Masterbike 2005
MASTERBIKE 2005
In the hot seat at the annual Moto-Journalist Grand Prix
BRIAN CATTERSON
SUZUKI GSX-R750S ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE THIS, I though to myself as I rocketed down the curving backstraight at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. They're not supposed to make a loud whooshing noise and they're not supposed to trail a plume of white smoke in their wake, nor paint a stripe of greenish coolant on the asphalt. Nope, this one was a goner, I surmised, and so pulled in the clutch lever, toggled the killswitch and headed straight off the racetrack onto a sliproad to await the crash truck.
Judging by the steam cloud that enveloped me, the Gixxer probably popped a head gasket, which was a real bummer, because I felt great on it. Where the high-strung 600s I'd ridden the day before were held back by a lack of midrange power on this tight-and-twisty circuit, and the l000s I'd ridden that morning had almost too much, the 750 was, to cop a phrase from Goldilocks, "just right."
To make matters worse, the sole 750 at Master Bike 2005 was the sole 750; there was no back-up bike. Fortunately, it gave up the ghost late in the day, so there were only three riders who didn’t get a turn on it, but that still affected its overall ranking. And don’t look too closely at the GSX-R750 in the group action photos, because it’s really a 600 wearing 750 bodywork!
To be honest, it’s surprising that only one motor let go at Master Bike. It was
Spain, the temperature somewhere in the 80s with humidity to match, and we weren’t exactly babying the bikes. And to make matters worse, we were instructed to turn directly into the pits after taking the checkered flag on our timed five-lap sessions, so the bikes didn’t even get a cool-down lap.
They just baked in the sun until some other journalist or racer hopped on and pinned it again.
This was the eighth edition of Master Bike, the annual all-singing, all-dancing international sportbike comparison hosted by Spain’s Motociclismo magazine with sponsorship from Shell Advance Oils and Michelin Tires. This year’s event featured 13 bikes (there were supposed to be 14 but Benelli withdrew at the last moment) and 15 riders, two-thirds Pro racers and the rest journalists, all with mucho racing experience, many at the highest levels.
As in years past, the motorcycles were split into three categories, though this year the class names were changed to reflect recent trends in racing rules. The five “600s” (actually three 600s, a 636 and a 650) were still lumped under the Supersport heading, while the five 1000s were labeled Superbikes instead of Superstock as before. In
came the one 750cc Four and two lOOOcc Twins that formerly made up the Superbike class, now renamed Maxisport. The schedule called for the riders to get one day of “training” on Tuesday, followed by timed laps on the 600s on Wednesday, the big bikes on Thursday, and a final on Friday for the six quickest riders on the winning bike in each of the three categories. Results were formulated based on 40 percent best lap time, 40 percent the number of riders who set their personal best time on that bike, and 20 percent points awarded on the testers’ evaluation forms.
A drawing was held in the hotel lobby on the Monday evening preceding the festivities, and that set the order of bikes and riders. Apparently, there was some controversy in the past regarding which bike/rider combinations got new tires (we ran three sessions before spooning on a fresh set of Michelin Power Race medium/soft radiais), and this year’s rotation was supposed to alleviate that. Which it did.
Last year, the Kawasaki ZX-10R topped the competition, confirming Cycle World's stateside findings. This year, the question was whether the newfor-2005 Suzuki GSX-R 1000 could unseat it, which it hadn’t managed to do
in our recent comparison test (“Three 4s,” CW, June), prompting this issue’s flurry of angry letters and emails.
Would our findings again be validated, or would we be proved as clueless as some letter-writers suggested?
First up were the 600s. The Suzuki GSX-R was number one in the rotation, and with no practice that morning, we had to get up to speed fast. I proved to be not so good at this, and ended up turning my slowest lap time on it, which it didn’t deserve.
Like the two other GSX-R models, the 600 has a sporty seating position, handles great, is super-stable and has among the best brakes of this bunch. It makes decent top-end power, too, but as one of the three 600s that actually is a 600, it’s weak in the midrange, and that held it back at Valencia. The only
way to go fast was to carry a lot of cornering speed, and while the front end offers excellent feedback, the hot track temperatures made trusting the tire a sketchy proposition. Let your comer speed fall and the result was a weak drive onto the ensuing straight.
