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2018 R6 Matte Gray - Supersport 600 Conversion

12K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  rusky 
#1 · (Edited)
Earlier last month I decided to make the plunge and build an entry-level race bike. Coming from a motocross and supermoto background, going even faster and backing into corners really excited me. I spent months upon months researching various builds and putting together a parts list. My original plan was to pick up a crashed bike to do the conversion but unfortunately nothing was available that was close to me and I wasn't about to drive 2 days straight with the possibility of having to turn back around!

One day I decided to stroll into my local dealer to see what kind of deal they could work up for me. Lucky for me, they had some leftover 2018 models that were decently discounted. After some back n forth, I gave them a full cash offer and they accepted! I was finally an owner of a 2018 Yamaha R6 in matte gray. I'm heavily biased but I think it's one of the most gorgeous colors that Yamaha has done in a long time. The build process had begun...

The main thing that kept me from fulfilling my dream of building a race bike had always been capital. I'm very thankful to be in a place now where I could afford to do a proper build. If you are like I was and are thinking about something similar, make sure to plan ahead and give yourself a nice buffer! This project definitely wasn't cheap, but extremely satisfying, giving me a sense of accomplishment at every new milestone.

So let's get started!

Bike: 2018 Yamaha R6 Matte Gray (US version)
Parts List:
  • Bikesplast Race Fairing Kit
  • Bikesplast Race Seat
  • Bikesplast Race Tank Cover
  • Zero Gravity Double Bubble Windscreen (clear)
  • TST Industries Windscreen Mount Kit
  • Leo Vince Factory S Carbon Full Exhaust (no db-killer)
  • Versah SRJL XX Front Brake Pads
  • TST Industries Tire Warmers
  • Tech Spec Tank Protector
  • Tech Spec Tank Grip
  • Womet Tech Spools
  • Womet Tech Engine Guards
  • Womet Tech Frame Sliders
  • Womet Tech Front Axle Sliders
  • Driven Axle Block Sliders (blue)
  • Driven D-Axis Brake and Clutch Lever Guards (blue)
  • Driven Oil and Engine Plugs (blue)
  • Driven Halo Brake and Clutch Levers (black lever, blue adjuster)
  • Driven Captive Wheel Spacers (red)
  • GP Racing Shark Fin Guard
  • Driven Grippy Grips
  • Apex 3" Adjustable Clip-Ons
  • Vortex V3 2.0 Adjustable Rearsets
  • Ohlins Steering Stabilizer
  • Castrol SRF Brake Fluid
  • DID ERV3 520 Gold Chain
  • Driven 15T Front Sprocket
  • Driven 45T Rear Sprocket (black)
  • Spiegler Stainless Steel Brake Line Kit (ABS, black line/blue fitting)
  • BMC Air Filter (race, no restrictor)
  • FTECU Side Tune Kit
  • FTECU QS/Autoblipper
  • FTECU Autotune
  • Graves Motorsports Smog Block-off Plates (black)
  • Bridgestone R11 Tires (medium)

In its current state, the bike has 240 miles on it and just came back from its first service. For anybody curious, I'm using OEM filters and Motul 300V 10W-40. This may get changed to Silkolene Pro 4 in the near future as I've always had great results with it.

The parts are slowly trickling in so stay tuned! To hold you over in the meantime, here are some pictures of the bike the day I brought it home... >:)
 

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#2 ·
Update!

Over the weekend I took the bike to my tuner and got some baseline numbers on it. In stock trim, it put out 105.67whp and 43.89lbs of torque. Not too bad.

I've also had time to put on the rearsets, remove passenger pegs, front reflectors, front sliders, rear spool sliders, bar end sliders, steering dampener, FTECU side tune harness, Autoblipper harness, and flashed with stock 2019 map. All these parts went on before doing the baseline run.

Once I got back from the tuner, I was able to start putting on the power goodies and remove all emissions-related parts. This included:

- Block off plates with AIS delete
- BMC filter
- Leo Vince Factory S Carbon system
- EXUP delete
- Rear brake switch delete
- O2 sensor delete which I replaced with an Active Tune system

I then proceeded to flash the bike with the unrestricted 2019 map and enabled Active Tune. Bike sounds amazing and is now spitting fire when the throttle is chopped at high revs ? It's a bit rich so I'll need to play around with the trims a little to get it dialed. Then it's back to the tuner for a full Dyno tune.

