycle, you can have yourself a spanking inline four. The bike handles great, is nimble and agile. Round town the engine doesn't like to sit in traffics, and quickly you are going to notice the temperature on your gauge rising. On motorways you are going to have plenty of power, from personal experience reaching 130+mph is a breeze.

Buying experience: Better to nab them second hand, they are extremely affordable. Obviously have to make sure the major components are intact, and in great condition.

Version: XJ6N

Year: 2010

Excellent budget middleweight. Cheap to run , great round town and enough performance for the motorway

Version: Xj6n abs

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £150

Good all round bike, great seating position, let position, fuel goes down rather quick, I struggle to get 100 miles from a fill tank and that is without riding harsh, the rear brake is sketchy and even though she is an ABS model, it does have a tendency to lock up sometimes!

Buying experience: Bought from CMC Cannock, nice and easy purchase.

Year: 2012

Great all round bike: a set of straight pro taper bars cure the fair front end when ploughing in to corners, the only issue I really found was a little paint flaking on the swingarm after 20k miles but that may be down to something I've done. It's not 100% holding up well and still pulling stong after 28k in around 12 months

Version: XJ6N

Year: 2010

Bought as a commuter bike it does the job well other than the throttle being a little snatchy at low revs and stiff to operate. Suspension gets overwhelmed very quickly if you push it. Brakes are wooden in stock form. Far too much rear brake travel. Seat is not too good but sat on worse. Good lights, all switches are in easy reach. Dash is clear to read and tells you all you need to know. Overall it's a great little bike that will not frighten you in any way, except the brakes! Probably being a bit harsh on it but 2nd bike to a Tuono V4 Factory is always going to be hard.

Buying experience: Got it from SMC. No problems and would recommend them to anyone.

Year: 2010

My first bike after a decade away from two wheels, I love it. It looks great and is easy to ride but with a dash of hooligan when you feel like it.

Buying experience: Bought from a friend for £2400 cheap as chips for a fun, confidence inspiring and great looking bike.

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £220

At first I was very pleased with this bike as strong option in the A2 category, but over time reliability has left me with little trust in it.

Version: Naked

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £100

I bought my bike new , September 2009 . It was my first big bike ( also own a Street Triple now ) and whether a new rider or not this bike offers good fun , great looks , reasonable fuel economy and fantastic reliability . Mine has now covered 33,000 miles with the only fault being the need for the brake switch at the lever to be replaced twice . Cheap manufacturing to blame according to dealer and Suzuki's can also suffer . The fact i use it all year round with all sorts of road grime hitting the bike i will happily to forgive the bike for the dicky switches as the rest of it is so reliable . . How many BMW owners do you think are doing over 30,000 with the only fault being £7 brake switch . I even get 10,000 miles plus from a set of Bridgestone and Avon tyres . My mates have sports bikes , (R1 , Gsxr ) and they have both ridden XJ6 and rate them highly, ok they do not have the power of R1 , GSXR or even my Street Triple but they rate the easy ridding position , good handling and revvy engine . I was thinking about replacing the XJ for another commuter bike, but looking around I kept comming back to a XJ . As mine is so reliable and the new bike mechanically the same there was no point giving mine up . Therefore we are about to head into another winter's riding together . So , thumbs up for the XJ6 . Highly recommended .

Before I bought my xj6, i test rode a fairly new frantic R6 and soon realised a modern sports bike wasn't for me. Traded in my trusty Thundercat which i loved the perfomance of on country blasts. It took me a few weeks to adjust to a naked bike again but still find i can have a hoot on fast flowing country roads. The power is more progressive(smoother) than the cat but its the bikes nimble handling that stopped me asking for my old bike back. I have to plan my overtakes more carefully because it has 20 bhp less than my previous ride. Like the styling, comfort and equipment. Dislike the engine braking and wind-blast on longer journey's. Also notchy gear-change in town. Still good fun & great value! (owned for 3 mths)

