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
ENGINElTRAllSMISSION Honda CBlW54RR Honda tried to step up to the plate with another new bike this year. For the fourth time, it has increased the displacement of its biggest CBR sportbike. The RR started life at 893cc, then grew to 919cc, then 929cc. For 2002, it jumps to 954cc. Unfortunately, the Honda isn't the most powerful bike here (130.8 hp/68.7 It.flbs. of torque), as a matter of fact, it's the third most powerful of the four bikes we dyno'ed, despite the displacement increase, and it's two horsepower down on the CBR929RR we dyno'ed a year ago. Throttle response is much improved on the 954RR, but, unfortunately, it still isn't perfect. It still exhibits a bit of a hesitation when you pick up the throttle exiting a comer, which can unsettle the chassis at times, but it is pretty close to the excellent RI. It may be the way the bike is geared, but the 954 has a nice hit in the midrange when coming out of the corners (or simply as a product of the bike's lack of weight), but you can feel that it just doesn't offer the power in the nether regions of the rev-range like some of the other machines do. The transmission felt good in most situations, but the one place that it was hesitant was under full-power acceleration. If you preloaded the shifter and cracked off the throttle for an upshift, it would sometimes refuse to shift, forcing you to use the clutch. BOTTOM LINE: The Honda motor is almost there. If it were 1000cc and had cleaner pick up from off idle, it would probably win the entire shootout. Kawasaki ZX·9R The ZX-9R has the smallest motor in this class, but it didn't feel as far off the pace on the Las Vegas track as it did at Willow Springs last year. However, that is to be expected because of the tight confines of the Vegas track in comparison to the ultra-fast Willow Springs. The Kawasaki was able to use its decent mid·range grunt to keep up with its more-muscular rivals coming out of the tight comers. Hit the fast back straight, however, and the Kawi was noticeably slower. It simply fell on its face horsepowerwise, giving away too much due to its lack of displacement. One thing that Kawa~ki has failed to address since the bike was redesigned a couple of years ago is the poor throttle response coming off idle. The ZX-9R is the only bike in the class that still uses carburetors, and you would think that with so many years of experience they would respond better, but they just don't. The ZX-9R has a wonderful transmission, probably the slickest shifting of the group. It never felt notchy or clunky, and dutch action was linear and smooth. BOTTOM LINE: Kawasaki needs to embrace fuel injection and increase the displacement of the bike to be competitive. When are we going to see the ZX-IOR? 5uzI*j GSX"," 000 The thou' that made 147.5 horsepower at the rear wheel on the dyno, 8.6-horsepower more than its closest rival. Enough said. Not much has changed for '02. The Suzuki is still the king of the dyno, as none of the other manufacturers were capable of stepping up to the plate, at least to the degree needed to beat or match the GSX-R. The Suzuki's power is still awe-inspiring, even after a year of getting accustomed to it. It is so intoxicating that, every time you crack the throttle, you grin from ear to ear. During this year's test, Jeff Haney, our buddy and test rider from the Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School, laid one of the longest blackies I've ever seen - exiting a second-gear corner. Haney must have painted a 50-yard, crescent-shaped stripe with the rear tire. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, we had to stop on the track a lap later and IIIugh our asses off because we couldn't believe for how long the brutish Gixxer had gone up in smoke. The one lIrea in which Suzuki fell behind this yellr is the bike's throttle response, which is unchanged from last year. It's just that, this year, Honda and Yamaha mllde theirs so good thllt it makes the Suzuki look sluggish. The slight hiccup in the mapping that was acceptable Illst year loses points this time. One minor detail thllt has changed is thllt the fast-idle lever has been quietly removed from the left handlebar. The bike now starts with ease, settling automatically into a faster idle and then settling down and getting ready to ride very quickly. It's the only way to go these days. The GSX-R's transmission felt very slick, with nice shift action and positive engllgement all of the time. BOTTOM LINE: Still the baddest motor of the bunch, nothing compares to it. The fuel injection could use better mapping. It was acceptable last year, but now it has become second rate. It's still the king of the hill. Yamaha "YZF-R I The Rl has never been accused of being a wimp, but thllt didn't stop Suzuki from throwing sllnd in its face last year anyway. Sheer power obviously wasn't Yamaha's biggest concem for '02, though, as company engineers had their hands full with the fuel-injec· tion system that they were sticking on the Rl for the first time. However, the R1 picked up 4.5 hp from the bike we dyno'ed last year, and a bit of torque as well. Yamaha has wisely sat around the past couple of years and watched how the other manufacturers dealt with the problems that inevitably arose when fuel injecting a motorcycle. [n doing so, Yamaha has learned from the others' mistakes. In issue #10 (March 13, 2002) we went into more detail on the fuel-injection system after our first ride on the RI, but, in short, the throttle boclies use vacuum slides, similar to those found in a CV (constant velocity) carburetor, instead of a computer-controlled, secondary butterfly valve like the Suzuki's. Does it work? Hell yeah, it works! The Yamahll's throttle response is as good as last year's cllrburetors were, and that's to say excellent. When [ rode the bike in Spain last month, [ was impressed, but [ really needed to ride the bike back to back with the others to be sure. Now I'm positive - the Yamaha's injection provides the best feel and response of any of these four bikes. The Rl doesn't have the power of the Suzuki, but the RI's throttle can be opened a lot sooner exiting a comer, making up for what it loses in power with drivability. Power is smooth and linear and pulls cleanly right up to the 11,750-rpm redline. The Yamaha's transmission could still use some improvement, liS you have to get your technique just perfect to get it to shift smoothly. Uke every RI before it, it just feels a bit notchy compared to the others. BOTTOM LINE: Not the most powerful motor in the group, but close. More of 1I Bruce Lee than a Mike Tyson, the Rl gets the job done with finesse over force. ENGINE PODIUM: 1. SU:wki 2. Yamaha 3. Honda 4. Kawasaki Our editor, and offtclal aportblke- of..f-road teater, Paul "Deatry" Canvlhera ah_ ua how to k_p the R1 on the racing line.