Rf600r
RF600R
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
FIRST RIDE ABOARD SUZUKI'S NEXT-GENERATION 600
CHRIS DABBS
SIX YEARS AFTER ITS INTRODUCTION, SUZUKI’S AGED but capable 600 Katana is being retired. Though the Katana will remain in Suzuki’s European lineup in 1993, it will be joined by an all-new 600-class machine, a model designed to eventually replace the Katana as Suzuki’s all-around middleweight sportbike when that popular model is finally laid to rest, probably in 1994.
The new bike is the RF600R, a non-race-replica machine that Suzuki hopes will spearhead a successful new generation of versatile sportbikes as the company moves toward the 21st century. The RF will bow in Europe early this year, and is expected to appear in U.S. showrooms in 1994.
When designing the RF, it’s clear that Suzuki took aim at Honda’s superbly balanced CBR600F2. To compete at or above the CBR’s level, the RF would have to offer a high level of versatility at an affordable price, instead of packing in expensive new technology and sacrificing comfort or flexibility in search of ultimate performance. No wonder the firm’s engineers looked nervous as they stood up to explain their specific development roles at the RF600R’s world press launch at the Catalunya circuit just outside Barcelona, Spain.
They needn’t have worried. Although a final decision on the new RF’s performance will have to wait until it is evaluated directly against the CBR-and the just-introduced Kawasaki ZX-6-initial impressions gleaned during the Catalunya intro suggest that the RF600R will deliver.
Based on Suzuki’s liquid-cooled, inline-Four GSX-R600 motor, the RF600R powerplant’s technical credentials are as up-to-date as anything in the class. Displacing 600cc through bore and stroke numbers of 65.0 x 45.2mm, the 16valve engine produces a claimed 98.6 crankshaft horsepower at 11,500 rpm.
Like the CBR and ZX-6 engines, the RF motor was designed to give excellent response across the rev range as well as a formidable top-end rush. To that end, Suzuki concentrated on maximizing the combustion process with a compact combustion chamber, high, 12:1 compression, a voluminous airbox, relatively large 36mm CV carburetors and a quartet of straight-shot intake ports designed to offer maximum power and linear throttle response. Dual camshafts work against narrow, lightweight valves via a direct, bucket-and-shim valve actuation setup.
The racetrack is always a deceptive arena to check an engine’s overall power and flexibility, but judging from numerous laps of the Catalunya circuit, it’s clear that Suzuki has achieved its objectives with the RF engine. Apart from a slight dip in power between 3500 and 5000 rpm, the engine pulls cleanly all the way through to its 13,500-rpm redline, with a real kick at 9000 rpm. Away from ten-tenths riding, usable power is plentiful and easy to modulate.
Despite its impressive power, the RF600R isn’t an intimidating bike to ride. You aren’t forced into a racer crouch, battered by windblast or expected to cope with lightning fast steering responses. Instead, Suzuki aimed for a high level of comfort and a confidence-inspiring feel at both high and low speeds, a feel that street riders of all skill levels should appreciate.
The compact engine, 2.2 inches narrower than the Katana 600 motor and inclined 19 degrees forward, certainly helps, but Suzuki’s decision to opt for a more traditional spar frame layout, similar to those used on both the CBR and Kawasaki ZX-6, makes a real difference. Apart from being 10 percent lighter and 40 percent more rigid than the oldstyle Katana’s frame, the new layout also allowed Suzuki engineers to better centralize the bike’s mass, which resulted in a low center of gravity.
Using steel instead of aluminum for the RF’s frame saved money, but also allowed Suzuki more freedom to vary the cross sections and achieve a curving profile that, when color-matched, blends in nicely with the fuel tank and newly designed bodywork. Opinions varied at the press introduction, but the fairing grills and flared rear cowl were generally well received; it’s certainly hard to miss the multiple brake lights beaming out from the organically shaped, rounded tailsection.
The RF’s radically styled bodywork makes the bike appear larger than it really is, more like a 750-class machine. The RF’s height and width are actually only fractionally more than the CBR’s, though, like the new ZX-6, its wheelbase is about an inch longer. Suzuki is claiming a 430pound dry weight for the RF; that’s roughly 20 pounds heavier than CBR’s claimed dry weight, but about equal to that of the ZX. One advantage to this large bodywork is improved wind and weather protection compared to the old Katana.
One of the few criticisms leveled at the RF was its limited seat-to-peg distance, a trait that tended to fold the legs of taller riders a bit severely and makes the bike somewhat cramped for longer rides. Limited legroom normally pays dividends in terms of increased cornering clearance, though this wasn’t the case with the preproduction RFs on hand in Spain. Both footpegs would drag during less than ten-tenths cornering, and during particularly aggressive antics in right-handers, the silencer would drag hard enough to occasionally force the rear tire out of line.
The RF’s rear suspension consists of Suzuki’s familiar Full-Floater single-shock set-up with both spring-preload and rebound-damping adjustability. Up front, a 41mm preload-adjustable fork is fitted. In typical Suzuki fashion, overall suspension set-up is quite soft, a plus for street riding. The RF pitched around quite a bit on the racetrack’s choppy surface, and the front end felt a bit vague through faster comers, though the ride never became jarring and the rear shock’s damping refused to fade.
More aggressive riders might want to fit firmer suspension components, but the stock parts seem to work well enough below the limit.
Braking is via a dual disc, twin-piston set-up in front and a single disc in back. Braking power was good, with plenty of feedback available through the lever.
Shifting action was less than seamless, an unusual trait in a Suzuki. The change from first to second was sloppy; third, fourth and fifth were close and slick, but the change into sixth needed a good, positive shove to engage crisply. Vibration was well controlled, though some buzziness crept into the bars and pegs between 6000 and 8000 rpm; Suzuki engineers plan to alter the footpeg hangers to counteract this before the first bikes go on sale.
Apart from limited seat-to-peg distance for long-legged riders, day-to-day comfort on the RF looks like it will be high. The mirrors are widely spaced; the instmments, albeit bland-looking, are easy to read; and the saddle seemed comfortable enough for medium-length trips. Two storage compartments, one in the fairing and a square-shaped, 4-liter compartment under the saddle, are useful, and the passenger grabrails and footpegs don’t require your riding companion to be an advanced yoga student.
The RF600R will go on sale in England this spring, priced at about £5300 in a choice of deep red or blue-gray metallic. That price translates to just over $8100 in U.S. dollars, though Suzuki would have to lower that number considerably for the RF to be price competitive in America. With its impressive power, comfort and handling, Suzuki’s new RF600R should make the race for top spot in the European 600cc class quite interesting.
U.S. Suzuki isn’t offering any clues as to when the bike will show in America, but if the RF’s high level of overall ability is any clue to Suzuki’s intentions, the CBR and ZX-6 should have some serious competition in the near future.