I've been riding my XJ6N for 3 years and 6700 miles now so here's a long term review. Firstly, it's worth mentioning I've never had even the slightest hiccup - reliability has been top notch. Secondly, what a great handling bike, this really does handle well and inspires confidence in doing so - tiny chicken strips on my tyres! Thirdly, the engine is super smooth all the way through the revs. Power peaks above 6k rpm so you do need to use the gears for quick overtaking, as you'd expect for an 80 bhp 600cc bike. The exhaust tone is a quiet grunty one, courtesy of the unusual box silencer and side exit exhaust. Fourthly, the styling - it's a good looking, actually great looking bike, Yamaha got the styling spot on. Fuel consumption: returns between 50-60 mpg, only dropping to the lower end of that when given a good thrashing. Comfort is the only real issue I've had; long 2hr plus journeys will result in a sore arse for both rider and pillion, but nothing a gel seat won't sort out. Wind blast hasn't been too bad, never had a sore neck even after long rides. I've been thinking about upgrading recently for something with a little more power (around the 100 bhp area), but having test ridden both a Street Triple 675 and a Bandit 1250, I just can't justify forking out the extra cash; the Street Triple was fun and the extra power was just about noticeable but was more uncomfortable and quite frankly the handling wasn't as good as the XJ6's - seriously. The bandit 1250 was great, better comfort for both rider and pillion and a monster torquey engine, but worth an extra £1800 on part ex? Nah, the XJ6N lives on and it will take one hell of a bike to make me let it go

rode this bike for just over a week now my first 'bigbike'last bike was a YBR125 easy swapping over and the smile still ahsn't gone is an awesome bike on the back roads to college! RideOn!

hi people, passed my test recently and have bought an xj6n 3 weeks ago and i love it. I have one question to any xj6 owner out there. I get some kind of rattling sound from the chain or sprocket when at low revs or slowing down. Not sure if its something i should be worrying about? Checked the chain tension and all is good on that side. Any replies will be appreciated. Many thanks.

I have owned my XJ6 for 6 months and have found it to be a totally enjoyable bike. I am not someone who likes to get his knee down so perhaps this bike is limited but for putting a smile on my face when out on the B roads its great. See Yamaha are asking £5999 now! One thing I see some previous reviews talk about a strange noise from the headlight or air through the front mudguard......anyone have any ideas what this is about?

I've now had my XJ6 N for some 8 months now and bar a gear indicator and an absolutely essential centre stand, it's a near perfect bike. It'll drop to 2,000 (25mph) in top and still pull away gently without downshifting. For those who would putter along at 2,500 (30 mph) in top to secure something near 70 mpg - sort yourself out?! This is a sports bike after all and cries out to be opened up every now and again! I did get some 60 mpg when I was running it in, but have never got below 52 mpg in normal commute mode. Give her a proper thrashing (!) and she'll drop to the low 40's fuel-wise I'd imagine. Be aware that the first three 6,000 mile services will set you back around £200 each at today's rates and the full valve clearance check at 24,000 miles will set you back £500. The price you pay for Yamaha high-precision engineering! I'm going to see if they'll fit a centre stand at the first service without adding on an extra hour of labour that they've quoted me for fitting one on it's own (wish me well!). Why do you need a centre stand? Well apart from assisting in chain lubrication, you need to get the back centred to check oil and fluid levels? More importantly, it's less likely to be blown off a centre-stand by strong winds?!

This is in the budget bike sector of the market, but the look and ride is anything but. After reading numerous reviews and obviously knowing who this bike is pitched at, you know it's mostly a beginners bike. I can say with all confidence, having ridden a good few mid-sized bikes, budget and non-budget, that this is the best beginners bike I have found to date... and by a long way! What I wanted to add, having ridden 125cc through to 1800cc bikes, this bike is really good fun to ride for anyone. When you wring the neck of this bike (which being a 4 pot engine, it seems to be hungry for revs) it rewards with an even spread of torque bottom to top and a nice predictable build in power, to a screaming 4 cylinder crescendo! I think this is better than buying a sports bike, ok it's not as quick, but on the road sports bikes demand focus and constant 'risk assessment', which for some is the fun of it, for me it can sap the fun out of road riding. The XJ6N IS real world fun, you can hit the red line and enjoy the sound and feel of acceleration, without fearing you life and license (well not like a sporty number anyway), which takes away the stress of stretching your bikes legs. It can also be ridden sedately, returning ridiculously good fuel economy. It's cheap and easy to service with wear and tear items being cheap too. The styling is bang up to date, there are no bad angles to this bike, exposing it's R6 derived engine for all to admire, with a simply genius stubby side exit exhaust. Mine was yellow, and the metallic paint has a deep quality look, and was truly stunning in the sun. The brakes are strong with predictable feel and defy the 'budget' tag it's given, the clutch is light with perfect metered feel, the gears are slick, easy and accurate to use too. Ok, it's not as fast as a ZX6R, but I would choose this over a Ninja on the road, I truly would. It just does EVERYTHING so well, as opposed to doing a couple of this well and compromising on the rest. This is one of my all time favourite bikes for this reason, and I could not recommend it enough. In short - Cheap, fun, quality, stunning...

