The New Middleweights
CW COMPARISON
A SIDE FROM JOHN BURNS, I CAN’T THINK OF ANYBODY who would wear a wetsuit to a cocktail party. You don’t bring a knife to a gunfight, either. Or maybe you do, but you won’t leave happy. So when we hit the road with this gang of five new middleweights-the Honda 599, Yamaha FZ6, Ducati Monster 620, Suzuki DL650 V-Strom and Moto Guzzi Breva 750-having the company of a fresh Suzuki GSX-R750 whose taillight continually disappeared into the distance in a cloud of tire smoke despite our best over-riding efforts underlined the point that these are sporty bikes, not sportbikes. But as the boss says, “Book of Duh, Chapter One.”
Still, on the heels of riding the supernatural repli-racer liter-bikes we had for last issue and roosting around on the GSX-R750, more than one of us saw the red mist, overestimated the sporting ability of these more mellow mounts and set out after Mr. Paul Dean, the craziest, fastest 60-something human being ever to paint black lines in comers with a new Gixxer.
Chasing him on these friendly middleweights was like bringing a knife to a nuclear war, like wearing mittens while trying to play Beethoven, like trying to write a lead after being at a cocktail party where Bums is wearing a wetsuit...
So, in deference to the good Book of Duh: These are motorcycles painted with a broad bmsh, new middleweights meant to seduce new buyers into the motorcycle market, draw veterans looking for something simple, small, light and comfortable, machines meant to combat the daily grind with an unerring sense of fun, laid upon a solid foundation of utility and affordability.
We examined these bikes from two perspectives. The first was, which bike would both be the most approachable for new street riders, yet offer the most “headroom,” the greatest potential to accommodate a rider’s growth in ability and confidence, a beginner’s bike that doesn’t punish tentative inputs or lack of certainty, yet rewards confident and precise riding. The second perspective was that of seasoned riders, people with loads of miles under their belts and the ability and desire to ride hard, as hard as prudence (and cornering clearance!) will allow on the street.
The New Middleweights
Five for the daily grind and the open road
MARK HOYER
DUCAT! MONSTER 620 i.e.
$6995
Further, while one naturally expects this to be a class where price plays a major role in the selection process, it’s always better to talk to the folks who live in the world of research numbers. We turned to Don Brown of DJB Associates LLC: “Historically, this class of motorcycle has been quite price-sensitive,” said the long-time industry consultant. “But desirability is still the top of the heap.”
But of course! So it was with a pure desire to ride that we commuted on our group of five bikes, hit the fast-and-furious freeways, blasted around our favorite mountain-todesert loops and parked them at the finest resorts.
It was a delight to find that all are, to varying degrees, capable of survival in whatever mode you choose: These are “real” Standards.
Perhaps most exemplifying the Standard mode is the naked and natural Honda 599, a sporty and compact inlineFour based around the old CBR600F3 mill.
“It’s the epitome of a UJM,” said Assistant Editor Mark Cemicky. “With no fairing to get in the way, aesthetics are dominated by motor, gas tank and pipe. The handlebars and smooth, one-piece seat work together to provide a very comfortable riding position.”
It’s more than just a pretty place to sit, though. Just ask the Road Test Editor.
“The 599’s chassis was the best of the group,” said Canet. “It provides a very planted feel while offering a lightness in steering that makes easy work of the tightest roads.”
As usual, he’s right. The 599 has a compact, nimble feel, and even though the stepped-preload-adjustable rear shock is without a linkage, ride quality is good and handling feels
uncompromised.
One might expect this compact nature to make the more Sasquatch-like members of the testing crew uncomfortable, but even the 6-foot-plus folks dug the 599, while its small stature made less-experienced riders feel comfortable right away.
Quaintly, the bike is equipped with carburetors. (They still make those?) So choke on startup is necessary, but after that the engine just runs, cranking out only 6 bhp less than the power-champ Yamaha FZ6’s 91 ponies, while providing a broader torque curve with a nominally higher peak.
