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/128151
OPINIONS The GSX-R1000 was by far my favorite bike on the market last year, and I managed to put almost 10,000 miles on the thing before Suzuki managed to pry it out of my fingers. I went into this test with that built-in affection for the Suzuki already in the back of my mind, but I also had a recently acquired, renewed love affair with the R1. That's why I was so surprised that I liked the new Honda so much. Then, just to add to the confusion, I didn't mind the Kawasaki as much as I did last year either. What it all came down to was the fact that the Yamaha is such an awesome, well-balanced bike. The Yamaha's fuel-injection system is now on par with the excellent systems that have been fitted to Ducatis for years now. It's by far the most refined, most responsive system on any Japanese inline-four to date. The fact that the Yamaha now has power that Is creeping toward the Suzuki's didn't hurt a bit, either. As far as handling goes, the Yamaha is by far the best compromise between handling, stability, and suspension compliance. I think I just decided to dump the love of my tife (not my fiancee Karen, of course), the GSX·R 1000, and move up to the hottest two-wheeled slut on the road, the RJ. I better call Yamaha up and tell them that I just started a project Rl, and they're not getting it back for a while. Blake Conner When the sun set on our track-test day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I was left feeling a lot Jike Peter Fonda's character just before he met his demise in the cult classic Easy Rider: I had come in search of the perfect open sportbike, and I couldn't find it anywhere. Sure, the Suzuki GSX-Rlooo had the edge in the motor department, just like Bob Falfa's '55 Chevy had on Milner in American Graffiti, but the Suzuki's heavy-handed steering and bogus binders left me wondering if I'd end up upside-down in a field off one of the Classic Course's tighter turns. The Kawasaki displayed all the pleasantry of Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven - right up until the time that it was pushed hard. Then it got just about as omary as Clint did when he faced Gene Hackman. The Honda CBR954RR's fuel injection hiccupped like the late, great Dudley Moore in Arthur, but was as fleet of foot as .Baryshnikov and Hines in White Knights. That leaves the Yamaha YZF-Rl, the Superman of the Open Class this year. It's faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive (as long as that train doesn't say Suzuki on the side of it) and is able to leap tall buildings In a single bound. All of this In a Clark Kent-like package that is, well, gee Lois, way too refined for me. I like my superheroes to have an attitude, more like TIm Burton's Batman, or The Incredible Hulk. Yes, the R1 is the best, but whatever happened to that noisy, snarling, Ford Cobra-like Rl that we originally came to know and love? As 01' Captain America himself might say, "They blew it, man. They really blew it." Scott Rousseau I was Destry Abbott, and I didn't really care to be. Allow me to explain. Turn six on the outside track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is fast Well over 100 mph on most motorcycles. Definitely over 100 mph on these four. While riding the ZX-9R, I found myself heading into tum six at a speed greater than which I felt comfortable. Actually. it wasn't the speed that caused me discomfort - it was the simple thought of crashing at that speed. Perhaps I could have made it, but I'll never know. Faced with the possibility of crashing when flicked in through the fast right-hander, I opted for choice number two: an early exit It seemed like the better of the two options at the time. Since I've been spending more time on the dirt than the pavement lately, I figured, "What the hey?" So, olf I went through the desert at over 100 mph, pretending I'd get leprosy if I touched the brakes. Although I got off the bike shaking like Daryl Strawberry at church camp, I realized later that the experience wasn't so bad. The bike behaved rather well, all things considered. I'm not sure what this really has to do with the shootout, but when you survive something like that, you tend to want to talk about it. There, I'm done. Last year, I fell in love with the GSX-Rlooo's power. I crashed it, but still liked it. This year, I found it hard to resist the lure of the RJ. It has it all. Power, handling, looks... The Honda is also right there. After the intro for the 954RR, I felt it was the bike to beat. And it held its own. Yamaha just got it right with the Rl this year. So right that's its difficult to find a flaw. The Kawasaki. Hey, it lags a bit behind the competition in nearly every departm.ent. But it's still a competent motorcycle. And I can't forget our wild little ride through the desert. I guess you can say we bonded. Paul Carruthers CONCLUSION Uke we said at the start of the story, the bike that was going to be declared the winner in this shootout had to be the most well-rounded bike of the group. It couldn't just be the most powerful or best handling, it had to have positive traits of everything listed above. We were all a bit surprised at the racetrack with how much we liked the Honda, although the Yamaha wasn't much of a surprise at all. The Suzuki surprised us on the track in a negative way, namely how far it had slipped back in the presence of the new RI and the Honda. As for the Kawasaki, it's a really good bike despite its aged components and engine, it just can't keep up with the Joneses right now. Of course, the Suzuki's horsepower still makes it one of the most fun bikes ever on the street. The hooligan factor can't be denied, and the bike is actually really comfortable. Once again, the bike's slow steering makes it a bit more of a handful in the tight stuff, but if it's wheelies you want, the GSX-R is the bike for you. But, when it comes down to the best all around bike, the Yamaha YZF-Rl is the winner. It's not far off of the GSX-R in the motor department, and it runs circles around it in terms of handling. The R1 also outgrunts the Honda and has the best suspension and brakes in the group. The Rl is a no-brainer, really, and that's what makes it Cycle News' Open-Class Shootout winner. SPECIFICATIOHS HONDA CBR954RR UST PRICE DISPLACEMENT ENGINE TYPE BORE X STROKE COMPRESSION RATIO CARBClRET!ON IGNmON TRANSMISSION STARTING SYSTEM FUEL CAPACITY WHEELBASE RAKE/TRAIL SEAT HEIGHT FRONT TIRE REAR TIRE FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL FRONTBRAKE REAR BRAKE FINAL DRIVE CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT $10,599 954cc Uquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder KAWASAKI Niqja ZX-9R $9,499 899cc Uquid-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC in-lirte four-cylinder, four-stroke 75x 50.9mm 12.2:1 (4) 40mm Keihin Digital Six-speed Electric 5.0 gal. 56.6 in. YAMAHA SUZUKI GSX-RIOOO YZF-Rl $10,399 988cc Uquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder, four-stroke, DOHC, TSCC 73 x 59mm $10,299 998cc Uquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder 74 x 58mm 11.8:1 EFI DigitalTCI Six-speed Electric 7 gal. 54.9 in. 12.0:1 Fuel injection Digital CDI Six-speed, constant-mesh Electric 4.8 gal. 55.5 in. 24°/96.5 31.9 in. 120/70-17 190/50- 17 4.7 in. 5.3 in. Dual disc Disc Chain 24°/130mm 32.0 in. 120/70-17 190/50-17 5.3 in. 5.1 in. Dual disc Disc Chain 3821bs. 32.3 in. 120/70-17 (58W) 190/50- 17 (73W) 4.9 in. 5.1 in. Dual hydraulic disc Single hydraulic disc Chain (RK525) 374 Ibs./376 Ibs. (CA model) 409.2Ibs. cue. e n e _ S • APRIL 24, 2002 41