Today I finally got the majority of the other parts in and will be focusing on brakes, levers, and some of goodies through the weekend.
 

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#4 ·
I've got the majority of the goodies on now!

Installed the captive wheel spacers which are an absolute must for anyone who does their own wheel changes. There's no describing the amount of frustration I had to put up with when working with the OEM ones. I also swapped my rear spool slider for a safer approach. I'm not running standard spools in the forward-most position, plus axle block sliders for crash protection. On my first ride when I had the autoblipper installed, I snapped the shift rod in half because there was too much play. Finally had a chance to install a new one, making sure to use blue locktite on the portion where the two rods meet without a nut to hold them down. Now the quickshifter and autoblipper work fine until the bike warms up all the way. Once hot, it takes a lot of pressure to get them to activate. The clipons were one of the hardest things to install. Because they are so adjustable, I had to constantly make sure that everything was aligned and clearing the rest of the components. Got them in a position I like but may need to continue with some tweaks. The levers and lever guards went on without issue. I then turned to getting the race fairings on, man this took a lot of work! The front cowl was by far the hardest to get off because it took me forever to figure out exactly which bolts held the damn thing on. Come to find out, there's 4 main bolts and it pops out without too much hassle. Finally, I finished things off by installing the stainless steel brake lines, versah pads, and doing a vacuum bleed with Castrol SRF. The brake feel and initial bite has improved substantially!

Final touches will be tires, safety wire, coolant, and paint!
 

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#6 ·
Got the rest of the parts put on and put bike back on the dyno for a proper tune. Numbers came out very decent! 113whp and 46lbs of torque. I may eventually back date the velocity stack to bring the horsepower figures up into the high teens or low 20s.

Bike performed phenomenally at the track at setting pressures and playing with the clickers a bit. Came back from the weekend with good data on where to go next...

The rear shock leaves a lot to be desired. After hitting fast intermediate pace, I was already out of adjustment on it so I'll be putting on an Ohlins TTX GP shock to remedy the problem. Other than that, the quickshifter and Autoblipper would stop working so I'm currently having my tuner test various sensors and warranty my unit.
 

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#9 ·
Looking through this post has me salivating, I have an 06 R6 that once I get settled and am financially comfortable, I'd like to buy a Naked sportbike for the streets for a little bit more of a comfortable ride with all the power, and then I want to track out my R6 someday! Build looks awesome! What are your plans for paint?
 
#13 ·
I'm keeping the bike white for the time being, but I do have some OEM Yamaha gunmetal gray paint in my garage. Will be doing that during the winter.


Updates? curious if you're happy with the fit of the Bikesplast bodywork. I can pick a set up locally from HSBK but i'm thinking of going with what i've always used and thats Armourbodies
It fit really well with very minor trimming of side panels and bellypan. The most trimming I've had to do was for exhaust clearance.


check into the Translogic system for your quickshift/autoblip its SUPER easy to install and ready to go out of the package!
I finally fixed the issue! The problem was the sensor. My tuner warrantied the unit and now everything works flawlessly. I'm very happy with the bike.
 
#19 ·
Awesome build. I am oozing with jealousy. Keep the updates coming.
awesome build dude
Thank you! It's definitely been a fun build so far!


And how did the race fairings fit? no problems fitting them?
The fairing fit really well! Most of the holes were pre-drilled. The ones which weren't, had markers for location and they were almost perfect. I had to do some trimming around the right fairing and bellypan due to clearance issues but it wasn't anything excessive.
 
#20 ·
The bike is back and I had a chance to test out the new forks and revalved shock. Man, what a difference! Definitely much more front-end traction and predictability in the corners.

It did feel like the front end was a bit light so I'm working on setting up the chassis geometry right now for better turn-in.

In the meantime, I also acquired the velocity stack assembly off an 08/09 R6 to help boost the top end power. I'll be installing and heading back to my tuner sometime within the next couple of weeks. I'm expecting low 120s with the new tune (~114 right now).
 

