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The Suzuki GSX-R is available in twa color combinations, the Blue and White that we have and a Silver/Black combination. iets you know that it is planted. The 9SX-R has a slight tendency to understeer off throttle, which on the street isn't that big of a deal, but it's there. As for the suspension, it's a close caB as well. The R 1 feels really plush, and yet the damping rates are excellent. Another thing that Tom commented on was that the balance between the front and rear suspension is excellent; the bike doesn't see-saw back and forth when going from on-throttle to off and back on again. The GSX-R's suspension is harsher than the Rl's in terms of compliance, but at the same time it offers a ton of feedback from the front tire. The feedback not only provides the rider information about cornering grip but allows the rider to feel impending lock-up under hard braking with ease. One thing in defense of the GSXR's harsher suspension is the fact that the chassis arguably has to deal with more power than the Rl 'so We realize that the Rl is very close to the GSX-R in terms of ultimate power, but some invisible barrier gets crossed with the GSX-R that increases the demands of the chassis exponentially. It feels like it would tie itself into a pretzel if it weren't so stiff. One thing to mention bere is that we conducted the street portion of the test on each bike's stock tires with typical street-tire pressures. One thing that was noticeable on the street ride was that the GSX-R's throttle response - as we keep alluding to - still isn't quite on par with Yamaha's. It's not as big a deal as it was on the first generation of the Suzuki, but it's noticeable when you're trying to settle the bike on the throttle midcomer and when wicking it up on the exit. If you only rode the GSX-R, it wouldn't bother you a bit, but when you swap back and forth between the two bikes, it becomes noticeable. Like we've said over and over, the Rl 's injection feels like a set of perfectly set up carbs, which is the way it should be. The brakes weren't even an issue on the street. They are both excellent. Last year's. GSX-R had terrible brakes for a bike as capable as it is, but the problem has been solved by the addition of the excellent new radialmounted calipers. The R 1 's monoblock calipers are still the bomb - it's hard to find much better brakes than either of these bikes'. Sportbikes aren't meant to be comfortable for the long haul, but the GSX-R is definitely the roomier bike. The seating position is more relaxed and may favor riders over six feet tall, not to mention that the seat is really cushy and soft and offers a nice comfortable shape. The Rl feels tiny, which is great when ripping through the canyons. The R 1's seat isn't quite as soft, and the seating position is either a love or hate affair depending on your height and girth. I could care less to be honest - either of them works for me - and Tom liked the Rl. The Yamaha VZF-R1 is available in three color combinations, Blue, Silver/Black, and Black with Red flames. The mirrors are sportbike mirrors; what else can we say? They show you some of what is behind you, although the Suzuki's aren't bothered as much by engine vibration as the R1'so One thing that has to be men· tioned is that the R 1 really pours the heat on the rider in slow-moving-traffie situations. If it's a hot day and you're tooling along or sitting too long at a stoplight, the heat is unbelievable. The frame itself heats up to purgatory-like temperatures, but it should keep squids from wearing shorts on the bike. The choice depends on where and how you ride your bike. If time in the canyons carving the twisties is the norm, then the Rl is hard to beat. The sheer performance of the GSX-R is well worth the pdce of admission in almost every situation. When it comes down to it, they are almost neck and neck on the street, b.ut the Suzuki really made us smile. THE STREETS OF WILLOW SPRINGS No matter which local track we decided to ride on for this portior of the test, it was going favor one bike or the other. We like The Streets because unlike the big track at Willow Springs it actually has places where you use the brakes, and it puts a premium on a variety of handling traits, and the suspension gets a mighty workout from the bumpy surface. After our day on the street, we had as many questions as answers, so we were reaBy hoping to fill in the blanks with the information gained from the track. Southern California's MTC (Motorcycle Training Center) invited us to attend one of the many track days that they conduct each year (go to www.motorcycletraingcenter.com for dates). After our day on the street Tom and I swapped out the stock street tires and replaced them with the stickiest buns that Dunlop has to offer, the D208 GP-A (see sidebar). We took to the track for the better part of the day, flogging the hell out of the bikes and ourselves in the desert heat. A couple of things were apparent right away on the track. First of all, both bikes felt unbelievably fast on the tight and demanding track, but neither was a handful by any means. Due' e The motors on both bikes felt really strong, but the Suzuki just felt like it was a lot faster in terms of pure acceleration. One issue we had with the Suzuki on the track was that the fuel-injection system is slightly jumpy when picking up the throttle out of corners; no surprise there. But it's also no surprise how nice the bike's power curve is. It just builds in a seamless rise that feels never-ending - once p~st the little glitch. One area where the Suzuki just spanks the Yamaha is the manner in which the bike shifts. Each and every shift on the GSX-R is as smooth as butter, while the R 1 's transmission is a bit more on the clunky side. It's no new tale that the Rl's gearbox is rough, it's just a tale we're sick of hearing. Sorry to be repetitive, but the most impressive attribute about the R 1 's motor is the fuel-injection system. The vacuum-slide throttle bodies are simplistic yet extremely effective in delivering the fuel in the most linear of manners. The Rl doesn't have the same hit as the GSX-R, but it's very smooth. There is no doubt which bike is more agile on the track: It's easily the Rl. As we mentioned above, this is where one bike might have an advantage over the other. The GSX-R was absolutely a blast on the track, but it had a tendency to plow wide and understeer early in the corner. It wouldn't bite down on the tight line as well as the Yamaha. On the other hand the GSX-R is as stable as an old-married couple in the fast stuff. The bike really likes the fast sweeping corners and shook its head far less going through the fast chicane than the Rl did. It could be argued that if we had done the test on the fast "big" track at Willow Springs, the GSX-R would easily walk away from the Yamaha, but we didn't so get over it. As for the suspension, both bikes are suspended very well. The Rl seems plusher than the Suzuki, but we wouldn't dare say soft - it's compliant. The Suzuki on the other hand is a bit harsh, more like a race bike than anything, the harder you ride it the more responsive it becomes. Overall I would say that the Yamaha's combination of chassis geometry and spring rates were excellent for the n e _ S • JULV 30, 2003 33