I had a photo of a blue-and-white Yamaha R6 taped to a plastic cup in my bedroom as a teen. "Justin's Motorcycle Fund" was scribbled above the image of the bike. I'd pile dollar bills into the cup whenever I could, hoping to one day collect enough coin to fulfill my dream of joining Laurence Fishburne and the rest of the Biker Boyz.
It was a long shot. I hadn't ridden anything greater than 70cc up until that point and wouldn't until I was 25 years old. But that R6 seemed attainable, and the Team Yamaha blue-and-white livery did something for me. So, I daydreamed.
The first-generation R6 won the World Supersport Championship the year it debuted, and the two years following—1999, 2000, and 2001, respectively. It was a force to be reckoned with, producing 120 horsepower and tipping the scales at just 365 lbs. It was a track-focused weapon sold to the masses, offering riders a lighter and slightly slower alternative to the mighty R1. But it wasn't an entry-level motorcycle by any means.
