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/128321
'--. 1 ,. " .. i I I ,; I i i V ! yi / ./ I -r- -+-,f--+--+--1 f i I ! i YAMAHA YZF·R I LIST PRICE DISPLAC EMENT ENGINE TYPE $1 0 .599 998cc Liquid-cooled . in-line fo ur-cylinder BORE x STROKE 74 x 58 mm COMPRESSION RATIO 11.8: I CARBURETION EFI IGN ITION Digital TCI TRANSMISSION Six-speed STARTING SYSTEM Electric FUEL CAPACITY .4.5 gal. WHEELBASE 54.9 in. RAKEITRAIL 24°/I04. 14mm SEAT HEIGHT 32.3 in. FRONT TIRE I 20f70- 17 REAR TIRE 190/ 50- 17 FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL.. .4.7 in. REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL 5 . 1 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual disc REAR BRAKE Disc FINAL DRIVE C hain CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 382 Ibs. longer than you would expect. The leversoffer plentyof adjustment, but that long-reach seating positioncan wear you out on k>nger rides - unless you get smart and elect to rest your upper body on the tank a little. Honda CBRIOOORR The Honda has to be consideredan option to The Mille was completelyupdated for 2004, including the styling, dash. seating position- just about everything was changed. So what is the verdict?The new-look Mille is a huge step forward in our opin ion. Not onlydoes the bike hav more e modern lines, but touches likethe integrated tum signals are really nice, too. The seating position is comfortable (or most stintsbutlike mostof these bikesgets old after a while. The Mille maybe the only bike in the world that has mirrors that are worse than the Ducati's. Sure, they lookgreat, but asfor rewardvision, they're a joke. Ducati 999 The Ducati 999 hasreceived a lot criticism since it was introduced. People either love or hate the styling, and sometimes you find yourself switching sides in the battle, as did managing editor Scott Rousseau, who wretched upon first sight of Pierre Terblanche's handiwork. only to changehis tune and sing its praises later. The truth is, ifyou look at manyof the bike's details individually there is no question that thereare some beautiful components here. Takethe dash for instance. not onlydoes it offerail the information you need, but it also looksamazing. The seat is hard. it offersalmost no padding, but the shape is actually reallynice and ends up remainingcomfortable for far anyone shopping for an Open-class bike based purely on fit. finish and refinement. Not onlyis the seating position fair- lycomfortable for Jonger rideson the knees andwrists, the seatitself is pretty nice. The dash on the CBRisn't as good as the one on the CBR600RRfor some reason. Why couldn't they just leave the excellent bargraph fuel gaugeon there?The levers on the Honda are completely adjustable, although the clutch is only adjustable for span because it's now a hydraulic unit. The Honda alsofeatures somethingthat has never been fitted to a production bike before, and that's the Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD), which is controlled by the bike's ECU.All we know it that it must work because no one complainedof gettingany serious headshake. Kawasaki ZX-I OR Kawasaki isstill a touch behind Honda and Yamaha when it comes to some of the details on its bikes. One thingthat everyone hates without question is the tachome- ter on the lOR, which is the same asthe one on the 6R.The LCD bar graph is a total painto read at times,especiallyif the sun is right aboveor behindyou. Another thingthat we noticedwhen riding the bike on the street is that the upper cowls buzz way more than they should on a brandnew motorcycle. The upper fairingis split into two pieces, and we found that this was the source of the rattling The Kawasakialready has a buzzy . motor, sothisbec omesquite pronounced. The sea tingposition is excellent when you're riding hard and works justfine aroundtown despite the tall tank. As for the styling. most agree that Kawasaki reallyhit a home run with the lOR. The bike is tiny, well shaped, and purposeful, not to ment that the fuel ion tank and tailsections are really attractive . Suzuki GSX-R750 There is a lot to be learned about next year's inevitably new GSX-RIOOO by looking at the 750. Suzuki is fairlypredictable in its styling, especially in the G5X-Rfamily. The GSXR600 and 750 were both updated this year. and the resultsare impressive. The 600 won our middieweight shootOUl, and the 750 shanes a lot of the same components and stylingthat its litdebrother has. The styling isallSuzu through ki and through. but that's a good thing and the bike , looksas li ht as it is. The g dashis reallynice, but the shift light is completelyuseless on the track. because not onlyis it waytoo low to see when tuckedin. it flashes white. The 750 hasa very