2004 Superbike Smackdown - Motorcycleusa.Com

2004 Superbike Smackdown - MotorcycleUSA.com 2004 Superbike Smackdown 3/27/2004 Street-legal Superbikes Go At It On The Road By Kevin Duke Photos by Eric Putter Although 600cc supersport machines continue to be the sales leader among sporting streetbikes, 2004 is undoubtedly the year of the Literbikes. Three exciting fresh-sheet designs have emerged this year to rival the class overlord Suzuki GSX-R1000. But lest you imagine yourself ready for these Superbikes, we'd like to remind you that the least powerful in this musclebound quartet produces 148 horsepower at the rear wheel. This kind of power undoubtedly makes them fun to ride, but it's serious fun. As in: "Don't lose focus with me, twerp, or you'll be showing your insurance card to hospital staff before you can even remember what my redline is!" How serious? Consider the new AMA Superstock class for these Literbikes. At Daytona earlier this month, Ben Spies rode his lightly modded GSX- R1000 to a qualifying time quicker than the 2003 Superbike pole, set by Ben Bostrom on a full-works Honda RC51! So, for those of you who believe this class of bikes is pure overkill for the street, we'd have to agree to a certain extent. But for outer-limits riders – the kind of people who might like to juggle chain saws as a hobby – nothing will get adrenaline coursing through veins like this 600-horsepower group. Historians will recall that it was Honda that first featured a big motor in a middleweight-size chassis when it unveiled the CBR900RR in 1992. The The Kawasaki ZX-10R and Yamaha R1 make up stumpy little bike was a smash, and it took until two-thirds of the fresh new players in the hotted-up 1998 for a worthy rival to enter the scene when literbike segment ruled mercilessly by Suzuki's Yamaha released its sexy and potent YZF-R1. The stout GSX-R1000. One remained the top dog in the class until 2001 when Suzuki introduced its omnipotent Gixxer Thou. Updated in 2003 with an even burlier motor and radial-mount front brakes, the GSX-R set a new benchmark in power-to-weight ratios. Target Practice The acknowledged class leader in anything always becomes a target, and one that your rivals know exactly how high to shoot in order to clear the established bar. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=650&Page=1 (1 of 2) [4/7/2004 7:56:07 AM] 2004 Superbike Smackdown - MotorcycleUSA.com 2004 Superbike Smackdown 3/27/2004 A glance through the spec charts of this gang Make: Suzuki reveals many similarities. Rake angles range just Model: GSX-R1000 0.5 degrees; trail numbers just 11mm from most to MSRP: $10,599 least. Each bike has a 43mm inverted fork and radial-mount front brakes. The older GSX-R is the longest and tallest, but only by 0.9 inch and 1.6 inches, respectively, from the smallest of its rivals. The Gixxer's wheelbase, at 55.5 inches, is nearly identical to the CBR1000RR but a full inch longer Make: Yamaha than the stubby ZX-10R. Model: YZF-R1 MSRP: $10,599 Even thought a bull's-eye is clearly painted on the Gixxer, Suzuki has proven to be incredibly adept at extracting the maximum out of its GSX-R series. The competition is hard-pressed to achieve similar performance numbers, and we're not just throwing Suzi a juicy bone here. On the dyno, the Gixxer's motor bested all but one of its new rivals when Make: Honda considering production of both horsepower and Model: CBR1000RR torque. On the scales, the Suzuki proves to be the MSRP: $10,999 second lightest of this steroid-injected group. But all must bow down to a new king of power-to- weight ratios, Kawasaki's ZX-10R. Having the most horsepower and torque obviously helps the equation, but having the lightest weight of the four Make: Kawasaki contenders absolutely seals the deal. To gain further Model: ZX-10R perspective, consider that the 10R boasts a MSRP: $10,999 whopping 50 additional horsepower over its ZX-6R little brother while weighing in just 14 pounds heavier than the 636cc bike. Easy Being Green (or black) We knew the ZX was something special after editorial director Ken Hutchison came back from its press introduction at Homestead Speedway in Florida, raving about huge power in a middleweight package. Indeed, 156 rear-wheel horsepower (on the White Brothers Racing Dynojet dynamometer) and a 403-lb tank-empty weight will elicit that kind of response. As even the dimmest of wits could realize, the ZX-10 is supernaturally quick to accelerate. Before experiencing