2009 Yamaha XJ6: The re-birth of the Diversion 600

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2009 Yamaha XJ6: The re-birth of the Diversion 600

#1 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

2009 Yamaha XJ6: The re-birth of the Diversion 600
Wednesday, February 26th, 2009 - Yamaha Design Cafe Press Release - Total Motorcycle - http://www.totalmotorcycle.com


Image

Most of us will clearly remember the first XJ600 Diversion series. For many of us it marked the beginning of an era, of riding Yamaha’s inline 4 cylinder motorcycles.

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Diversion 1992-2003

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Diversion 2009

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Fazer 2009

Product Planning Manager Oliver Grill explains why Yamaha have brought the Diversion back: “Four cylinder motorcycles in the 600cc class are among the most popular models in the European market. While the Yamaha Fazer is successfully meeting customer demands for new levels of technical sophistication and performance standards, the Diversion has now been launched to cover a very different type’s of usage.”

Oliver continues: “Both the Fazer and the Diversion are highly developed, highly versatile and powerful motorcycles, however their characters are significantly different. The Fazer is packed with R6 DNA, capable of high level riding and big adrenalin rushes. The Diversion instead is tuned for easy & fun usage, focusing on great medium speed agility rather than top end performance. Each model remains a typical Yamaha, keeping an exciting edge, a high level of enjoyment and usability, and unquestionable quality levels.”


Easy and fun

City riding
Goals
To ensure complete clarity, the development targets that were presented to the engineers were to suit precise usage scenarios:
The Diversion riding character had to be tuned for smooth & precise operation which makes it feel overall very natural, neutral and intuitive. The Diversion had to be especially easy & fun to ride in difficult riding situations including both city traffic conditions and on narrow mountain roads.

The engine specialists focused on a smooth engine response and strong torque character, while the chassis engineers concentrated on easy handling and giving a special focus to ergonomics. It is important that any rider should feel immediately comfortable and confident when getting on this model.

Oliver Grill points out: “Ergonomics is a widely underestimated topic by many riders. Many do not consider this fully when buying a motorcycle. But we believe good ergonomics will make inexperienced riders feel much more confident and enable experienced riders to be fully in control with much less effort. With the new Diversion we paid special attention to build and position all necessary components for best efficiency and to tailor the bike to best fit to our customers.”



Well proven engine

Redesigned and optimized
Engine Development
To achieve the required levels of performance our engineers decided to use the stable and proven FZ6 engine as a reliable basis and build upon that to hit their targets. The Diversion engine proves to be an exceptionally fun engine, with enough power in the required places to bring a smile to the most experienced rider’s faces. This was achieved by designing an entirely new flow throughout the engine, from the intake, air-fuel mixture, combustion to the exhaust. Many parts are changed to get the smooth and torquey 78 hp engine.

Some of the engine’s credentials are:
• The same bore and stroke as the FZ6 engine.
• A new cylinder and cylinder-head, developed for a better flow of the fuel mixture.
• A new fuel injection system was made to optimize performance and ensure a low fuel consumption.
• A redesigned clutch and gear-shift mechanism, new gearbox ratios, new designed cams and much more have all been employed to make sure the controls feel light, responsive and ‘easy to operate’.



Concentrated mass

Central exhaust

Slim body
New Chassis
Yamaha’s engineers explain, “Our target was a good handling chassis, so central mass concentration was important. Keeping the frame narrow so the rider could access the ground easily was another key target. Particular attention was paid to keep the knee area and seat slim; so many people would feel comfortable on the bike as soon as they sit in the riding position. Due to these targets of mass centralization and a slim body we faced a big challenge to find the space for the airbox and exhaust. Finally we found the optimum layout by using a central exhaust. This is also ideal to keep the centre of gravity low. Construction and rigidity of the frame was optimized by using a diamond type, high-tensile steel tubular design, this provided enough space to fit the airbox into the optimum position. The frame is created with a minimum number of bends and welds and the engine supports the chassis as a stressed member with 4 rigid mounts. This overall chassis construction offers good feedback and confident handling to the rider. The Diversion works best in many conditions – not just in one specific condition.”