Next up was the biggest surprise of the test, the Triumph Daytona 650. Maybe because no one was expecting much from this underrated Britbike, everyone raved about it when they got off of it, pleasing the Triumph reps to no end as this was their first Master Bike showing. Most of the compliments were bestowed upon its handling, that just-right marriage of light-andquick-yet-neutral steering coupled with unflappable stability. The stroker motor also earned high praise for the extra midrange grunt afforded by its additional 50cc of displacement, which held it in good stead on the short straights connecting the comers. Its only real shortcomings resulted from its streetoriented riding position, the relatively low footpegs grounding early and often and the high handlebars letting the rider feed in a bit too much steering input. You need a steady hand on the bars.
Like the Suzuki, the lightened-for’05 Honda CBR600RR is an actual 600, and with its tall gearing and its power concentrated even higher up the rev range, it suffered even more at Valencia. So why did it top the GSX-R in the results? First, as stated before, the GSX-R was number one in the rotation, and second, the CBR was set up better. Each of the factories brought technicians and a test rider to assist with setup, and Honda simply had a more experienced team. Suzuki’s test rider was so young that the schoolgirls who came to the track each day on class field trips were swooning!
Regardless, the CBR was smokin’fast during Tuesday practice-a few testers even predicting that it would win handily. But as was the case with the Suzuki, the hotter temperatures on Wednesday held it back. Footpegs that touched down earlier than did those on all but the Triumph didn’t help either.
Last of the true 600s was the Yamaha YZF-R6, which was so well-suited to Valencia that most testers were predicting victory for it after they’d done their hot laps. The R6’s quick turn-in let riders take the high-entry, late-apex lines that worked best at the Spanish circuit, and while it might not be the most stable motorcycle, it never got unruly.
It doesn’t make appreciably more midrange power than the Suzuki or Honda but it feels like it does, partly due to its high cornering speeds and partly by virtue of its lower gearing. It has a fair amount of overrev, too, which let testers hold a gear longer and save a shift in a couple of places.
Finally, the 636cc Kawasaki ZX-6R, which had most testers fooled. Only a couple suspected they’d gone fastest on it, but when the results were posted, there was the Kawasaki atop the sheets. Its best lap on Tuesday was nearly a half-second slower than the Yamaha’s, but fully 10 riders set their personal best time on the Kawi, tipping the scales in its favor. The 636 did everything well and nothing badly, but its principal advantage was the additional grunt afforded by its big-bore engine, which made corner speed less critical and the bike more forgiving of rider error. It simply was never out of its powerband like the “real” 600s, and was fastest down the front straight, too. Still, it would have been interesting to see how the 600cc ZX-6RR would have fared...
The next day was a fustercluck, if you’ll pardon my German, with testers slated to ride the remaining eight machines in the Superbike and Maxisport categories, most doing so in successive sessions. I got lucky and drew a low starting number, so that I rode four bikes first thing in the morning and the other four at the end of the day.
Again I started on a Suzuki, this time the new GSX-R1000. After spending a day on 600s, the first thing that impressed me about the big Gixxer
was how fast it was: at 161 mph, fully 12 mph faster than the fastest 600, the 636. The half-mile-long front straightaway suddenly seemed a lot shorter, the previous day’s braking markers way too deep! More than the quantity of power (at 151.9 rear-wheel horsepower, the second-most of this group), however, it was the quality that impressed me, smooth and tractable with excellent throttle response. I didn’t notice any of the off-idle hesitation that we’d experienced during CWs testing at Thunderhill Park a month prior, and with fewer banked comers at Valencia, the rear end didn’t squat quite as badly under acceleration, so we spent less time chasing the front. Unfortunately, the lack of morning practice again held me back, and thus I turned my slowest time of the 1000s.