the full-throttle warp drive that the ZX can deliver, we suggest a few weeks in the gym, as speed piles on in 10-mph gulps that make a rider feel like he's just been thrust into a to-the-death tug-of- war with The Rock. Its get-go from a dead stop is slightly muted by an overly tall first gear, but once it hits 7000 rpm this thing is a missile until it signs off 6000 rpm later. We were never exactly sure what the old Kawi advertising tagline "Kawabunga" meant; we're getting with the program now. Page 2 <<Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next>> http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=650&Page=2 (1 of 2) [4/7/2004 7:56:19 AM] 2004 Superbike Smackdown - MotorcycleUSA.com 2004 Superbike Smackdown 3/27/2004 The ZX was the first of this group to enjoy the splendor of MCUSA's SoCal garage, and we quickly were taken with our metallic-black beauty. Its rawness is immediately apparent, whether speaking of its impressively unglamorous and business-like appearance or its deep-chested baritone exhaust that will never be mistaken for a puny 600. While bikes such as a Ducati 999 or even the R1 entice a rider to go fast, the ZX demands it – no sissies allowed! Over the years, much ink has been used to tout that Bike X is an open-class weapon in a middleweight Kawasaki has done a masterful job at making a fire- chassis. In 2004, no one pulls off this dichotomous breathing 1000cc superbike feel like a distinction better than the Kawasaki. The reach to middleweight. It weighs 10 pounds less than a the bars is short, the fairing is the skinniest of this CBR600RR. group, and tossing the ZX back and forth between the legs makes one imagine there might be helium in the tires. While your knees are rubbing against the purposeful-looking, recessed-top fuel tank, you'll notice a very narrow midsection. Kawasaki's use of an up-and-over twin-spar frame layout has allowed engineers to make the frame only as wide as the engine below, resulting in a diminutive feeling for the rider. The One The R1 was the next contestant to join our motorized Dating Game. A lot of buzz this year centers around the proliferation of underseat exhausts such as on the R1 and CBR, but the universal new thread in 2004 literbikes is the quest to reduce the width between a rider's knees. Typical. The R1 prefers fast sweeping turns while Yamaha's solution to Kate Moss-ness is to lay its the ZX enjoys the cut and thrust in the tight stuff. cylinders down a further 10 degrees from the 30- degree angle of its predecessor, allowing more room over the engine for the sloping aluminum frame spars to be placed considerably closer together. The R1 measures in about 1.25 inch narrower between the knees than the once skinny Gixxer. Our 2003 supersport shootout saw the same situation with the 2003 GSX-R600: a bike in its last year of its model cycle going up against brand new designs from its three main rivals. For nearly a decade, Japanese manufacturers have established a four-year development cycle for their sportbike designs: Introduce a new bike, revamp it significantly two years later, then bring out a clean- sheet model in the fifth year. Like dorm-room coeds, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha have settled in on identical cycles, while Suzuki's 600cc and 1000cc Gixxers are one year off-kilter behind the others. This schedule is advantageous in new-model years, but it also has the effect of looking like Suzuki's playing catch-up when its "old" model is being compared with a trio fresh faces three years later. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=650&Page=3 (1 of 2) [4/7/2004 7:56:28 AM] 2004 Superbike Smackdown - MotorcycleUSA.com 2004 Superbike Smackdown 3/27/2004 That step-behind development cycle plays right into Yamaha's hands, as the design of its new R1 is as cutting-edge as they come. The previous generation R1 was a sales success as much for its looks as it was for its performance and – mamas not raisin' no dummies – Yamaha made a concerted effort this time around to exploit its style as much as possible. A more conservative eye might consider the R1 to be a little overdone stylistically, but curbside voting always had the R1 on top. If your parents didn't play with you as a child, this is the bike to choose in order to get that attention you've always craved. Check out that yellow Suzuki line. In some ways Undercard this is still the motor to beat.

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