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/127977
to be in how stiff!y sprung the bikes are, the Honda being the softer of the two, leading to more movement when you begin to explore the limits. Overall, however, the Honda was easier to ride fast than the GSX-R, based simply on how much better the engine response was and how much alike the chassis capability was. A novice tester felt that the Honda was the bike he had his best laps on, while Haney was having a hard time choosing between the Yamaha and Honda as the best bike on the track. Most testers rated the brakes a little behind both the Suzuki and the Yamaha, with Haney having this to say: "The Honda brakes were two-stage. Initial bite was less than with others but once they were on, they were on." The Kawasaki presented the opposite difficulty from the one we had with the Suzuki. The ZX-6R's supersmooth powerplant seems to deny its displacement. There was a minute amount of off/on throttle hesitation at small openings (similar to how the Yamaha behaved) but it was otherwise brilliant. Beautifully linear in its output yet offering an extremely powerful pull, it begged to be revved, and we obliged. Unfortunately, the ZX-6R's chassis wasn't quite as willing as its engine. We complained about front-end feel last year and it's still a problem. We're talking a very small degree as compared to the other bikes, but it is distant enough in its feel to make you wonder a little what exactly is happening with the contact patch. Every rider also complained abou t the excess movement at the rear, from the slowest guys to the fastest. It didn't seem to slow anyone down too much, but trying to work a pass on someone of similar skill level while you were on the Kawasaki wasn't very easy, particularly if you tried to do so on the brakes. As ·the only bike with six-piston calipers, one really expects more from the frd'nt binders on the ZX, but they felt dull and not nearly as strong as the Suzuki's. ft wa , however, "instantly fun to ride," said Haney. AFTER TAKING MY INITIAL RIDE ON THE YAMAHA YZF-R6 AT THE Phillip Island GraJ1d Prix track in Australia at the end of last year, I was convinced that building a better 600 than this one would be impos ible. It simply couldn't be done. I'd just ridden the perfect motorcycle. . Then we did our Shootout at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and I quickly found out that the problem with nice motorcycles like these are that they're too nice. Either that, or I need to check myself into some sort of a rehab program for those who are too easily pleased. When it comes to riding motorcycles of this quality, I tend to like 'em all. In Vegas, I rode the Ducati 748 first. T loved it. In fact, r thought it was the best sportbike I'd ever ridden. Then Tjumped on the Yamaha and my relationship with it was instantly rekindied. It was love a t second sight. Then I rode the GSX-R600. Man, these brakes are great. This thing is the bomb. Get rid of the jetting problem, and this is the greatest sportbike I've ever ridden - at least since those last laps on the Yamaha and Ducati. Next up was the new Honda. Wow! This thing is hagadelic, baby. I've never ridden a bike with smoother carburetion, power in all the right places, the perfect riding position. Pinch me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain this is the best sportbike I've ever ridden. . Then I threw my leg over the Kawasaki. Suddenly my fuzzy memory bank was jarred. Ah, this is it: awesome power, blazingly fast. eeds better brakes, but easily one of the greatest sportbikes ever built by mankind. So after spending a day on the race track with five of the most complete motorcycles built, you can see that I'm a complete and utter mess - yet I'm supposed to decide which one I like best. Tcan't. . Well, a day on the roads of Southern California should fix all that, I figured. One of these babies will instantly distinguish itself from the rest. '. It didn't. Although it feels like a huge cop-out and I'rit probably going to be crucified by my motojournalist peers who will tear all five of these bikes to shreds in the next few months, J honestly couldn't tell you which one of these bikes you should run out and purchase. Put the fancy brochures in a hat and pull one out. Then go buy it. You'lJ love it. I did. PAUL CARRUTHERS 14 DUCATI748 HONDA CBR600F4 • 1' / -----. .~, -' KAWASAKI ZX-6R SUZUKI GSX-R600 • YAMAHA VZF-R6 Dynojet Research (8001992-4993) provided a portable Model 200 dyno setup at LBs Vegas Motor Speedway, and sent technical specialist Michael Belcher (pictured aboVeI out to run the bikes for us. Yamaha barely won the peak-power stakes with Its 93.9 hp to the Kawasaki's 93.3. The Honda clocked up 90 even, with the Suzuki next on 89.5, though the GSXR did have the highest torque figure of the four-cylincler bikes. The DuelIlI exhibited the torque th8t Its _ displacement provides, _ .... _ cranking out 85.3 hp.