Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

"'I I lit '" e rrlli.llt. When I was asked to take part in the "Cycle News Middleweight Shootout," I was more than happy to assist. On the first day we bombed the bikes around the Streets of Willow. The Yamaha had the quickest steering of any of the bikes and would tum in on a dime. The suspension was good, and the bike was well composed over the bumps and transitions, but it felt vague in the front. You really had to rev the R6 to get to in the power band as well. The brakes worked a little too well; you could lock it up if you pulled too hard. They needed to give you a more linear feel. The Honda is totally different from past models with your body weight more forward, like the R6. The steering was heavy and took a lot of effort to tum in, but the CBR was very stable and offered plenty of damping. As always the spring rates were too soft, so we had to tum the preload up to max at both ends. The brakes worked well, but I could feel the front wanting to fold because of the soft springs. The Honda hauls ass at the top of the rev range, but the abrupt throttle response was a problem on the Honda and Yamaha. They both need to work on their fuel injection. I think the Honda is the coolest looking of the bunch. Kawasaki, on the other hand, has done its homework in the fuel-injection department. Throttle response is very smooth, and the 636's power is especially good. The suspension on both Kawasakis was good; if anything, I had to lighten it up to make them more bump compliant. The brakes kick ass, no comparison. It's too bad for Suzuki, because the GSX-R is still a great bike. It did everything well, but it has just fallen behind a bit this year. The Ducati, on the other hand, was great, but it showed up too late. I got to give it one good flogging, and that's aU I needed. Right out of the box it felt better than any of the other bikes on the track. I know the Ducati was tardy, but I still felt it was the best on the track. In Malibu, we each took a tum flogging the bikes in the canyons. This is where the Yama· ha really stepped to the front. Its quick steering and light feel made it easy to negotiate on all of the roads. The only setback was the less-than-perfect throttle response and lack of midrange power. The Honda was no better on the street because of the nature of the roads. Bumps, tight curves and trail braking really upset the CBR • combined with the hard hit of the throttle was no fun. We did get the suspension a little friendlier in the front, but once again it took a lot of fine tuning. The Honda's seat is even worse than the infamous Ducati seat. Kawasaki had a very good arsenal coming into the street ride, with excellent throttle response, great power, and a very friendly riding position and superb brakes. The ZX-6R was a pleasure to ride. Of course the Ducati was right in there. It, too, had all the features that made the Kawasaki a front· runner, except in the tighter sections the 749's suspension could have been lightened up a bit. I did like the bike's big midrange. In the end I would say the Kawasaki made the most sense, but the Ducati is a better bike for me. Tom Montano As I mentioned in the story, after riding the bikes at the "Streets," I was completely confused as to which bike I liked the most. At that point I knew I liked the 636, R6 and the CBR, but in which order I would place them was a little bit foggy. This is why the street portion of these tests is so important. After the day in Malibu and after an additional week commuting on the bikes, the data was starting to trickle in and get sorted out in my brain. As a bona·fide horse· power addict, it's hard to ignore the 636's motor. On the other hand, I really appreciate a bike that handles like the R6. To top it off, both of those bikes also do everything else well. If I were purchasing a bike in this class and money wasn't an object, I could lean toward the Ducati 749S. I can't put my finger on it, but there is something about that bike that I'm in love with, and my passionate side tells me that's the one. Then there is the 636, and my logi. cal side kicks in and reminds me how much cheaper and more practical the Kawasaki is. The 636 makes so much more power across the rev range than the others that it's by far the easi· est to ride on the street. Leaving stoplights and passing cars is a piece of cake with that extra torque. As I said earlier, if you compare the 636's power curve to the others, it isn't even fair. I'm not talking about peak power, I'm talking about the power you really use, like the mid· range. I'll take that extra 10 horsepower, at 8000 rpm any day; it makes for great secondgear wheelies. Another thing to consider is that the 636 carries the least weight per horse· power of any bike here, as Larry Laye's dragstrip times proved. There is just way too much data telling me that the 636 is really the bike for me, so passion be damned, I'm going with my gut feeling and saying that the 636 is by far the best bike here. A decision that wasn't really as hard as I just made it sound. Blake Conner Suzuki GSX·R600 