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#24 ·
Pretty freaking sweet! Just a bit Jelly ;P

How is the backing-in part working for you? I didn't start riding until my 20's and I did try some dirt (XR250) to try to improve my riding, but I got hurt way more in the dirt than the track :)

I'm sure the other direction isn't as painful :)
 
#26 ·
Hope everyone is staying safe during the lockdown! I have a quick update on the bike as I'm slowly getting it ready for the 2020 race reason (if it ever happens at this rate).

I took the bike back to my tuner after installing the 08/09 velocity stacks and modifying the ram intake tract so that the restrictor plates are gone. On 92 pump (10% ethanol), I'm now making 118.7whp with a heavier Dunlop slick on the back. According to my tuner, if I had put the stock tire back on (S21) I'd be making low 120s as expected.

Some other mods that are getting added:
  1. CoreMoto ABS-delete race line kit with titanium fittings and banjos.
  2. FTECU ABS delete plug.
  3. Galespeed Elaborate VRE 19 master cylinder.
  4. TST Industries carbon front and rear fenders.
  5. Woodcraft ignition delete.
  6. Antigravity Lithium battery.
  7. Transponder
With just the battery and ignition delete, I took another 3lbs off the bike which is really impressive. Probably looking at another 2lbs or more with the ABS delete.


2021 Season Plans:
  1. Finally get the fairings painted (I know I'm slow lol)
  2. Get the motor refreshed and do a SS build on it (valve grind, cam timing, decked head, thinner head gasket, MR12). Shooting for low to mid 130s on this new motor.
 
#29 ·
I'm sure you've already done the conversion but if not then your best bet is to watch the STG step-by-step install video:


No pictures were taken on my end unfortunately but I have a couple of tips:

  • The front lines are dependent upon what master cylinder you use. My Galespeed moved the line location so I had to do some maneuvering in order to get a proper fit. The T-line race kit still makes everything super easy though.
  • When pulling out the steel brake lines from the ABS unit, I actually just had to cut mine in half in order to be able to pull them out. Not sure if you're trying to save yours, but this was the easiest approach for me.

Wow. Do you have the part number for the older R6 velocity stack?

I had an '08 for 4 years and now have a '17 and it's definitely down on power (even with a full system/air mods). I'd love that grunt back.
I would double-check but I believe it's the following:

Upper stacks: 13S-1440B-00-00
Linkage: 13S-14490-00-00
 
#28 ·
Wow. Do you have the part number for the older R6 velocity stack?

I had an '08 for 4 years and now have a '17 and it's definitely down on power (even with a full system/air mods). I'd love that grunt back.
 
#30 ·
I've been pretty busy with the race season so no updates for a while. The bike has been working unbelievably well and I have gotten much faster on it throughout the course of the season (however short it has been). I've played a ton with various suspension settings, chassis geometry, tires, and other things along the way. Few callouts:


  1. If you haven't tried the new Michelin Power Performance Cup tires, you're seriously missing out! They provide an unbelievable amount of grip and essentially force you to ride faster. There are some absolutely required suspension/geometry changes that need to happen though.
  2. Gathering data for your sessions and races is not only fun, but teaches you many things that you may miss while trying to stay on the bike. Things like letting off the throttle too early, inconsistent throttle application, bad lines, etc. are all clearly visible when reviewing footage + data. Here's an example of one of my last races:

  3. If you're a tall rider and can't seem to get into the bike, check out the Carbonin fuel tank extension. It forces you into a more comfortable position and keeps you from sliding onto the tank when under hard braking.
  4. The Galespeed Elaborate VRE is pure amazingness. I've run a bunch of brembo units in the past and they don't even compare to this MC. Huge amount of adjustability and tons of feel with consistent performance.


Things that are on the bucket list for the 2021 season:
  • Upgraded rotors and pads to keep heat down and initial bite up. The rear brakes are getting modified so that they don't feel like an on/off switch.
  • Slipper clutch installed so my high-speed corner entries don't upset the chassis as much.
  • A proper race seat to aid in comfort and overall better ergonomics.
  • Full SS motor build :devilish:
 
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