5-spoke wheels

Passenger comfort

Powerful braking
High Quality
Specially developed for this model; the new 5-spoke cast aluminum wheel design keeps the unsprung weight low and ensures a light handling motorcycle. A high quality front fork and monocross rear suspension are perfectly suited to the well balanced chassis, providing excellent road holding in a wide variety of conditions.

Passenger comfort is ensured with enough space to sit comfortably, a seat with anti-slip material and passenger handgrips all as original equipment.

Dual 298 mm front discs and twin-piston calipers were chosen for powerful braking with excellent feel and feedback, both the XJ6 and XJ6 Diversion are available with ABS. The ABS system offers a good feel when activated and features a linear control (3-position) ABS instead of the previous two mode system. This gives a smoother feel when the system is activated.


The overall balance of these elements enables the XJ6 to be ridden with ease as a commuter bike on city streets, with a passenger, and as an enjoyable bike for enjoying cruising and fun riding.

Our test rider Jeffry de Vries explains:
“You can go slowly through curves when you are anxious, and fly through curves when you can see what lies ahead. The engine does not hurry you or keep you waiting. This bike reflects the intent of the rider and can be ridden easily and will help build confidence quickly.”



Naked brother XJ6

Perfectly balanced
Conclusion
Like no other bike in the market, the Diversion and its ‘Naked’ brother XJ6 combine exciting technology, high specification, great efficiency, unique riding pleasure, easy operation and fresh design. All these ingredients are perfectly balanced out to be effective & enjoyable in your most used, daily riding situations. This makes the Diversion a great alternative in the Yamaha line up and a very up to date motorcycle concept in our current and future riding environment in Europe.


Product Planning Manager Oliver Grill explains why Yamaha have brought the Diversion back: “Four cylinder motorcycles in the 600cc class are among the most popular models in the European market. While the Yamaha Fazer is successfully meeting customer demands for new levels of technical sophistication and performance standards, the Diversion has now been launched to cover a very different type’s of usage.”

Oliver continues: “Both the Fazer and the Diversion are highly developed, highly versatile and powerful motorcycles, however their characters are significantly different. The Fazer is packed with R6 DNA, capable of high level riding and big adrenalin rushes. The Diversion instead is tuned for easy & fun usage, focusing on great medium speed agility rather than top end performance. Each model remains a typical Yamaha, keeping an exciting edge, a high level of enjoyment and usability, and unquestionable quality levels.”

Goals
To ensure complete clarity, the development targets that were presented to the engineers were to suit precise usage scenarios:
The Diversion riding character had to be tuned for smooth & precise operation which makes it feel overall very natural, neutral and intuitive. The Diversion had to be especially easy & fun to ride in difficult riding situations including both city traffic conditions and on narrow mountain roads.

The engine specialists focused on a smooth engine response and strong torque character, while the chassis engineers concentrated on easy handling and giving a special focus to ergonomics. It is important that any rider should feel immediately comfortable and confident when getting on this model.

Oliver Grill points out: “Ergonomics is a widely underestimated topic by many riders. Many do not consider this fully when buying a motorcycle. But we believe good ergonomics will make inexperienced riders feel much more confident and enable experienced riders to be fully in control with much less effort. With the new Diversion we paid special attention to build and position all necessary components for best efficiency and to tailor the bike to best fit to our customers.”

Image


Engine Development
To achieve the required levels of performance our engineers decided to use the stable and proven FZ6 engine as a reliable basis and build upon that to hit their targets. The Diversion engine proves to be an exceptionally fun engine, with enough power in the required places to bring a smile to the most experienced rider’s faces. This was achieved by designing an entirely new flow throughout the engine, from the intake, air-fuel mixture, combustion to the exhaust. Many parts are changed to get the smooth and torquey 78 hp engine.