CBR600RR There's a young guy at my gym who somehow found out what I do for a living. As is normally the case when such a discovery is made, the questions follow. Lots of 'em. Motorcycle ques· tions. This guy is a streetbike nut who owns a Kawasaki ZX·7R. When he found out that we'd recently completed our Middleweight Sportbike Shootout, he wanted some answers. Man, how good is that Honda? How much does the Suzuki weigh compared to the others? I knew it would come down to the question I hate more than any others: What should I buy? It's really at this point that you have to do some soul searching. Here's a guy who you are going to see all the time, and you're about to give him advice that could come back to haunt you. I dug deep, and it was then that I really knew what motorcycle, in my mind at least, had won our Middleweight Sportbike Shootout. I looked him straight in the eye and told him that the bike for him was the Kawasaki ZX-6R. This guy has no interest in going racing. If he did, I would have told him to buy either the trick new Honda or the equally racetrack·ready Yamaha R6. This guy, however, is your regu· lar streetbike rider. He rides to work, and for fun he spends his weekends ripping around canyons. How could I not tell him to go and buy the ZX-6R. It will give him the torque and power that he's used to with his 750, yet he'll immediately notice that the bike is a 600 in feel and handling. How perfect is that? I know both Honda and Yamaha did a lot of work, and their efforts showed tenfold in the 600cc Supersport race at Daytona. One of those bikes will surely win the title, and really that's what they set out to accomplish. The guy at the gym, however... well, he doesn't even know who Miguel DuHamel is. Paul Carruthers So here's the deal: I'm going to cheat a little with my picks for this year's Middlweight Sport· bike shootout. Hey, I'm not the first to do it. Starting from the rear, I'd have to say that the Suzuki GSX·R600, like every 600cc class winner that gets left behind in the development cycle by newer machines, is still a fantastic bike that does everything well, just not good enough to see it remain at the top of this heap. Two years ago, the GSX·R set new standards for power and handling in the 600cc class. Now it is the old standard. Next highest for me • and we're talking about a chasm as large as the gap between heaven and Hades now, comes the Honda CBR600RR. When you get right down to it, the RR represents, to me, a classic case of being careful what you wish for. Uke many of you, I lament· ed the fact that Honda perennially shunned the 600cc repli·racer in favor of a more comfortable, more civil, though nonetheless racetrack·capable 600. Now Honda wants to play hardcore, and I have to admit, the new RR is a bit too hardcore for me. It's not as comfortable, and it's more high-strung. And by the way, what's up with the 20 extra pounds of weight? Give me the ground clearance of that high exhaust and the awesome motor of the new RR in F4j surroundings, and it would have been the winner. We're splitting hairs now, and next comes the YZF-R6, my runner·up choice in this year's battle. There's a lot to like in the Yamaha, namely that it's redesigned and lightened chassis offers up an improved version of the classic, razor-like handling built into all the YZR-R mod· els since day one. I wish it had a little more off the bottom, but that's all I'm left wishing for, because this machine just feels right to me. By the way, kudos to Yamaha for not screwing up a good bike by frtting it with a bad EFt system. That leaves my co-winners, the Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) and the ZX-6RR • told you I was going to cheat. After aU, we never have a tie in our shootouts, and the Iimited·edition RR wasn't even officially a part of this year's battle. We had one on hand, though, and I loved it. The RR impressed me with its petite feel, quick handling, the best fuel injection of the bunch, and the most awesome brakes to be found on any sportbike to date. The thing is, unless your riding calendar includes beaucoup track days and AMA·level 600 Supersport racing, the RR simply isn't necessary. For everyone else, the 636's excellent bottom end and midrange torque, combined with all the positive attributes of the RR, make it the best "600cc' sportbike around. Even if it is cheating. Scott Rousseau Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) Yamaha VZF-R6 TORGUE 50 - - 1.--;: , - i/ 45 ,, 30 , 20 ,.... " ,/ /' r<' 25 -" --- . / 40 35 --- ... , 110 100 , 60 I 5 o 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 RPM (X1000) Kawasaki 636.46.8 ft-Ib @ 10,750 rpm Honda CBR600RR - 46.3 ft-Ib @ 11,000 rpm 11 12 13 14 15 , -- - , ,, 50 40 30 20 10 , 10 , 70 , 15 , 90 80 -, /r r - / - ............ , ""'- " r--.:..' - , , / / / --- -;,.:;--. '\ / • ",j I , I • I "J o 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 8 9 RPM (X1000) 11 12 13 14 15 Yamaha VZF·R6 - 44.8 ft-Ib @ 11,500 rpm Suzuki GSX·R 600 - 45.5 ft-Ib @ 10,750 rpm cycle neVIl's MARCH 26. 2003 25

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