Imbalance of Power
Imbalance of Power
Honda CBR929RR Kawasaki ZX-9R Yamaha YZF-R1
MARK HOYER
A RGUMENTS WILL BE MADE FOR OTHER TYPES OF SPORTbikes, but nothing expresses pure performance in such raw terms as the lightweight, Open-class four-cylinder. Forget your Twins, your 600s, your Land Speed Bikes, these three liter-class missiles have all the right maxi -mums, all the right minimums, with the essential elements of performance pleasantly pumped up, then stripped bare.
It’s all lean muscle mass, optimized for the multidirectional fits and starts of aggressive road riding or finding your limits on the racetrack. Pretty freakin’ quick in a straight line, too.
So while overzealous megafreakout safetycrats in Europe go full flip over heavyweight topspeeders like the Kawasaki ZX12R and Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa, well, we’ll be quietly rolling around in a whole lot of
nothing, all that stuff Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha left off these bikes-the CBR929RR, the ZX-9R and the YZFRl-that makes possible their remarkably low dry weights and compact chassis dimensions.
Of course, low weight is cool and everything-railing around on a 600 supersport bike will show you that-but lightness is made all the more meaningful when you put some real horsepower behind it. And real horsepower is what put us where we were, in the California and Nevada deserts, thrusting ahead in search of meaning.
“My, that’s rather a large insec.. .Holy &$#@!” I wondered if anyone else had seen the big, silver bat flit through the terrifyingly small puddle of white light ahead of us on this dark desert night as we ripped along at 120 per through a desolation we knew nothing about. Well, we now knew there was at least one bat. Later we found out there were bunnies, too. Luckily for us, the wabbit didn’t kick the bucket. And neither did we.
We were mach-speeding through darkness in a pack of 10 bikes, the only reality revealed in that small splash of light ahead. Being surrounded by nothingness aids the concentration, anyway. In the post-flight debriefing, Managing Editor Matthew Miles, rider of the much-altered-for-2000 ZX-9R, remarked that he thought it was perfect for that kind of highspeed run. He’s right. It’s stable. There’s a lot of smooth motor and a good, large fairing that makes a buck twenty a positively serene, mostly bug-free ride. But I really can’t say that instability was much of a problem for me and the YZFRl, or for the nutcase (guest tester Mark Cemicky, please take one step forward) riding the CBR929RR directly to my right as we raped the abyss ahead, high beams blazing in tandem for that extra edge in our battle with distance and the night.
The big Ninja really was well suited to this peculiar circumstance, though. Its wheelbase is nearly an inch longer than the other bikes on test here. It also carries the most fuel and has the softest suspension, though the squishy springs and lighter overall damping didn’t detract from its inclination to go only where it was pointed. And while it has the most comfortable riding position, tucking yourself away, out of the man-made hurricane controlled by your right wrist, was done as easily sitting upright on your quick trip down to the shops for a bottle of sake. Yes, there was something reassuring about the Ninja at speed, like it was there for you.
HONDA CBR929RR
Ups A Holy-&$%#! performance without ruining your underwear A Lowest price A Plush suspension A Turns like a 600, rips like a 900 A Finally, a 17-inch front wheel
Downs ▼ Engine buzz ▼ Noisy exhaust valve ▼ Footpeg feelers drag early and often
Of course, when it actually came time to dodge bunnies at 100-plus, well, the R1 and 929 were both more willing to change direction. Maybe it was breezier for the pilots, the seating marginally less comfortable, but there was no doubt you could make things happen if you needed to, and quick.
But really, if ton-up touring and 90-mph sweepers are all you’ll ever see, then the Ninja’s your bike. Perfect? No, but perfect enough in the dark.
It was, however, light on our earlier descent to sea level and the desert floor. We came through the San Bernardino National Forest and the town of Mountain Center, not far from 6811 -foot Thomas Mountain. In other words, there were plenty of ups, downs and lean time, with lots of frostheaves and such thrown in for extra challenge.
Though the world was fully bathed in sunshine, fear of the unknown and constantly changing conditions regulated our speed here. The big cliffs are sobering when you can see them, and confidence and ease of control mean as much to how quickly you travel as the actual amount of traction available.
The 929 was magic. The footpegs’ “hero tabs” got their fair share of dynamic machining, which means it was a ground-clearance issue clearing itself up as we went. There were no other complaints. Steering this impossibly neutralhandling motorcycle was impossibly easy. On the throttle, off the throttle, on the brakes, off the brakes, pavement bumpy or smooth, chassis attitude was virtually undisturbed—your line was the line, until you elected to change it. In short, a brilliant, plush, easy-to-use chassis alive with information and more traction than you’ll ever need on the street. Pretty comfy to sit on, too.
Those are words not unlike the ones we’ve used in the past to describe the R1 (maybe not “comfy,” but it isn’t uncomfy).
KAWASAKI ZX-9R
Ups A Comfort king A Major motor A Sounds best A The bike for the long haul
Downs ▼ Cow among gazelles on the track ▼ Where have we seen these headlights before? ▼ Feels big, is big
Essentially all still apply. But the steering is slightly highereffort than the Honda’s, the ride marginally less plush, though it is equally planted on the street. Both bikes have awesome handling and agility essentially equal to that of any 600.
