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
Suzuki RF900R for.n We heard this many times by Suzuki reps during our stay in Texas . And to ' prove their point,Suzuki isn't posting any contingencies for the RF900R. But that's okay . The RF is more than happy cruising down the highways and whipping through back canyon or mountain roads. Suzuki has certainly sweetened the pot in the big-bore sport/ touring class with its all -new RF900R. In what was already the most exciting and competitive class in the streetbike market, Suzuki has made your decision-making that much harder. The RF900R is definitely priced right, especia lly when you take into acco unt wha t some of the other manufacturers are asking for their comparable models. The suggested retail price of the RF900R is $8099, whic h is the lowest in its class; only Ho nda's CBR1000F comes close at $8199. Th e RF is priced significantly lower than most of its other competitors, like the $14,999 asking price of Yamaha's GTS1000 , or the $14,590 and $11,890 price tags of BMW's Kll00 and Rll00RS models. The RF is even $1500 less than Kawasaki's zx-n. Hmm, maybe that decision won't be ov so hard after all. (Above) The RF900R uses a twin-tube steel diamond frame, and the engine also acts as a stressed member. Showa-made suspension components are used at both ends. (Right) The RF's watercooled, DOHC, 12-valve, In-li ne four-cyllnder engine Is close ly based on the GSXR1100W's engine. However, It has been tuned to deliver a broader and w ider spread of power t han its racerreplica brother. (Below) Even th ou gh the RF tilts . more tow ards the sport si de of sport/touring, it Is st ill pl enty comfortable for t hose long hauls. It co rners extremely well. initiate the turns. Even though the RF feels just a tad on the heavy side, it can still be flicked through a succession of turns without working up a sweat. Once leaned over, it likes to stay there. The RF feels ve ry s ta ble w he ther or no t it 's straight-up-and-down and traveling in a straight line, or at a 45-degree angle to the pavement. This machines comers as well, if not better, tha n a ny open-class sport / touring bike we've ever thrown a leg over. One thi ng about rid ing in the rain, you really get to know you r bike's brakes . By th e ti me we reached San Antonio, the RF' s binde rs and I had become best of friends. More than once I entered a soggy tum a little too hot and was forced to grab more lever than I felt comfortable with, but not once did either end reveal any signs of skidding or locking. There's more than enough stopping power at both ends to haul the RF in on dry ground, and no more than one finger is usually needed on th e front brake lever. Just because the RF900 tilts more towards the sport side of sport/touring, don't think for a moment that comfort was in any way sacrificed. Not at all. In fact, the RF900 is very comfortable, thanks to a wide and firm seat, fairly spacious layout and firm suspension. The rider does lean significantly forward but not nearly as much as on the GSXRs. We rode approximately 200 miles in one day on the RF and felt pretty good afterwards - no back aches, no stiff knees and no cramped thighs or forearms. The relatively small fairin g does an admirable job of keeping the elements off the rider, but the rider's hands are pretty much left exposed to anything that comes your way. We'd like to see better protection in this area. The RF has a fairly simplistic, bu t nicelooking ins trument panel. The tach and speedo can easily be read at a glance, but don' t rely on the low -on-fuel warn ing light. During our introd uction ride in Texas, some of the bikes ran out of gas before, or just as, the warning light came on. Luckily, the RF hold s 1.3 gallons of reserve. Most of th e bik es had to be switched to reserve at about the l30-mile mark. To our surprise, the RF isn't fitted with a fuel gauge. If yo u plan on taking the RF900R to the race track, don't plan on receiving any suppo rt from Suzuki. 'The RF900R is not a race bike, that's what the GSXRs are While Cycle N=s believes theforegoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied upon in determining the performance or safety of the vehicle!s). The reader slwuld mJZkL his or her own investigation