Suzuki Rf900rr

SUZUKI RF900RR

'94 PREVIEW

HALFWAY BETWEEN KATANA AND GSX-R

ONE OF MOTORCYCLING’S TRULY GOOD THINGS HAS been Suzuki’s Katana line of sport-touring bikes—user-friendly machines offering an extraordinary balance of value and performance.

The preliminary hint of that line’s demise was sounded last year, however, when Suzuki introduced its smoothly styled and liquid-cooled RF600RR—obviously an eventual replacement for the Katana 600—in Canada and Europe. Suzuki’s big news is that for 1994 not only will the RF600RR be sold in the U.S., but that it will be joined here by the all-new RF900RR.

Both bikes are clad in smooth, striking bodywork that looks to have come from a mix of Honda CBR and Ferrari Testarossa, and both are being positioned by American Suzuki as machines that offer “exceptional balance of style, performance and comfort.” Translation: These are not pure sportbikes. Well, okay, but why a 900, a classification that would seem to beg comparison with Honda’s hard-core CBR900RR? Because, according to a Suzuki spokesperson, “We offer other bikes in the 1100 class. This is an Openclasser for about the price of a 750.” An interesting choice of words, considering that at presstime, the RF900’s price had not been established.

Also not established, at least for the purposes of the general media, were the bike’s specifications. What we do know, however, is that the 900 will use a liquid-cooled engine that is a development of the GSX-R600/750 inline-Four. This is mounted in a steel, twin-spar frame. The

standard-style fork, hung at what appears to be about 25 degrees, will offer preload adjustment, and the rear shock-connected to the alloy swingarm via a linkage system-will be adjustable for preload and rebound damping. Fuel tank size is said to be 5.5 gallons, and informed speculation puts the bike’s dry weight at about 455 pounds. No other dimensions were available at presstime.

A bit more is known about the RF600RR, which has received favorable reviews from the European motorcycling press. The bike, which carries a 4.5-gallon fuel tank, weighs a claimed 429 pounds dry and measures 56.3 inches between its axle centers, gets a preloadadjustable standard fork and a rear shock that is adjustable for preload and rebound damping.

The 599cc liquid-cooled engine is very closely related to that of the GSX-R600 and is mated to a six-speed transmission. It wears a quartet of 33mm carburetors, and carries a 12:1 compression ratio.

Where does this leave the Katana series? Well, two-thirds of the line is sitting pretty, at least for the time being. The RF900RR may not be a direct replacement for the hugely entertaining but very dated Katana 1100, but it effectively supersedes it. The Katana 11 won’t be sold here in 94. But the Katana 750 and 600 will be. Expect the two new RFs to appear in Suzuki dealerships beginning in January.

So far, Suzuki’s 1994 line is marked by two other bikes-one of which is present, and one of which is not. The bike that’s present is the DR125SE dual-purpose bike, an

electric-start, softly suspended machine tailored to beginning riders. The bike not present—or at least not being talked about too much by Suzuki staffers-is the GSX-R750RR.

“We’re not going to be offering a 750RR. There’s no information about that. It’s got nothing to do with the American market,” was the terse reply to CW s queries. Maybe not. Bad news indeed for Suzuki-loyal AMA Superbike racers looking for help in their racetrack struggles against the might of Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda.