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/128111
Kawasaki ZRX1200R VS. Yamaha FZ-1 The lRX1200's 16-valve, inline-four, liquid-cooled motor is based on the ZXII sportbike's motor but has been bored and stroked for 2001 in this application to give 1164cc of displacement. The cylinder bore has been increased from 76mm to 79mm while stroke has also bl!!l!!n incrl!!asl!!d from 58mm to 59.4mm. Kawasaki madl!! othl!!r change to last yl!!Al'S lRXII 00 in an l!!ffort to improve thl!! enginl!!. Thl!! cylinder block is now made of aluminum and is 3.3 pounds lighter than last Yl!!ars. Thl!! new pistons featurl!! conn. ..... mo .aar"'.......... cave dome and ride in nl!!W cylindl!!rs . . Ka with a wIIoppl1lll81.3 that featurl!! l!!Il!!ctroplating to hl!!lp ctiss!· IRIft '" torque b.. at 7400 patl!! heat quicker. The cylinder head RPM, IIIICI maid _ 70 IRIft of has been redesigned to improve lubri· torque from 3200-8800 RPM. cation featuring additional oll-rl!!tum passages. Feeding the engine is a bank of four Keihin 36rnm constant·velocity carbs. Kawasaki has fit a K-TRIC (Kawasaki Throttle Responsive Ignition Control) throttleposition sensor, which varies ignition timing to optimize throttle response. Exhaust is handled by a stainless-steel four-into-one header mated to a polished stainless canister. The bike is available in Califomia for the first time, and one of the features that enabled it to be legal in the Golden State is the in-pipe catalytic converter - Kawasaki claims that it doesn't rob the bike of any power. .Id, The tried-and-true air-/oil-cooled inline-four, 16-valve engine has been around for a while, but has proven to be a super reliable motor. Based on the original GSX-Rl1 00 powerplant before it was water-cooled - the motor has stood the test of time. The engine has 7gmm bore and 59mm stroke dimensions, making 1157cc of displacement. For 2001, cam timing has been altered on the exhaust side by reducing lift to help increase mid-range torque. The bike has four 36mm Mikuni carburetors that feature a throttle-posiTh. Suzuld Bandit IIIlIY have a tion sensor. This sends information to motor that .. a few ~ratiOns the computer, which then picks a 3-D old, but It responds really w.1I to ignition map, taking into account performance modifications, and's engine rpm and throttle position to practically bullet-proof. determine the best curve. Exhaust is handled by a four-intoone stainll!!ss-steel hl!!ader and aluminum canister. New for 2001, the Bandit features Pulsed Secondary Air Injection (PAIR) for improved emissions - and this is in all markets, not just California. ':10 110 '00 Suzuki GSF1200S Bandit VS. 81.a_.__ ... 11U ..... _ _ ~._ ... -}o - -- _ . 1IO I . -_ 80 _ 70 --._----- ~ . 80 S 50 ~ -40 :r 3D :10 10 0 3 5 4 6 7 RPM 0<1000) 8 10 9 11 110 ·110 100 - 100 90 - 1IO 80 • eo 70 - 70 80 -eo 50 - 50 40 - 40 30 -30 :10 • :10 to 2 3 , a 5 4 9 - '0 11 10 '2 125 Tbe Fl-l motor is based on the impressive powerplant of its cousin, the Rl. The 998cc, 20-valve, in-line four incorporates the RI's basic design philosophy, but is actually quite different in architecture. The cylinder head is completely different in order to accommodate the new 37mm Mikuni side-draft carburetors. The crankshaft is 10-percent heavier than the Rl 's in an effort to improve mid-range torque, but the bike fea· tures the same pistons and rods as the Rl, except that the Fl-l has a slightly lower compression ratio at Thev........... - ' 11.4: 1, as opposed to 11.8: 1. Bore btchnologlcally lIdvancecl motor In and stroke are exactly the same, th.. group, and . . ~ output with 74mm of bore and 58mm of figures show this with 12S.8 hp at stroke. giving both bikes 998cc of the rear wheel. displacement. Like most big-bore Yamahas, the Fl-l features an EXUP (Exhaust Ultimate Power Valve) to help boost mid-range power without sacrificing the top end. The pipe itself has stainless-steel headers and a stainless·steel canister. Like the RI, the Fl-I is liquid-cooled and features coolant lines to the carburetors to keep performance consistent in hot weather conditions. 38 JULv4, 2001 • cue' • n .... 55 - '25 100 - '00 75 -75 · . . · . . . . · . . . · . . . . . , , . -f·--·[····f-·--f---·[·---1----f--·-1----1----1--· . . . . . . . . · . . . . . . . . . · , , . . , . . . . . , . . . • • • , • o . . . . . , , ~·~t~···~····r··_·t···-r··--!----1-, , 50 . • I " , I. , I •• , • I • " " 3 4 • • , • • , s • I I • I I I , I , , , • , • -50 I • , • t • • • t "'" '" I •••• , I •• " 9 10 11 • , • , ! " 12 ...... -~ •• _ 13 0