Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127652
(Oppisite page) The new RF900R replaces the GSXR1100 Katan a as Suzuki's lone sol dier in the ope n-class sportltourlng market (Right) The RF900R should already be appearin g on showroom floors, wit h a MSRP of $8099. (Bel ow) If you like to rid e In the t ucked-in position all the ti me, yo u' ll be quite happy with the RF's protective fairing. In a more " no rmal" pos itio n, you'll sti li be Impress ed. weighs onl y a littl e more than the alu minum fra me used on the GSXR1100. Unlike the 600, the 9OO's swingarm is constructed of aluminum instead of steel. Showa suspension components are used at both ends. Up front is a 43mm, non -inverted but cartridge-style, telescopic fork, which features no external comp ression or rebound damping adjustment, just spring preload. Wheel travel is 4.7 inches. Out back, a single gas-charged shock is mounted to a link-type suspension system. Unlike the 600' s shock, the 900's Showa utilizes a remote reservoir, comp lete with rebound and compression damping adjustments, including spring preload. Wheel travel is 4.9 inches. The front brake system consists of four-piston Nissin calipers wi th staggered diameter pistons, similar to those used on earlier GSXRs. The calipers grasp 310mm floating-type stainless steel rotors. A twopiston, single 240mm disc system is used in the rear. Sintered-metal pads are used up front; semi-metal in the back. To help preven t vibration from making it to the rider' s arms, the upper fork yo ke has been sliced in two wh ere tw o small rubber buffers have been installed. Rubber bushings we re also installed in the footrest mounting plates. The cast alumin um whee ls are graced by new 17-inch Dunlop 0203 Sport Max Rad ial II tires . The RF9OOR's "Ferrari-esque" and sensuous s ty ling is, no dou bt, one of th e bike's most outstanding assets. Ironically, th ou gh , the RF wasn' t st yled after the expensive Italian sports cars that it seems to em ula te. Inst ead , the RF's aesthet ic styling was, believe it or not, inspired by a crea tu re of the sea - a stingray, to be exact. The RF's ch ief sty ling d esi gn er once vi sited a n aqu a riu m and w as en tranced by the "fluid power and grace of a stingray gliding effortlessly through the water." If yo u put on your imagination cap and look closely, it is conceivable to see the flowing lines resembling those of a stingray on the front cowling, the taillight assembly, and the fairi ng's wind ducts, which are, they say, styled after the giIIs of a stingray. It's kind of like looking at one of those 3-D ha lus ion p rints you see in malls nowada ys. Nonetheless, the RF900R is a strikingly good-looking motorcycle, whi ch will be available in two different, monotone color schemes - brigh t red and pitch black. Both versions look sweet! Suzuki introduced the RF900R to the mot orcycling press in Austin, Texas, which included a two-day, cross-country ride that ev en tuall y concluded on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, home ofthe infamous Alamo. Unfortunately, rain fell on us during most of the ride, but the ever-efficient folks at Suzuki had an RF ready for us to test shortly after our arrival back home'in sunny southern California. Suzuki engineers said they had three key factors in mind when designing the RF900R: performance, comfort and style. They hit the nail on the head in all three categories . There's certainly no shortage of horsepower here. The RF is downright fast very GSXR-ish. However, unlike the GSXR, the RF is significantly more roadpl eas ing than its racer-replica br oth er. ' Most of the cha nges that went into the RF's engine were to boost low-end and midrange performance, and this becomes quite evident the first time you ride the bike. It m ight not h ave the awesome torque that some of the RF's larger-capacity rivals like the ZX-11 or the GTS1000 have, bu t the RF holds its own, and we greatly appreciated this on the wet roads in Texas. Despite having to rail some of the watery turns a gear higher than normal, rolling on the thro ttle while exiting the turns left very little to be des ired. At low rpm, the RF pul ls aggressively, but in a tractable and con trollable manner. We never had to worry about the engin e suddenly "coming on the pipe" and the rear tire breaking loose like might have happened on the GSXR When traction is at a premium, you won't be disappointed by the RF's high rate of accelerati on. It reach es highway speeds in almost a blink of an eye and does so smoothly, thanks to a wide, broad sp read of power. Upon reaching cruising speeds in fifth gear, the RF motors along nicely and effortlessly. There is very little vibration to speak of, and the relatively high final gear ratio (43/15) successfully red uces engine speed so you don' t always have that urge to click up another gear. The RF also shifts qui te well bu t still had a co uple of fau lts. Changing from firs t to second gea r usu ally produced a significan t "clunkin g" so und f rom the gearbox, and the clutch lever was far too stiff for our likin g. Otherwise, the RF's five-speed transmission shifted extremely smooth, w ith or w ithout the aid of the clutch. It takes little input from the ride r to " 0\ ~ ro 2 ~ 17