Some of the engine’s credentials are:
• The same bore and stroke as the FZ6 engine.
• A new cylinder and cylinder-head, developed for a better flow of the fuel mixture.
• A new fuel injection system was made to optimize performance and ensure a low fuel consumption.
• A redesigned clutch and gear-shift mechanism, new gearbox ratios, new designed cams and much more have all been employed to make sure the controls feel light, responsive and ‘easy to operate’.



New Chassis
Yamaha’s engineers explain, “Our target was a good handling chassis, so central mass concentration was important. Keeping the frame narrow so the rider could access the ground easily was another key target. Particular attention was paid to keep the knee area and seat slim; so many people would feel comfortable on the bike as soon as they sit in the riding position. Due to these targets of mass centralization and a slim body we faced a big challenge to find the space for the airbox and exhaust. Finally we found the optimum layout by using a central exhaust. This is also ideal to keep the centre of gravity low. Construction and rigidity of the frame was optimized by using a diamond type, high-tensile steel tubular design, this provided enough space to fit the airbox into the optimum position. The frame is created with a minimum number of bends and welds and the engine supports the chassis as a stressed member with 4 rigid mounts. This overall chassis construction offers good feedback and confident handling to the rider. The Diversion works best in many conditions – not just in one specific condition.”


Image
Concentrated mass

High Quality
Specially developed for this model; the new 5-spoke cast aluminum wheel design keeps the unsprung weight low and ensures a light handling motorcycle. A high quality front fork and monocross rear suspension are perfectly suited to the well balanced chassis, providing excellent road holding in a wide variety of conditions.

Passenger comfort is ensured with enough space to sit comfortably, a seat with anti-slip material and passenger handgrips all as original equipment.

Dual 298 mm front discs and twin-piston calipers were chosen for powerful braking with excellent feel and feedback, both the XJ6 and XJ6 Diversion are available with ABS. The ABS system offers a good feel when activated and features a linear control (3-position) ABS instead of the previous two mode system. This gives a smoother feel when the system is activated.

The overall balance of these elements enables the XJ6 to be ridden with ease as a commuter bike on city streets, with a passenger, and as an enjoyable bike for enjoying cruising and fun riding.

Our test rider Jeffry de Vries explains:
“You can go slowly through curves when you are anxious, and fly through curves when you can see what lies ahead. The engine does not hurry you or keep you waiting. This bike reflects the intent of the rider and can be ridden easily and will help build confidence quickly.”


Conclusion
Like no other bike in the market, the Diversion and its ‘Naked’ brother XJ6 combine exciting technology, high specification, great efficiency, unique riding pleasure, easy operation and fresh design. All these ingredients are perfectly balanced out to be effective & enjoyable in your most used, daily riding situations. This makes the Diversion a great alternative in the Yamaha line up and a very up to date motorcycle concept in our current and future riding environment in Europe.

