If you never let the YZF-R6's tachometer needle roam into the second half of its arc, you might never know what's lurking there waiting to be unleashed. And... there's even more for 2004.

An ingenious suction-piston fuel injection system (re-mapped for '04), among other things, endows it with amazingly good road manners at low and medium engine speeds. But we had a higher calling in mind for the little beast that won the AMA Supersport Class Championship** right out of the gate as well as Cycle World, Sport Rider and Motorcycle Online 600 comparisons.*

A 15,500 rpm redline. Redesigned exhaust canister providing improved exhaust flow for 2004. This one is pure sportbike, designed from the asphalt up to achieve a delicate, sublime blend of handling and horsepower, finesse and feel, hyperactive agility and laser-beam predictability.

Absolute leading-edge technology takes tangible form in the R6's light and rigid DeltaBox III frame - an almost seamless piece of alloy artisanship that allowed the engineers to put strength - and the revvy 4-cylinder - exactly where they belong. From there, all sorts of good things flow.