Complaints levied at the Honda were how cheap the frame looked, and the not-so-pretty coolant plumbing on the right side of the motor, plus the fact that its $7099 price makes it the second most expensive bike here.
As ever, the Suzuki represents value, even if some testers complained that the V-Strom felt like “a woman trapped in a man’s body.” Although the engine is the most torque-rich of the bunch, it feels as though it is carrying the load of a bigger-than-middleweight bike. It is the heaviest, and has the longest wheelbase and the highest seat by more than an inch. Ironically, while riding, the seat feels quite low in relation to the bars and fairing, putting you down “in” the bike.
“Weird ergos, with a seat that’s too low for its bars. If there were a crossbar, you’d be looking underneath it,” said Executive Editor Brian Catterson.
Add to this the plushness (a good thing) of the suspension, and the DL650 feels bigger than anything else in the group. It was a favorite by more than one staffer for commuting, because even with the somewhat odd seating position, it is quite comfortable, with excellent wind protection from the big fairing.
HONDA 599
$7099
While none of these bikes is for the whacko sport pilot, each reveals its WFO deficiencies in different ways at different times. The Suzuki simply has longer fork legs and a taller front wheel, making steering feel less direct, slower and more vague than the other bikes. That said, cornering clearance is good, throttle response clean and strong, shifting without complaint.
Sometimes controversial styling grows on you, and even if it doesn’t become pretty, you get used to it. Think Hayabusa. The V-Strom look just hasn’t done that for us yet. Managing Editor Matthew Miles summed it up: “After spending two weeks commuting on the 650,1 found it more versatile and better suited to daily use than anything we’ve had in-house in months. While it may be the least attractive bike here, it gets you where you need to go quickly, comfortably and without fuss. A Standard in the truest sense of the word.”
Our most non-standard Standard has to be the Moto Guzzi. In some ways, it is a Buell Blast done right-just at nearly twice the price! While the dollars might put you off, in stature and ease of use, the Breva is eminently approachable. The fuel-injection settings are spoton, making the torquey 744c, air-cooled, longitudinal VTwin easy to manage for smooth take-up with the light clutch (plenty of flywheel, too). While being a fully modem motorcycle (EFI, remember), it also speaks to what people love about vintage bikes-charisma, sound and a generally smaller physical size. It is a delightful combination, even if the duress of asking for too-swift turn-in, too-hard trail-braking-or bumps in turns while leaned over-exposes a rubbery chassis, flexible fork and flaccid damping. But if you try to ride this bike like a VI1 Sport, you’re missing the point.
Said Assistant Art Director Keith May, a self-described novice street rider, “I really dig the Breva. Perhaps it best adjusts to my limited riding abilities, but I was tooling around after dark one night and came to the conclusion that the Breva is a stylish citybike. Far from being a high-revving canyon-carver, it is geared for cross-town commuting and occasional forays into the surrounding countryside.”
It doesn’t do too badly on the open road, either. With 40 bhp, it’s got enough power to brave the 80-mph speed average people hold around these parts, and still feels sort of lopey even when you’re winging it (barely....) past 100 mph. Low-end torque is its strong suit, forging foot-pounds past the 35 mark by 2400 rpm and staying there all the way to 7500 rpm, well into the “yellow” zone on the tach. Shift quality of the five-speed gearbox is good, even if the lever throws are long. Sure, the powerplant, with its pushrods and air-cooling, is as simple as a rock, but look how long those last.
The Guzzi also has the best ignition key (chrome and red with the “M-G” logo) and the best-sounding hom, a rich, warm tone that makes the weak squeakers in this group sound pathetic.
If you can overlook the $7790 price tag, this is the best bike of the group for beginning your street-riding career. You just won’t want to end it there.
