Do you remember back in late 2020 when Yamaha Motors US first announced that the YZF-R6 was going away from the US market? Fans may not have been surprised, but undoubtedly saddened to learn that this was the case. Still, European R6 fans at least got a glimmer of hope when Team Blue decided that the R6 could remain in their market, albeit as a track-only model.
After all, that’s what most people were using it for, right? I mean, I’ve definitely seen some older people riding on the road here, but overall? Many saw it as a great, accessible track machine, and with good reason. When the R9 was finally introduced, our own Robbie Bacon dashed expectations in his review and said that while it’s a pretty good machine, it’s not a replacement for the R6.
But that was then and this is now. On July 1, 2026, Yamaha Japan formally announced that it would open two special-order windows only in Japan for the production of the final YZF-R6 race bike. There will be two reservation windows, and two reservation windows will be in Japan only: from July 1 to 31, 2026, and from August 1 to 31, 2026. This final version of the R6 will be based on the same YZF-R6 Race that is sold in Europe, with upgraded suspension and brakes as seen in the 2024 YZF-R1, Yamaha says.
During those two windows, Yamaha R6 fans in Japan will be able to place their orders for the final production YZF-R6 Race, which will be made available on February 26, 2027. The price will be ¥1,375,000, which works out to approximately US$8,537 at the time of writing.
Now, of course, if you haven’t given up on the dream of owning an R6, it’s apparently still possible to buy a used R6. Furthermore, it is unlikely that anyone would expect Yamaha to cease production at some point; Honestly, it probably would have been more surprising if they didn’t. The question was usually not “if”, but “when”. And while it’s true that the R7 and R9 now exist, they’re both quite different bikes than the soon-to-be-discontinued forever R6.
So, with Supersport history weighing heavily on your mind, will you miss the R6 once it’s gone forever? Let us know in the comments below.