I passed my test in January and the next day traded in my YZF-R125 for an XJ6. Once I'd run the engine I found this bike to be perfect for what I need, bit of town riding, some twisty roads and some long straights and it handles them all superbly. Enough power to overtake with ease and to raise a smile. Very easy to ride and already got me through the worst weather I've ever driven a car in never mind a bike, 4.5 hours in the snow, SCARY!!! Go and buy one you won't regret it.

i did my test on a XJ6 and liked it so much i went and got one, iv riden other bikes but this seems to cover all basses fast on the moterways, good in trafick, fun at the weekend.

What a truly awesome bike. I would recomend it to anyone stepping up to this class of bike. I've had my XJ6 since late September '09 and have clocked up 2000 miles since. It's my first 'big' bike. I chose the XJ6 over the Hornet, the ER6,the Gladius and even looked at the GSR. I rode all the others and chose the XJ6. The others are good bikes too but the XJ's a great bike. Great looks, smooth and very willing engine and quality (at the price I paid) are just outstanding.It doesn't look like a cheap bike to most people. It's also just got loads of character compared to the others. There are too many great points about this bike to mention here. I'm glad it doesn't have a center stand as I don't want the extra weight.The gearbox gets better after about 1500 miles. The weird sound mentioned by another reviewer is the air traveling through the front mudguard and can easily be sorted. During the week I'm a commuter and then at the weekend it's a swift 60\70 miles through Berks, Surrey and Sussex. Loves the twisty stuff but has enough to boot along at(ahem) 70/77 on the motorways. There is a lot of choice in this sector. Buy this bike you will not be disappointed!

I've been using one as a courtesy bike whilst having work done on my other bikes (GSXR 600 and Bandit 1200). It's horrible. It's like riding a sponge cake, all wobbly and squidgy. Looks like a turnip as well. What's with the weird noise created by air flowing over the mutant headlight.

I've had my XJ6 since the 1st August and I don't have a bad thing to say about it's performance. It is my first "big" bike so I can only compare to my old YBR 125 and the ER-5 I passed my test on. I'm really pleased and feel I made the right decision. My bike's just had it's 600 mile service so I can now make more use of the power it has to offer. The only things I'd change, if possible, would be the inclusion of a gear position indicator; a centre stand as on the Diversion and, at a push, I'd change the 'golf club' like mirrors for some sleeker Rizoma's. If you've done your home work and are thinking of buying one - DO IT! 0% finance, you can't go wrong!

I was planning to pass my Bike test and was ploughing through all the different bikes i could ride when i'd passed. the 2 that stood out were the Honda Hornet & the Yamaha XJ6 (Naked of course). I bought the Yamaha because it was the better looking of the 2 & the dealer made me a great offer & knocked almost £500 off it!!! ive only done a few miles on the bike but it's surpassed all my expectations it gets off the line very sharpish, takes almost no time whatsoever to get upto 90mph (not gone faster than that on it yet) it's incredibly predictable and gives me the confidence to really relax, safe that it wont surprise me in any way. it's visually stunning, wherever i go people look at me (it helps because it's a 59 plate and there's not many around during the first few days of sept. but i think mainly because it has 'presence' people are amazed by the apparent lack of exhaust which they then go looking for! all in all im VERY glad i got this bike, it's a joy to ridemoves like a scalded cat and the engine is so quiet you'd hardly notice it's running. if you are thinking about getting this bike, stop thinking.... just go get one.

