Long-Term Update

Long-Term Update

YAMAHA YZF600R Two-wheeled Timex

LOOKIT, WE KNOW OUR LONG-TERM Yammie's record of going unbroken is starting to sound like a broken record, but the blue beastie just keeps ticking off the miles.

And winning pals, even from unexpected quarters. Harley man and Big Twin contributor Bruce Fischer borrowed the Yamaha for an 800-mile twisty-road run and came back convinced: "For a guy accustomed to biginch, big-torque, big-size Harleys, I enjoyed the YZF a lot more than I thought I would. I don't know how the Japanese make a 600 so fast, but this thing flies.. .it's even surprisingly comfortable."

We're closing in on 10,000 miles now, and our only real cause for com plaint has been balky clutch actionlikely caused by dragstrip launches. This was cured with a set of aluminum clutch plates from Fox Engineering (630/617-9605), joined by new stock friction plates. Instant fix, though we're now keeping Mr. "Quarter-Mile" Canet away from the YZF.

Nothing too far askew at the 8000mile service, though carb sync was "way, way off~" and the steering-head bearings needed snugging. Latest addi tion is a Fast By Ferracci Forza slip-on exhaust canister (in carbon-fiber, natch). How's it work? Tune in next time for a complete report and the 10,000-mile wrap-up.

$7399

DUCATI ST2 Crash landing

WHEN LAST WE CHECKED IN ON OU1~. long-term Ducati ST2, we reported that the miles were accumulating much more rapidly than the problems. Sadly, that's no longer the case. While participating in a sport-touring comparison for our sister Sportbike annual, the ST2 was wadded just a few miles from the UFO crash site that put Roswell, New Mexico, on the map. Coincidence? Or Conspiracy? Better get Mulder and Scully on it!

Though the crash was a simple lowside, the bike barrel-rolled, doing com prehensive cosmetic damage. But amazingly, not so much as a lever was bent, and the bike was ridden back to California without any trouble. Because the cost of replacement

OEM bodywork totalled a mindblowing $2800, we sought a lessexpensive alternative. We took the damaged pieces to California Cycle and Watercraft Design (7 14/979391 1), where shop owner Boris Landoff routinely repairs and repaints solid-color sportbikes for as little as $650. Unfortunately, he deemed the upper and left-side fairing panels irreparable, so we'll have to purchase those from Ducati. Meanwhile, we're stewing over possible colors: A fly yellow ST2, anyone?

$12,495

HONDA CBR1100XX Still a bullet

WE'VE PUT 2200 MILES ON OUR long-term CBR1 100XX since the last update and, with a couple of exceptions, all is well. Foremost, one of the beautiful Givi saddlebags suffered a nasty scrape, the result of a run-in with a car's side rear-view mirror. Maintenance charges have been on par with other Japanese inline-Fours we've tested; the 12,000mile service-performed at Champion Motorcycles in Costa Mesa, Cali fornia-cost $145.70. We supplied the four quarts of Castrol synthetic.

With the stock Dunlops in need of replacement, we ordered a set of Metzeler' s zero-degree, steel-belted MEZ4s ($171 front, $238 rear). Unfort unately, the correctly sized rear was not available, so Metzeler sent us an MEZ2 rear ($219). The latter, we later discov ered, is slightly wider (not to mention having a different tread pattern and pro file) than the MEZ4. The resulting mis match has impacted the big CBR's handling, prompting one tester to say it "steers like a bus." Grip, however, is exceptional, which explains the missing footpeg feeler and glaring scrape mark partway up the fairing. The correct combination has just arrived, and once we've got them mounted, we'll report the results.

$11,499