Which is how the Ninja is clearly outclassed, because it feels like it is outside this class. At 434 pounds without fuel, it’s about 20 pounds heavier than the CBR and Rl, which both scale under 415 (smack in the middle of 600 territory, thank you very much). This, coupled with its aforementioned longer wheelbase, wider, taller feel and softer (yet a little bit harsh) suspension made the Ninja a comparative handful. Midcomer bumps upset the chassis more than the others, and there was a general reluctance to hold a tight line. Initiating a tum was surprisingly low-effort, but hustling through quick switchbacks was by far the most work on the Kawi. As Editorial Director Paul Dean put it, “The Ninja is an excellent motorcycle that just happens to live in a class populated by a couple of inconceivably fabulous sportbikes.” Essentially, it feels more like what an old 900cc-class machine felt like than this new breed of shrunken Superbike. On top of this, mid-comer confidence was further undermined by abmpt off/on throttle response. Probably this can be rectified by rejetting, but should it have to be? You won’t think so after riding the Honda. It is the picture of injection perfection, with sharp-yetsmooth response at every twist of the wrist. The CBR’s refined power delivery on the street will fool you into thinking it’s slow. It’s not, although the R1 will impress you more with its naked brutality in the midrange-still has the same amazing hit that makes you say “Tow/” it’s always had. As for the 9R, its engine flat rips, especially with some revs behind it. Interestingly, despite the differing power characters of the three bikes, quarter-mile times and top speeds were virtually identical.
In between the light and the night, we spent a little time droning along on the interstate and putting through a town or two. The only big surprise here was the level of vibration from the CBR’s 929cc Four, and the rattling noise its powerbroadening exhaust valve made. The Kawasaki was eerily smooth and quiet by comparison, the RI somewhere in between. Most felt the CBR's buzz wouldn't be a comfort issue, and perhaps we were just surprised by a Honda having a little edge to it!
YAMAHA YZF-R1
Ups A still the class looker A So this is where we’ve seen those headlights before... A More midrange than a locomotive A 150 changes since ’99
Downs ▼ 150 changes sadly not enough ▼ I aast rnmfnrtahlfi
On the street. it works like this: In the morning when you're fresh and sharp, you'll want to ride the challengingly aggres sive Ri; in the afternoon, when you're tired and looking to relax in relative comfort and stability, you'll want to ride the spacious and cushy Njija; regardless of what time it is or how YOU feel, you want to ride the deli ciously integrated, reasonably comfort able and unbelievably fast 929. Dawn came early in Pahrurnp. Thankfully, we missed it. Though eager for the 2.2 miles and 10 turns of elevation changes offered by the Spring Mountain Motorsports Park, our brains were jelly from the overinvigorating Warp Tour the night before. So we slept a hue before jumping back into our heather jammies.
I've never been very good at geometry, and my skills only seem to deteriorate at 100 mph. That's to say riding on the track is always a challenge. Generally, we all feel like we're pretty fast. But Road Test Editor Don Canet does wonders for your perspective when first he's not even in your mir rors, then, despite a 40 or so horsepower disadvantage one of his 600's presents. he suddenly outdrives YOU on a corner exit and vanishes into hyperspace. Not even enough time to learn a few formulas from the Master Geometrist. Ah. well, I'm pretty sure I can outdrink him. Which is of little solace.
We've been shoveling the racetrack love upon the RI since we had our first taste. It had-and has-the kind of capability that makes it difficult to believe anyone could come up with something to rival the blue-and-white beast. Especially the way the Ri had made the old 900RR look like a eunuch on the track back in `98. Well. the original lightweight Open classer is hack, with hairy bells on, if you will.
I knew there had been a paradigm shift when His Fastness came in to the pit after hot-lapping the three Open-classers. He was using phrases like "higher eftbrt" and words like "stable'S to describe the.. .Rl!
The 929 is that good. Though a little bit busier over bumps than the Ri, the Flonda posted lap times that rivaled those turned in by the ôOOs. which were the quickest bikes around this track. `The Honda was just more agile," said Canet. "I could snap it into corners easier, there was better front-end feedback and I could get a better drive exiting." He added, "The RI takes more effort initially to turn, then falls into the corner. The front also feels less planted."
We dropped the front end on the RI by 5mm in an attempt to make it easier to turn, and it helped, though it still wasn't quite up to the Honda's level. In addition, most riders felt like they had to wait longer to get on the throttle riding the RI, simply because there wasn't the traction to deal with the insane amount of midrange on tap. The blue bike ended up 2 seconds per lap slower than the Honda!
The Kawasaki, meanwhile,just felt out of its element, with riders of every skill level getting to a certain pace and saying, `That's about as hard as I want to push this thing." The Ninja's best lap was about 4 seconds off the pace of the CBR's best and 2 off the Ri's, which is still pretty respectable.
In general terms, no other kind of bike makes you ask yourselL "Gads! How did that corner get here so fast?" more often than these flyweight horsepower factories. The 929 just forces you to ask it sooner than the other two, yet gives you the best options in dealing with the flict that, there it is. Yes, the 929 serves its prodigious ponies (13 1 bhp vs. the RI `s 133 and the ZX-9R's 130) on a silver platter. with a delicious cream sauce. The only real complaint was how much the footpeg feelers dragged.
After two days of hot lapping, Cernicky summed up the general feeling quite well: l like the RI, but the Honda is just easier to ride. And the ZX-9, I wouldn't really put it in the same class on the track."
Overall, the CBR929RR has an uncanny balance. It is the most manageable. but in no way docile. Comfortable enough to ride slowly, and easier for everyone to ride fast. And it's a couple hundred bucks cheapcr than the competi tion. It turns like a 600, torques off corners like a Twin and leaves its liter-class brethren behind.
The imbalance of power has shifted: The CBR929RR is performance defined.
