Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

. While the RF900 is more comfortable than most of its racer-replica cousins, it is not the most ergonomically pleas ing bike in its class. Like on the 600, the 9OO's pegs are mounted a tad too high, and the seat! tank junction is a little narrow and abrupt for our liking. Still, the RF9OO's seating position is well within the acceptable limits for long commutes and weeken d touring, more so than the RF600. As co mpared to most bikes in its class, the RF900 comers extremely well, though feels a little front-end heavy at slower speeds. But on the gas, the 900's agility allows it to be ridden q u ite aggressively with success. It is a fun backroads canyon bike thanks to its good cornering abili ties and torqu ey engine. mostly highway riding. At this point, you know you have about another 20 miles before being forced to reach down and flip the petcock switch to reserve. After accumulating mo re than 6000 miles on our RF6OO, the bike still looks as good as new . Currently, there are only a few hints that the bike hasn't just rolled off the showroom floor. A large section of the plastic trim tha t lines the edge of the windscreen has peeled off; the brakes are starting to feel a little spongy and soft, an d, of course, shifting isn't what it used to be. Otherwise, the bike still feels tight and solid. RF900 Apa rt from some minor cosmetic differences the RF900 is for all intents and p urposes identical to the RF600.The fairings are basically the same as are th e fra mes an d much of the pl astic exce pt for the side panels. Obvious ly, the big differences are internal, which becomes quite apparent as soon as you roll on the 900's th rottle and feel the in-line fourcy linder mot or ' s extra 300cc of boo st kick you in the pa nts . While the RF900 pumps out decent power, it is by no means the horsepower king of the sport-touring-bike class. (Above) While both th e RF600 and 900 'were designed with comfort in mind , t he 600 has a fair ly aggressive riding position , more so than the 900. (Right) Poweri ng out of the tums on the RF900 is made easy than ks to its torquey and smooth moto r. (Below) The RF's unique sty ling is eyecatchi ng. Both bikes are offered in three diff erent col ors. . RF900RS ~~~~........;;z,,=..:..::....:::....-..~ SpdicaIions Eing ::i:in::-e--------.::....::..:..:.....:...:.::.....::..::..::.::...::...:---------=-:.:.::~::..:.=-----------After all, it is giving aw ay at least 100300ce to most of the bikes in its category, bu t wh at it gives away in displacement is mad e up for in ag ility . At a claimed dry weigh t of 447 pound s, the RF900 is anywhere from abou t 30 to 120 pou nds lighter than most of its competito rs. In theory, the RF900 might produce slightly less power, but since it's hauling aro und less we igh t, yo u ha ve a bike th at get s you fro m point A to point B almost as quick ly as so me of th e other la rgerdisplacemen t and heavier open-class s port-touring bikes (i .e. Honda CBR1000F, Kawasaki GPzllOO or zxn. BMW KllOORS, etc.), bu t throw in a couple of turns and switchbacks in between, and the RF900 should get you there first. At least that's the idea. But whethe r or not the RF900 can get you from point A to point B the quickest - tu rns or no turns - really isn' t all that impo rta nt, since this bike isn't designed to win ra ces a nd put m on ey in yo u r poc ke t. Lik e its smalle r brother, the RF900 is instead designed to offer sportbik e perform an ce wi thou t fo r fei ting comfort. And that it does quite well. The RF900 is p ure fun , thanks to its torquey and powerfu l motor and good han dling chara cteristics. It does feel significan tly larger and wider, and slightly heavier than the RF6OO, but isn't any less comfortable or much less maneuverable. Th e 900's mo tor is sligh tly m ore buzzy than the 600's . On the freew ays, th e 900 seems to top-out quickly, and many times we caugh t ourselves jabbing the shift lever for an other gea r. Type .. . . . .. . . . . •....... ..... . .Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, four-eytinder Borex stroke _ 65.0 x 45.2mm Displacement 599cc Compression ratio .12.0:1 Carburetion BDST33, (4) Air cleaner Non-woven fabric element Starting system•. . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . .Bectric Lubricationsystem .. •. . . . . . . . .. . Wetsump Ignition type Bectronic Spark plug NGK CR9E or NO V27ESR-N Transmission 6-speed constant mesh Final reduction ratio ... . .. .. ..•. . .1.120(43/1 4) Drive chain ••. ... . .... ....•.. .. .DID50VA7 or RK5OGSV81 CIl8ssis Front suspension Telescopic, coil spring, oil-damped, spring preload adj. Rear suspension Unk type, spring preload 7-way adj., 4-way damping adj. Caster 65' Trait 4.q6 in. Steering angle 30 Tuming radius 10 ft. .5 Front brake Dual disc Rear brake Single disc Frontlire size .•... .... ... ..... .•120170ZR17 Rear tire size 160160ZR17 DImensIons and Dry Weight 'alA Iengttl . . . . .. . . • . . . . . ... .. . .. 83.1 in. OIA width 28.0in. OIA height . .. . . . .. . .. .... .. • •. .. 46.3 in. Wheelbase 56.3 in. Groulld clearance 4.7In. Seatheight 30.5in. Claimed dry weight 429Ibs. CIpacity Fuel tank Miscellaneous Colors MSRP Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, oohc, TSCC 73.0 x56.Omm 937ee 11.3:1 BDST36, (4) Non-woven fabric element Electric Wet sump TransistOlized NGK CR9E orNO U27ESR·N 5-speed constant mesh 2.866 (43/15) RK532GSV110 Telescopic, coil spring, oikfam ped, fuDy adj. Link type, spring preload 7-wayadj., 4-way compression daf,nping adj., fully adj. rebound damping 65 30' 4.0; in. 30 10 ft. .5 Dual disc Single disc 12017OZR17 17016OZR17 83.9 in. 28.7 in. 45.9in. 56.7in. 4.5in. 31.7 in. 447Ibs. 4.5 gal. 5.5 gal. Red, Teal Green, Blue Red, British Racing Green, PurpielSilver $8499 . .... I-< 0.. $6699 -ex: 17

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