A lack of practice wasn’t the sole issue, however, as reports of the big Gixxer’s limitations soon filtered through the paddock. As we found at Thunderhill, the footpegs (which are lower this year, though allegedly moved inboard) touch down way too easily, and I in fact wore a hole all the way through my right boot during a single five-lap stint! Granted, the GSX R is a nice street ride, with plenty of legroom and a low seat that is inviting to shorter riders, but the lack of cornering clearance seals its fate on the racetrack. It’s not as much of an issue on street tires, as Canet reported in his initial riding impression from Eastern Creek, Australia, but spoon on a set of gumballs, plop a Pro racer in the saddle and it’s a recipe for frustration. Fourth place out of five bikes is damning, and if Suzuki insists on retaining the GSXR’s current layout I’d suggest taking a leaf from Ducati’s book and making the footpegs height-adjustable.
Next up was the Honda CBR1000RR, which we left out of our comparison test this year because it was unchanged from 2004, when it lost to the Kawasaki. I felt bad about that, thinking that the CBR was such a refined, user-friendly machine that it deserved another shot, but one session at Valencia changed my mind. While it ran great and handled fairly well, its additional weight (some 50 pounds porkier than the flyweight competition) became apparent as it routinely ran wide in tighter corners. Somehow, Kei Nashimoto from Japan’s Motorcyclist magazine managed to go quickest on the Honda, but as one European tester quipped, “Japanese riders have red blood.” Uh, and the rest of us have.. .what?
Yamaha’s YZF-R1 was another unchanged bike that failed to make the cut for CWs 2005 comparison test, and I felt even worse about that. Having ridden Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP world championship-winning YZR-M1 at Valencia last November, I’d come to realize how close the R1 is to the Ml, if not in outright performance then at least in terms of quality of power delivery. And I was stoked to try it at the same venue.
Sure enough, the R1 felt good at Valencia, second only to the GSXR750 in my mind after Tuesday’s practice. But that impression didn’t last on Thursday, as the bike suddenly felt too high in the front, running wide exiting corners, and its brakes faded badly. In fact, Dutch Supersport racer Barry Veneman retired the R1 to the pits during his timed session complaining of brake problems, and when long-suffering Yamaha technician Trevor Tillbury (a one-time member of Kenny Roberts’ GP team in the late ’70s), took the pads out, they fell apart! Another heatrelated casualty.
Almost on par with the Triumph Daytona in shock value was the MV Agusta F4 1000 S, which proved to be another pleasant surprise. It didn’t start out that way for me, however: The Italian company brought two bikes to Valencia, and the blue/silver one I rode in practice was set up so awful, I wondered how I could possibly have raved about it in our recent comparo! Fortunately, the red/silver one we rode for our timed laps was much better, and with fresh tires for my stint I set my personal best lap time on it just like I’d done in CWs testing. Yeah, I’m freaky about weird Italian stuff, but five other riders turned their quickest laps on the F4, too, so maybe I’m not that freaky!
Once again, the thing that gave the
MV its edge was its incredible handling, aided by telepathic front-end feel. At one point I followed Veneman into a corner when he was on the MV, and watched in amazement as he tucked the front end on the brakes twice before getting it back! At a track that places so much emphasis on front grip, it was nice to have a bike that
communicated so clearly.
We’ve been raving about the MV’s handling ever since its introduction as a 750 six years ago, and with its new 1 OOOcc engine, it finally has the power to match. I’d still like to see something done to protect the rider’s right boot from the rear tire, though, because after I wore a hole through the toe on the GSX-R, I wore another through the heel on the MV! So much for my new Alpinestars...
VALENCIA AT SPEED
How do an Open-classer, a V-Twin and a 600 compare? To find out, Oriol Fernandez of Motociclismo magazine, a seasoned Supersport competitor, rode each of the three class-winning Master Bikes with a data-acquisition system fitted, recording mph
at various points on the 12-turn racetrack. While not the quickest laps turned at the event, they are plenty quick, and are representative of each bike's capabilities. The numbers in italics represent the highest speed in each location.
Next up for me after the obligatory lunch break was the Suzuki GSX-R750 that kicked off this story, so I guess it’s safe to skip over it here. I then moved onto the first of the two Twins, the Ducati 999S, the mid-level model chosen because the upscale R was deemed too low-volume/high-cost.
Now, I rode CWs long-term 999 at track days for the better part of two years, so maybe it’s just familiarity, but again with new tires fitted I turned my quickest lap time in the Maxisport class on the Ducati.