The other Italian entry should be as friendly as the Breva, but to a man (and woman) the ergonomics of the Ducati Monster 620 (ours in special “Matrix” edition paint scheme) were panned. “This pains me, because I want to like this bike, but its weird seating position ruins it for me,” said Catterson,
MOTO GUZZI BREVA 750 i.e.
$7790
who goes out of his way to like weird Italian stuff. “The seat/peg relationship is fine, and fairly sporty, but the long reach to the wide bars combined with the relatively fat fuel tank make you lean too far forward, with your arms, wrists and hands at unnatural angles. If it were mine, I’d either install Aprilia Tuono-style bar-risers or just give up and fit clip-ons.” Canet even wondered what sort of mammal was a correct ergonomic fit!
Okay, so you get the idea we don’t like the bars. What about the rest? It’s a pretty likeable bike. The 618cc dohc VTwin isn’t a powerhouse, but the 59 horses trotted it through the quarter-mile just a tenth of a second slower than the 64bhp V-Strom. The Ducati is the lightest, has the lowest seat height and a nice, narrow feel. This little beauty even comes with a slipper clutch on its six-speed box as standard! It’s got EFI, too, and the bike ran sweetly and smoothly. The suspension is definitely tuned for lighter riders, not 200pound magazine apemen, and smaller folk found the Due’s simple suspenders acceptable.
But does an entry-level bike need maintenance-intensive desmodromic valve gear? Would it be a Ducati without it? Maybe they can argue that it’s not an entry-level bike, but rather an entry-level Ducati.
For Miles’ part, he thought he could live quite happily with the mini-Monster: “Unlike some of the other bikes in this comparison, the Ducati is easily upgraded with all manner of readily available Ducati Performance parts.”
SUZUKI V-STROM 650
$6599
YAMAHA FZ6
$6599
It’s true, the catalog is brimming with fun stuff, from carbon-fiber to real performance hard parts.
There are even alternate handlebars available...
Perhaps you don’t like catalog shopping to make basic improvements? The Yamaha FZ6 doesn’t need a tweak. In full canyon mode, it didn’t feel quite as planted as the Honda, and was slightly slower steering. But the ride to the remote winding roads was a little more comfortable, what with the nicely styled and protective fairing, and a riding position that seemed to suit big and small riders alike.
“The obvious winner...if I were picking a bike for us,” said Catterson. “Definitely the best-performing bike of the lot, with the most ‘tech,’ i.e. a current engine and aluminum frame. It’s kind of a weird blend of sportbike components and adventure-touring styling, a step closer to the V-Strom than the FZ1. Cool-looking, though, aside from the illegible tach, which you unfortunately need to be able to read due to the engine’s high-revving nature.”
As stated before, the FZ6 did crank out the most ponies, but it was at the expense of softer midrange response. It may be “tuned for torque,” but Yamaha could tune in a few more foot-pounds on the bottom. But then just as a fellow types a sentence like that, he realizes it’s funny to be criticizing a middleweight standard for making 91 bhp, more than similarly sized repli-racers made a few years ago.
From a practical standpoint, the Yamaha offers EFI and a fairing, a current engine platform and aluminum frame (centerstand, too). Its price is also lowest (in a tie with the Suzuki). Add to that the best engine performance, even if it’s just by a few ticks. For a more advanced rider looking for a bike to do it all, there is no other choice.
The 599, on the other hand, presented itself as a more immediately accessible machine, with a smaller, less intimidating feel that would appeal to a beginning rider more, nearly equal peakpower performance with better bottom-end urge, and a chassis that is tighter and more responsive, enough so that experts liked it, too. It’s decidedly lower tech, with carbs, a steel frame and a two-generation-old engine, all for a higher price. Yet half of our testers chose the yellow machine as their favorite, particularly if the going were tighter and the trips shorter. Call it a sense of simple frm, a response based upon desire.
These two bikes cover the spectrum from beginner to expert, with a broad overlap. Which of the two is right for you? Ask your desire and check your wallet.
