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SPORTING POLITICS This much is clear: American politics and the politics of building the ultimate middleweight sportbike are in diametric opposition. Time was when the ever-so-Iiberal Bill Clinton was the main man in the White House while the middleweight genre took the conservative high road, consisting mostly of street bikes that were designed to be track savvy, i.e the Honda CBR600F2, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6 and Yamaha YZF600. Fast forward to Slick Willie's upcoming exodus from the White House to make way for conservative '01 G.W. Bush, and the 600cc class finds itself in a transition of sorts as well, the radical repli-racer com· ing to the fore in protest of soft-edged, overweight, every-man machinery. With the times a-changin' the way they are, it's no wonder that the redesigned Suzuki GSX-R600 and Yamaha YZF-R6 made their presence known during our day on the Streets of Willow Springs and also when we logged some serious mileage on the streets and highways of Southern California. On the track, the Gixxer and the R6 were absolute razors, trimming the chicanes, hairpins and bowl turns of the Streets with precision. On the mean streets, the Yammie's lack of midrange punch, horrid shifting, on/off dutch and less-than-comfortable seating position made it a pain in the ass (allow me just that one, will you?). The Suzuki did its best to be well mannered around town, but its he'lvy slow-speed steering leaves it to handle daily commutes with the same passion that O.J. Simpson might wield a butter knife. The Suzi is bored with the street. It is clearly much happier at the track, in slash mode. Losing ground to the liberal sporties are the more conservative Kawasaki ZX-6R and the Triumph IT600. Last year's winner in our shootout, the Kawi is merely a victim of the times, its polished street manners and willing but not-quite-able track cred taking a back seat to the more racy mounts in the group. Shedding a few pounds would greatly enhance its image. The IT is a great streetbike that simply lacks the Kawasaki's all-around polish, and it is also more than a few steps off the lead pace at the racetrack. Triumph should update the IT's styling to make it look more like a Speed Triple or Daytona than a four-year-old Honda, give us another eight horsepower and, for God's sake, get the fuel-injection mapping right. Then you could throw in a stiffer set of fork springs and probably run right with the best in this class. Right now, the IT is a second-year design that is already too old to find favor with the younger generation that makes up the bulk of 600cc buyers. The Ducati 748 is definitely the third-party candidate in our group. The Italian machine sticks to its ideals and pays the price for it. You can applaud the bike for its uncompromising attitude on the track and the street, but just don't kid yourself into believing that it will ever be able to reach out and build a consensus with the masses. Instead, the Ducati finds a home among those who romanticize over the ideology of the pure sportbike. As such, it is less likely to appeal to a large segment of the riding public. For me, that leaves the Honda CBR600F4i, the only machine to reach middle ground in the middleweight sportbike class in 2001. Honda may have raised a few eyebrows with its decision to move the CBR across the aisle from conservative streeter to radical repli-racer, but it did so in typical Honda fashion, in moderation. The F4i's racy styling, crisp (though not perfect) fuel-injection and free-revving motor are definite improvements, while its harmonious brakes and smooth-shifting tranny enhance its electibility among your average Joe. And its knife·edge handling keeps it on par with the Suzuki and the Yamaha at the track, thus bridging the gap between road and race. It represents The Great Compromise in this year's middleweight campaign. And for that, the CBR600F4i gets my vote. EVOLUTIONARY LADDER I really thought that picking a favorite bike from this group was going to be difficult, and to a certain degree it was. Some of the bikes in this group have dearly evolved to the point of being state of the art while some of the others are still in the Neanderthal stage of motorcycle evolution. In the end, the bikes that were contenders were really no surprise to me, as they always seem to be perennial favorites. The Honda isn't all-new, but it has been refined to the point of tricking me into believing it is. I didn't expect it to be in the hunt, and surprised even myself when I picked it as my favorite streetbike. 'The motor is fantastic, and the new fuel-injection system, is close to perfect (except for the stumble just off idle). I was impressed with how quickly the bike turns-in, and how good the brakes feel. The only thing that killed it for me was Honda's usual lack of ground clearance (I hate the sound of dragging metal, even if it's only the foot-peg feelers), and the way-too-upright seating position. The Yamaha R6 is one of my favorite bikes, and I felt it would be a serious threat for top honors, and it came dose. The reason it didn't is its lack of refinement. Sure it has an awesome motor, but Honda and Suzuki did their homework this year. The Yamaha needs a little more mid-range power, and needs to refine its sloppy-shifting transmission. From a styling point of view, the R6 is still a winner; the newly redesigned tail-section is beautiful, and the rest of the bike still looks great. Which leads me to the bike that I feel is the best overall middleweight sportbike of the year - the Suzuki GSX-R600. The thing that clearly puts the Gixxer at the top of the podium is its balance. The bike has it all: a kick-ass motor, great brakes, and the most balanced chassis of the group. Suzuki has gone in a different direction than the other Japanese manufactures, and has lengthened the wheelbase of the GSX-R600. It has found a compromise between quick turn-in and mid-corner stability. The GSX-R may feel more sluggish on a really tight canyon road, but the confidence it gives you in the fast stuff makes it all worthwhile. The feel from the front end is excellent, the way the chassis and suspension cooperate mid-corner letting you know exactly what is going on with the front tire. The grunt of the motor out of tight corners is impressive, and it keeps on chugging right through the rev-range - not to mention the unbelievable intake noise that echoes up from underneath you at full throttle. When I was taking photos at the side of the track, I could hear the Suzuki approaching long before I could see it because of the amazing sound the motor makes at high revs. The GSX-R is sexy and sleek, even though it may be difficult to tell it apart from its two bigger siblings. The funny thing is that I thought that the GSX-R was one of the most comfortable bikes in the test, mostly due to the cushy seat (when was the last time a GSX-R was accused of being comfortable?). As for the others in the test, the Ducati doesn't even try to hide what it was intended for - its mission is to carve-up the racetrack, which it does really well. The Triumph is almost there, but the company has bitten off more than they can chew in this category. The IT600 is a really good streetbike, but for it to be a great bike it needs to find it's own identity. Keeping up with the Jones' in this neighborhood is really hard. Blake Conner Scott Rousseau cue I • n • _ S • JANUARY 24,2001 29