As was the case with the MV, the Ducati’s handling and front-end feel (thank you, Öhlins suspension and Brembo radial brakes) is what sets it apart, though the latter’s V-Twin engine is even more user-friendly. A few protests were lodged against gearbox action by racers who normally ride Japanese machines, but my only criticism concerned the rev-limiter, which is too abrupt and provides no advanced warning. Things wouldn’t be so bad if there were a redline on the tach or the shift light were set to illuminate a few hundred rpm sooner.
The Aprilia RSV 1000 R Factory, in contrast, felt strangely older and newer than the Ducati. Its Rotax-built, 60-degree V-Twin engine is fabulously refined, making nearly the same power as the Ducati’s 90-degree desmo, though it doesn’t sound as horny. And despite being the physically largest bike in this group, it handled well, too, snapping into corners quickly and feeling planted and rock-stable at all times. Again, credit the Swedish suspenders.
The problems came between corners, while trying to move back and forth on the bike. Then the fuel tank felt fat, the set-to-peg distance cramped, and my boots kept getting hung up on the front edge of the mufflers-though admittedly my size-1 Is are bigger than average.
Then again, maybe that contributed to Motociclismo’s Oscar Peña missing a downshift, running off the track and tipping over in a gravel trap?
Oddly, none of this bothered me when I tested the updated standard RSV at Willow Springs (CW, January, 2004), but Willow is a tucked-in-at-speed type of track whereas Valencia requires a rider to climb all over the bike as though it were a jungle gym. Whatever the case, on Thursday most riders turned their slowest lap on the Aprilia.
Fittingly, the final bike I rode was the defending champion, the Kawasaki ZX-10R. Would it prove to be a case of saving the best for last?
It certainly didn’t feel like it, as the bike shook its head violently going down the front straight and didn’t shift as well as the ’05 model we recently tested. As was the case with our original ’04 testbike, it sometimes failed to engage the next-highest gear, particularly during highrpm, clutchless upshifts.
Disappointing for sure, but somehow these shortcomings failed to dissuade the Master Bikers, who praised the Kawasaki for everything from its slim profile to its quick steering and its incredible throttle connection, which enabled them to steer with the rear wheel at will. Them, I said, not me, though with worn-out tires for this final session of the day, I painted my fair share of black stripes at corner exits.
When all was said and done, the ZX1 OR logged the quickest lap time by nearly two-tenths and propelled four riders to their personal best time, thus topping the Superbike class and clinching the title of Master Bike for the second year in succession.
But a funny thing happened during Friday’s made-for-DVD final, which put the six quickest riders on the three class-winning bikes in the interest of obtaining dramatic video. Naturally, most of the riders lowered their personal best times on the bikes, underscoring the limited amount of time we’d had on them. Nineteen-year-old German Superbike racer Arne Tode, representing PS magazine, ended up setting the quickest time on all three machines-earning the unofficial title of Master Rider-but his efforts were not without drama. He suffered the only real crash of the event shortly after setting his best time on the ZX-10R when a bout of headshake •knocked the front brake pads back in the calipers, and his panicked efforts
to “pump them up” resulted in the front tire locking up just as it left the road. It was a big crash, at something like 100 mph, but fortunately he wasn’t injured. Kids...
On top of that, just to add a touch of controversy, the starter failed to show Tode the checkered flag while he was riding the Ducati, and during his sixth go-round he bettered the time he set on the Kawasaki by two-tenths of a second! Sadly for the Ducati reps (who graciously accepted the officials’ decision, it should be noted), that extra lap was discounted, and so the ZX-10R’s status as Master Bike 2005 went unchallenged.
But should it be? After all, two points remain: One, that the Kawasaki ZX10R, for all its strengths, still has a less-than-stellar gearbox and remains the only 1 OOOcc superbike without a steering damper. And two, that a humble Ducati 999S-a machine that makes 24 fewer horsepower and weighs some 40 pounds more than the Kawi-somehow managed to turn a quicker lap time, albeit unofficially.
Really makes you wonder how a 999R would have done, doesn’t it?