I've just returned to biking after a 12 year break and decided to go for a 2009 XJ6N after doing a bit of research. I know bikes have moved on a bit from then but I have been seriously impressed with my £4500 investment. It's just had its 600 mile service and I'm only now starting to push further to see what it can do - the ride is comfy and very smooth with great handling and decent brakes and a featherlight clutch. The engine is a peach happily revving right up to the redline (not that I do this much!) and with plenty of usable low-end torque. My only gripes are the somewhat clonky gearbox (which is improving I think)and the slow speed 'shunting' of the fuel injection as you roll on and off the gas - you get used to this though. All in all a fantastic package for the money and ticks all the boxes for someone like me. Oh,and I think it looks fantastic in all black. Brilliant!

I was never a fan of the 'transformer' styling trend that has been the feature of Jap bikes in the last couple of years and was planning to keep well clear. A test ride on this bike changed my mind. Not only does it actually look pretty badass in the flesh (you can tell yamaha spent a lot of money on the styling here), it rides like a dream. The engine revs so incerdibly smoothly throughout the range, the power is enough to put a smile on your face, and the handling is spot on - this bike is perfectly balanced. For me it gives the perfect balance of weekend fun and commuter practicality - a willing, if revvy, engine when you need it but up to 70 mpg on my commute if ridden conservatively (I'm a bit stingy when it comes to commuting). All in all, a fantastic bike for the money, topping the class of the budget 600s.

Just got my New XJ6 Naked,and what a bike. its comfy to ride, good suspension, super-smooth gear box, great clocksand a style to die for. The only bad comment if you wanted to call bad is the engine is a bit revvy, and you have to push it hard to get it going, but oh boy if have the guts to do it it will put a big smille in you face. Very happy owner, and i can tell you its better then Susuki Gladius (female bike) and better then the Kawasaki ER-6N.

Just returned to biking after a 25-year absence. After reading and watching the MCN road test in Australia, I thought I would take the plunge on the XJ6. I have had the bake three days and already put 400 miles on the clock. The handling and balance are superb, although I agree the gearbox is very clunky. The bike has very good low down torque, although the engine is very busy, and feels like it needs a seventh gear, overall though superb.

Just over a 1100 miles in and I am loving this bike. This user friendly all rounder is actually a bit of a hooligan. Yes the engine is revvy, but it suits the nature of the bike. Gearbox is slick and positive. Levels of grip from the Sportmax tyres are excellent, makes it very easy for kneedown fun. Looks lovely in the flesh and the quality of finish far higher than the price tag would suggest. Did 180 mile trip recently without any discomfort. Would like a little more wind protection for the longer trips(come on Yamaha, give us a flyscreen) Other than that, its perfect.

Had mine for 3 weeks now but not been able to ride it much due to work committments - however when I get the chance I love it - very responsive engine with a nice amount of low down torque - couple this with extemely responsive and forgiving handling it is a perfect vehicle for someone like me coming back to biking who can only just remember past times screaming around on 2 stroke twins in the late 80's - Yamahas of course :-) The comment about the clunky gearbox is valid, although I'm hoping that once the bike gets through the 600 mile service and loosens up a bit this very minor issue will sort itself out. I am 6'2" and have no problems with the seat height or ride position. Buy one - you wont be disappointed and bring on the sunny weather !!

This bike is fab! Light weight, lovely mover. Disappointed that it doesn't have gear indicator on dial, as I'm used to loud engines that indicate well. This bike is lovely and quiet, I can't wait for the 600 mile service, so that I can really let rip. I'm so looking forward to riding this little devil. I'm only 5'2" with short legs, so its a great bike for the vertically challenged or us girls!! Fab bike!

Comfortable , good handler , engine is a bit revvy. The big let down is the gear box, very clunky and more than a few missed gears. Sixth was the worst but the other gears are catching up rapidly. Hopefully the 600 mile service will help. Tailtidy has really improved the rear end.

Comfortable , good handler , engine is a bit revvy. The big let down is the gear box, very clunky and more than a few missed gears. Sixth was the worst but the other gears are catching up rapidly. Hopefully the 600 mile service will help. Tailtidy has really improved the look.