Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I:ha§§i§/Handling There is no quest ion that handling is where the middleweight class distinguishes itself above most of the other categories on the market. The bikes, for the most part , have become so light, agile and refined that their handling performance is aston ishing. The key diff re nce between this e new breed of middlewe ights and their predecessors is that racing and race te chnology have take n these bikes to all new levels of perfor mance. The biggest advantage that the middleweight bikes have over their big-bore pee rs is that there is less recipro cating mass spinning in the engines to hampe r handling. With that said, their sho rter wheelbases and , in m ost cases, more radi - cal geometry numbers allow these bikes to run circles around the big bikes. Not to mention that it' s a lot easier to feels like it's going to tank-slap, weave or get unsettled. It just glides along with an almost uncanny grace . One area that we all felt was improved on the CBR600RR over last year is the suspension's compliance on the street. Nothing was changed on the bike from last year, so maybe we got a bad apple in 200] . Last year we struggled to get the suspension to work on our road ride, as it was way too soft. This yea r ou r bike fe lt really good . On the track the suspension w orked ext reme ly we ll and offer ed good damping rat es on the bum py track. Something abo ut the CBR makes the bike feel mor e sluggish than the oth ers - maybe it's just the fact that it we ighs more (44S pounds we t) - but despite geometry numbers that dictat e ot he rwise, it isn't as sharp as the ot her Japanese bikes . The Honda's brakes aren 't anything to write hom e about. They are neither the best nor the worst, just effective at getting the job done. get 100 hp down ont o the track than 150. Kawasaki ZX·6R Ducati 749 Dark The Kawasaki ZX-6R's chassis has some great attributes and some that aren't so great. At the top of the list is the fact that the bike provides amazing feel from the front end . It communicates to the rider what the front tire is doing, and it feels extremely planted . The Kawasaki is the bike that you want to be o n when you get into a co mer way too hot and have an "oh-shit" mom e nt. Due to the faith developed in the ZX-6 R's front e nd, the bike can be trail-bra ked all the way to the apex with a ve ngeance. It really does n't care if you do it smooth ly or not because the front is so stable. The bike isn't as sharp -handling as the R6 or the GSX-R, but it offers good turn -In and excellent midcomer stability. On e com plaint that we heard repeatedly about the 6R was in reference to the bike 's suspension compliance. M ost riders felt that it is a bit on the st iffside, especially on the street. We wouldn't say it's harsh, but it definitely was borderline for street riding. O n the track it wasn't a problem at all, and we can't argue with the effectiveness of the fork, so overall the suspension is middle of the pack. The ZX· 6R's radial-mount brakes are awesome . Not only do they provide the bike with amazing stopping power, but the feel at the lever is perfect . If they are n't the best in this gro up, they are tied with the Ducati's. The Ducati 749 Dark is an interesting bike to say the least. Weighing the most (475 pounds we t) , having the longes t wheelbase, and having the most co nservative geometry. it's a wonder that the 749 is competitive at all. Howeve r, Ducati has mass ce nt ralizat ion down to a science. T he bike may be heavy, but the way in which the engine is placed in the frame and w here the we ight is distri buted make it handle far better than you would think possible. Tum-in o n the Ducati takes some time to get used to beca use it is com pletely unlike the other four bikes here . The front is very sensitive to trail-braking and weight transfer due to the bike's forward weig ht bias. It can be improved by messing w ith the clickers, but it's still sensitive . On the other hand, the bike flops into comers with amazing ease, and the Showa suspension is exce llent. As for the brakes, they are as good as it gets in this gro up. They have excellent power and fee l, despite the bike's heavier weight . Honda CBR600RR The CBR600RR fee ls "like it has a huge steering damper on the e ntire motorcycle," as Montano put it. Everyth ing abo ut the Hond a feels solid. The chassis is stable and solid, but it could be argued that it doesn't provide the rider with as much feedback as the ot her bikes. However, the bike can always be trus ted because it never feels on edge . It neve r Suzuki GSX-R600 The GSX-R is the new kid on the block. After sitting around last yea r getti ng its butt handed to it by new bikes from Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Suzuki wasn't about to let his- www.cycienEWs.com tory repeat itself.The biggest change that was made in terms of handling was to redu ce the wheelbase fro m 5S.1 to 54.7 inches. The tra il was reduced from 96mm to 9]mm, while the rake remains the same at 24 degree s. The Suzuki has lost five pou nds off of its dry weight, but it carries more fue l than it did before, so we t weight is only one pou nd lighter than last year 's bike. Suzuki has gone to grea t lengths to sharpen the bike. The GSX-R feels a lot mo re like - dare we say - the class-leading R6. The Suzuki still doesn't turn as quickly as the Yamaha, but with its stee ring dam per it has a lot mor e sta bility combined with its quick turn- in - the best of both worl ds. The GSX-R has the best suspe nsion withou t a doubt. The fork and the rear shock ar e both plush on the str eet, and yet there is more than eno ugh damp ing and spring to handle a bumpy racetrack. O nce again, it's a good com bination of overall balance . The Suzuki has excellent front-e nd feel and gives the ride r a lot of confidenc e when bombing into a corner on the brakes. Speaking of the brakes, they are right the re with the best . They are differe nt in chara cter than the other bikes' but offer excellent powe r. The fron t calipers are radial-mou nt four-piston units with 300mm rotors pumped by a new radial-piston master cylinder. The Suzuki's lever str oke is a bit longer than the others, but the power isimpressive. Yamaha YZF·R6 Ifshoo to uts we re won on handling alone. the R6 would easily be the winner. Not only does the bike have substa ntially less trail than the co mpe tition, but it also has the short est wheelbase. When it comes to track worthi ness, the R6 is the bike of choice not only for privateers and club racers, but also for AHA Supers port Champion Jamie Hacking. Nothing turn s more quickly than the R6, and that translates to the str ee t as well as on the track. The compromise is that the bike is twitchie r than the othe rs. Its lack of a steering damper is nice on the street because it is amazingly agile, but there are times o n the track that a damper would be welcome. The R6 is the go-kart of the bunch; it just begs you to slam it into eve ry corn e r be cau se you can get away w ith it. The suspe nsion on the R6 is excellent . Not only is it we ll balance d and plush on the street, but it does the business on the track as well. Non e of our teste rs ever complained abo ut the brakes on the R6 for good reaso n; the mono block fourpiston calipers are still exce llent . CYCLE NEWS • MARCH 31 , 2004 17

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