Image


Technical Specifications 2009-XJ6-Diversion
Engine
Engine type 4-stroke, forward-inclined parallel 4-cylinder, 4-valves, DOHC
Engine cooling Liquid cooled
Displacement 600 cc
Bore x stroke 65.5 x 44.5 mm
Compression ratio 12.2:1
Maximum power 78 PS (57.0 kW) @ 10,000 rpm
Maximum torque 59.7Nm (6.1 kg-m) @ 8,500 rpm
Lubrication system Wet sump
Fuel System Fuel injection
Clutch type Wet, multiple-disc
Ignition system TCI
Starter system Electric
Transmission system Constant mesh 6-speed
Primary reduction ratio 86/44 (1.955)
Secundary reduction ratio 46/16 (2.875)
Final transmission Chain
Ratios gearbox 1st 37/13 (2.846)
Ratios gearbox 2nd 37/19 (1.947)
Ratios gearbox 3rd 28/18 (1.556)
Ratios gearbox 4th 32/24 (1.333)
Ratios gearbox 5th 25/21 (1.190)
Ratios gearbox 6th 26/24 (1.083)
Other Top Speed: 200 km/h
Chassis
Chassis Diamond shaped, Steel
Front suspension system Telescopic fork
Front wheel travel 130 mm
Rear suspension system Swingarm (mono cross)
Rear wheel travel 130 mm
Caster angle 26º
Trail 103.5 mm
Front brake Dual discs, Ø 298 mm
Rear brake Single disc, Ø 245 mm
Front tyre 120/70 ZR17M/C (58W) (tube less)
Rear tyre 160/60 ZR17M/C (69W) (tube less)
Dimensions
Overall length 2,120 mm
Overall width 770 mm
Overall height 1,210 mm
Seat height 785 mm
Wheelbase 1,440 mm
Minimum ground clearance 140 mm
Service weight (incl. liquids) 211 kg (216 kg incl. ABS)
Fuel tank capacity (reserve) 17.3 L
Engine oil tank capacity 3.4 L
Equipments
Speedometer/RPM counter Digital/Analog
Fuel meter Analog
Clock Digital
ABS Yes (ABS model)

Specifications and appearance of Yamaha products shown here are subject to change without notice and may vary according to requirements and conditions. For further details please consult your Yamaha dealer.
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#2 Unread post by Brackstone »

I dig the looks :D
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#3 Unread post by totalmotorcycle »

Brackstone wrote:I dig the looks :D
Pretty good looking eh? I got a chance to sit on one when we covered the The Carole Nash NEC Bike Show in London ( http://www.motorcycleshow.co.uk/) and it was quite comfortable, even more so than the FZ6!

Hopefully they will bring it to North America in 2010. :mrgreen:

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#4 Unread post by fireguzzi »

:drool2: I'll take one white and naked please.
The XJ6 badge on the side just sets off the look perfectly.

Man who wants to be my sugar momma and get me one?
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#5 Unread post by Big B »

wow.

those are beautiful bikes
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#6 Unread post by jmillheiser »

lets hope it comes over and the naked version comes too.

looks like a successor/upgrade to the FZ6.

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#7 Unread post by Dragon on Wheels »

jmillheiser wrote:lets hope it comes over and the naked version comes too.

looks like a successor/upgrade to the FZ6.
I hope it comes over to North America too!

Can anyone tell me how it's different from the FZ6 though? It looks very similar (if not the same)...at least to my untrained eye.
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#8 Unread post by High_Side »

Dragon on Wheels wrote:
jmillheiser wrote:lets hope it comes over and the naked version comes too.

looks like a successor/upgrade to the FZ6.
I hope it comes over to North America too!

Can anyone tell me how it's different from the FZ6 though? It looks very similar (if not the same)...at least to my untrained eye.
Tube frame vs. aluminum and missing about 15-20 h.p. It would interesting to see if it gained any torque from the tuning change.
Last edited by High_Side on Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#9 Unread post by Dragon on Wheels »

High_Side wrote:
Dragon on Wheels wrote:
jmillheiser wrote:lets hope it comes over and the naked version comes too.

looks like a successor/upgrade to the FZ6.
I hope it comes over to North America too!

Can anyone tell me how it's different from the FZ6 though? It looks very similar (if not the same)...at least to my untrained eye.
Tube frame vs. aluminum and missing about 15-20 h.p. It would interesting to see if it gained any torque from the tuning change.
So it's a less powerful fz6? Also, what's the difference between tube frame and aluminum? (I'll assume aluminum is made of aluminum, but what is tube? man...that sounds like a stupid question... :oops: )
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In black

#10 Unread post by RC DAVE »

Thats is an awesome looking bike in black man. your'e right that bike has been in and out for a while is it some what of a seca style sort or a sport standard. looks really nice and dont really know much about it but that yamaha600 platform is proven does it have a big brother?
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