Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

. . . ._2_0_0_S_0--,-p_e_n_-C_'_O_55_S_h_0_0_to_u_t _ 1ST: SUZUKI GSX-RIOOO (151 POINTS) No surprise here, the Suzuki GSX-R I000 is far and away the best bike in this shootout. Not only did it turn the fastest lap time by six-tenths of a second over the next bike, it had the quickest e.t. and second-fastest trap speed at the drag strip. Everyone involved voted the Suzuki his first choice in our 5ub- jectrve ratings for the racetrack, which contributed to the landslide victory more than anything. The margin may not have been as big for the street portion with the Kawasaki and Honda knocking on the door, but it was still at the top. If we had decided to give points for dyno numbers, the Suzuki would have pulled even further ahead, because it put up the best numbers there as well. There really isn't a lot more explanation needed, because most of us really like the styling on the new Suzuki, including the new exhaust canister, which is a fresh approach to styling and function. We'd call this a slam-dunk, a home run, a hole-in-one, whatever you like, and there is nothing better. 2ND: KAWASAKI ZX-IOR (lOB POINTS) 3RD: HONDA CBRIOOORR (9B POINTS) We really wanted the Kawasaki to do better in our shootout a year ago, but it was just too lively to get the job done. Last year, the lack of a steering damper combined with windy testing conditions, harsh suspension and only the third-best lap time hurt it. This year, the Kawasaki was in the middle of the road again at the racetrack but performed very well at the drag strip with the fastest trap speed of any of the bikes in the test. What really set the Kawasaki apart from the other bikes that scored below it were the subjective ratings. The ZJ<-I OR was scored second in both the street and track subjective ratings, meaning that all of us just love riding the bike and were comfortable and trusted it in all environments. That says a lot right there. The only reason that Kawasaki didn't score better at the track and on the drag strip is lack of traction. At the track, it was our fault for not getting the bike set up better earlier, but at LACR it was a case of deteriorating track conditions, as the trap speed proves. The fact that Kawasaki improved the suspension was the difference between it and the third-placed Honda. The suspension is a lot better than last year's, and isn't nearly as harsh as it was before, giving everyone more confidence on the track and street. Last year's winner, the CBR IOOORR, didn't really fall that far behind considering that it didn't make a single change of note 4TH: DUCATI 9995 (95 POINTS) 5TH: YAMAHA YZF-RI (85 POINTS) The 999S is just a tick behind the Honda in the points, and if wasn't for its last place at that damn drag strip, the Ducati may have climbed onto the podium. At Buttonwillow, the Ducati performed The problem with the Yamaha is that it has become too onedimensional to win this shootout. In the real world of street riding, stoplight drag racing and everyday livability, the RI just falls short. Last year on the racetrack, the Yamaha wowed us with its raw performance, but this year on a more stop-and-go track, the bike's midrange canyon in the power and torque curves reared its head. Sure the bike likes to go fast, and go fast it does, but there is more to a well-rounded bike than top-end performance. Some testers liked the bike on the street, and some didn't, but for the most part the Yamaha was somewhere in the middle in the overall subjective ratings. Combine that with the fact that it didn't light up our performance categories, and it finished right where it should have. very well turning the second-fastest lap of the day (2:00.99), second only to the Suzuki. The bike's excellent suspension was used by Sorensen to turn that time with far less power (29.6S hp less than the GSX-R) and torque (6.92 ft.-Ibs.less than the GSX-R) than the other bikes in the test. But what an amazing chassis the 999S has. With the best suspension and brakes of the group, it's able to hang with bikes that it really has no chance of competing directly against. This is good insight into the plight of Regis Laconi and James Toseland in the World Superbike Championship; they have a real uphill battle ahead of them. Despite the bike's hard seat and uncompromising riding position, the Ducati still managed to score fourth on our street ride. Where's the V-four Ducati? 40 MAY 18,2005 • CYCLE NEWS 6TH: MV AGUsTA F4 10005 (75 POINTS) Last but definitely not least, the MV won a couple of our hearts - and not out of sympathy - but it just didn't win enough hearts. since last year. It still retains a podium position, which in this company is a huge accomplishment. At the track, Sorensen turned his third-fastest lap on the Honda, as did Montano, and Carruthers turned his second fastest on it. The difference is how hard you have to ride the Honda to turn a quick lap on it. At least at Buttonwillow you feel like you have to ride the wheels off the Honda to turn a fast lap. The bike is obviously capable of it, but it's a lot of work. On the street, the Honda (like most Hondas) is excellent, it does everything well, and there is very little that it doesn't do. The two things that hold it back are the bike's weight and its lack of raw performance. Sure, it does everything well, but it doesn't excite the rider the same way that the Suzuki and Kawasaki do, and that hurt it in the subjective categories, where it finished fourth on the track and third on the street. Like always, the Honda is always at the top of the list when it comes to quality of fit and finish, and some of the Honda's innovations, such as the steering damper and Unit Pro-Link suspension, work really well. The MV had its highs and its lows, but the biggest high had to be the unexpected periormance it put in at the drag strip. The MV came out swinging at LACR and posted the second-fastest e.t. at the drag strip with a 9.877-second quarter-mile at 145.431 mph. Impressive stuff. We'll be honest with you and bring up our one and only testing glitch during this shootout that we're aware of. We really needed to get Sorensen back out on the bike at the end of the day to try to set a quicker time than the one he posted earlier in the day before lunch, and that was our fault. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't have changed the points much because five of us contributed to the lap time points, but it would have been nice to see how close it could get to the others. Some of the testers just couldn't get comfortable with the MV on both the track and the street, and a lot of that blame goes directly on the brakes. A fast bike, but getting it stopped is half the battle. From this point on, the MV is a bike to take very seriously: It's not just a rich guys toy. It can walk the walk.

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