THIS WEEK, I am going to have a little fantasy. No, not the one involving Tara Fitzgerald, a bouncy castle, two feather dusters and a family-size bottle of extra-virgin, hand-knitted, free-range olive oil, writes GEOFF HILL.
Not even the Friday lottery daydream where I have a couple of glasses of wine and start drooling over Porsche 911s and TVR Chimaeras on the autotrader website.
Dangerous game, that; last week I came disturbingly close to buying a lovely second-hand Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow in dark blue for £4,500, if only because I thought it might improve my chances with Tara.
No, in this fantasy I’ve just passed my test, and I’m looking for a nice cheap starter bike that will give me a bit of fun and build up my confidence for a year or so, until I get something a little more exciting like a ZX-10R or an 1198 S.
The good news that I’m spoilt for choice – for not much more than that Rolls, I could pick up a brand new Suzuki Bandit or Gladius, Honda CBF600N, Kawasaki ER-6n or even a tasty Ducati Monster 696.
And now, to that pantheon of middleweights comes the new Yamaha XJ6, the naked version of the faired Diversion.
Even sitting still, this is a machine that would attract any tyro, with clean, aggressive lines, the exhaust neatly tucked away under the engine and peaking out coyly just in front of the rear wheel and an attractively lustrous burgundy paint job.
Climb on board and you’re greeted with a low and impeccably comfortable riding position, a neat digital and analogue dash that tells you everything you need to know, and mirrors in which you can actually see more than your elbows. Always a blessing, I find.
In short, it has everything that could make the apprentice gentleman motorcyclist feel entirely confident as he builds up the miles, especially when it’s all allied to the reworked Diversion clutch – as smooth as Marks Spencer deluxe custard – and light and stable handling with no vices whatsoever.
As for the performance, it won’t set your hair alight, particularly since the bike I was on had precisely 4.2 miles on the clock, which meant I couldn’t wind it up to the levels at which 600s perform best.
For sure, at anything below 2,000 revs, it was as dead as a cremated slug, but even a few forays into the 6,000-plus range showed that it was as brisk as it needs to be for this bike, albeit with a slight vibration as the revs hit 7,000.
However, even treating the new engine with kid gloves, I was still able to overtake everything in sight with a small bit of advance planning.
Everything on four wheels, that is, since at one stage a rider on a lime-green ZX-10R – who was wearing matching leathers – went past me with a howl like a coven of banshees on their way to the Annual Banshee Bash in Ballyscullion.
But never worry, young gentleman (or lady) motorcyclist; in a year or so, that will be you, and in the meantime, this viceless machine could well be the perfect choice to introduce you to the boundless joys of the open road for years to come.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to phone Tara and see whether she’d prefer the 911 or the Chimaera.
Factfile Yamaha XJ6
Engine:liquid-cooled fuel-injected 600cc in-line four-cylinder four-stroke with four valves and DOHC, 78bhp/57.0kW @ 10,000rpm, 44lb/ft or 59.7Nm torque @ 8,500rpm
Transmission:six-speed, chain final drive
Suspension:front – telescopic fork, 130mm travel; rear – monocross swingarm, 130mm travel
Brakes:front – dual discs, 298mm; rear – single disc, 245mm
Dimensions:length 2,120mm, width 770mm, height 1,085mm, seat height 785mm
Weight:205kg wet, 210kg with ABS
Top speed:193km/hr
Fuel capacity:17 litres
Range:304km
Price:naked XJ6 – €6,850; €7,250 for ABS version. Faired XJ6 Diversion standard – €7,390; ABS – €7,690. Contact Danfay Ltd, tel: 01-285 9177, yamaha-motor.ie. UK price, from £4,999.
(Test bike, Millsport Motorcycles, 028-2766 7776)