Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1995 Suzuki RF600RS &RF900RS to u ri ng bi kes, the RF900 h as n othin g in the way of a fu el gauge or a clock. Like the RF600, th e 900 d oes h a ve a va ryingin tensity low-on-fu el warning ' lig ht an d can travel usually around 160 miles before it starts to glow. Even then, you still have about 20 or so miles before having to sw itch over to re se rve, which offe rs about the same range before the 900 spu tters to a stop. We know this because one of our testers decided to push the envelope, and nearly woun d up (Left) Of the two bikes, only the RF600 features any mechanical changes over last year's models. The valve timing has been changed and the exhaust syst em was modified to give the bike better midrange performance. (Below) As you can see , the RF600's sea t Is quite narrow where It meets the fuel tank and the transition between the two Is abrupt. t seems that over the past two years, I've spent more time on the RF600 and'900 than on any other bike in our stable of test bikes. Sometimes, the RFs might be } the only bikes available to me at the time but usually it's by choice that I'll ride away on either one. Of the two, though, I'd just as soon straddle the RF900 than the 600, mainly because of its torquey motor and slightl y more spacious layout; however, I think the RF900- and especially the 600 - could benefit further from lower footpegs and slightly taller handlebars. A wider seat would be.nice too. I would also like to see a few more accessories on the 900, such as a fuel gauge and a clock, like most open-class sport-touring bikes have. After all, how much could a sma ll digital clock cost to install in Japan? I'd also like to see the RF600have more low-end, like the recently introduced Suzuki GSF600S Bandit. In my opinion, both RFs are some of the sweetest-looking bikes around, especially the bright -red paint on the 600. And the gold trim against the green paint on the 900 simpl y looks awesome. I could easily see myself with either bike in my garage. Kit Palmer pushing the bike. Thank God for gas stations at the bottom of steep hills. Our 900 shows over 7000 miles on the odometer, bu t despite a th in layer of road grime, thanks toa very wet winter here in Southern California, the 900 still looks good and has held up well to our abuse . Nothing on the 900 has bro ken , but some of our testers feel it has developed some small and ratherirrit ating . rattles here and there. RF600+ RF900=? Unlike th e RF600, the 900 had no problems changing gears. It shifted quite well while either under heavy acceleration or clicking down through the gears with the clutch disengaged . The clutch action, however, required significantly more squeeze from the rider's left forearm than on the 600. In fact, the pull was downri ght heavy, requiring the use of at least three fingers. The brakes were plenty strong at both ends and had decent feel. Nothin g more, nothing less. The 900's instru mentation left a little to be desire d. While it offered the same information as the dials on the 600, the speedometer's read ou t was much hard er to interpret because the numbers were made so sma ll to accommodate a reading of up to 190mph. Wishful thinkin g. As opposed to most open-class sporthe Suzuki RF line is hard to figure . Neither of OUT test bikes had the flashy paint jobs the racer-replicas end up with, so one is led to expect less aggressive riding positions, engines tuned< toward midrange grunt rather than high-rpm pOwer and suspension firm enough to keep things w~F1 controlled without punishing the rider. When you throw a leg over either of these.bikes, you realize that despite the semi-mellow (and handsome) monochromatic looks , you're really riding motorcycles that don't entirely coincide with those expectations. For my six-foot-two-inch frame, the riding positions are rather cramped, with high footpegs and low bars tha t along with too-stiff suspension make long stints in the saddle an exercise in fortitude. Credit the displacement of the . 900 'for giving it usable lowend power, but wi th the 600 don't expect to do any real .business before 7000 rpm. The saving grace for the these aggressive attributes is when the going gets twisty - both Jhese motorcycles have great manners In the turns and inspire confidence: If life were a. canyqn road, I'd be in 'heaven. Unfortunately, mJ( life is comprised ewa traffic andst tr ..... I-< 0.. -c 18 Over the last six months that we' ve had the RF600 and 900 in our possession, they have, as mentioned, become regular commuting bikes and on many occasions weekend warriors for nearly every member of our sta ff. We h ave grown . quite fond of both bikes and were relu c- (Left) Ata glance, the RF900's speedometer is hard to read because of the small numbers. (Above) The RFs are reasonably priced at $6699 for the 600 (left) and $8499 for the 900. (Right) Both bikes have a handy but non-lockable compartment on the left side of the fairing. , f ever two motorcycles wer e deserving of a new category, those } motorcycles would have to be Suzuki's RF600RS and RF9OORS. Their semi-aggressive rid ing positions and racy styling .com bined with docile yet sporty road manners compel me to place them in some imaginary sports GT or luxury streetsports category rather than associate them with the more stereotypical sportbike or sport-touring genres. I wou ld be proud to own either one of them for the same reason. But even the big and little RFs are a study in contra sts, though. And if I had to choose just one, I would rather live with the brutally smooth 600 than with the smooth brutality of the 900. While the ~'s torquey motor scored big hits with me, its extra vibration and "undergeared" feeling on the freeway did not. The 600 was simply a more polished package, and one that I could enjgy in the long haul or between stoplights. I tI.Uiik that's what . hadidnmind. Scott,Jlousseau tant to give them up. But overall, we all basically agreed that both bikes tend to lean slig htly mor e toward th e performance side rather th an comfort. Both 'come out of the crate set up with stiff suspens ions, semi-extreme ridi ng positions (especially th e RF600) and firm, nar row seats. Yet most of these things can be altered relatively easily. But no one had an y major complain ts abo ut either bike's spirited engines, or handling cha racteristics. So if yo u've got mo re "spor t" than " tou ri ng" in your blood , either of these bikes might be the one for you. While Cycle News believes the foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and slwuld not be relied upon in determining the perform ance or safety of the oehiclets) . The reader should make his or her own investigatinn .,"

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