Fading Away

It was a big deal for me when I bought my brand new R6 back in March 2014. Not only was it my first motorcycle, but it was my first ever new vehicle. At the same time, it wasn't the bike I really wanted. I wanted a bobber, cruiser, or a chopper. I still do.

I didn't know much about superbikes at the time except they were fast and of course how to ride one, so I didn't fully appreciate the fact that I had a high performance inline-4 under the tank. I've since learned that I have the fastest Yamaha I could've gotten at the time short of the mighty R1 and that the R6 is supposed to be a track-day beast. (I can't speak for the track-day part as I've never been, but my bike does a great job in those Appalachian curves). I'll also add that most cars where I live are nowhere near fast enough to touch it. That made me begin to realize I might have something special.

Going back to what I said about previously not knowing much about superbikes, I thought they were basically all created equal with the main differences between models being in the sizes of the engines. As I was learning my way around the mechanics of what these bikes are made of, I began to notice something in the new offerings in recent years. The high performance inline-4 seems to have disappeared from all but the 1000cc and bigger engines.

Is what I've noticed really happening? Are those inline-4 engines really starting to fade away from the world of motorcycles?