Fast Times

FAST TIMES

Hot laps at Jerez on the World's Best Sportbikes

DON CANET

IT'S HUMAN NATURE TO BE CREATURES OF HABIT. WE are no different, so every year here at Cycle World we follow a similar routine as the latest crop of sportbikes arrives. We typically conduct individual middleweight and liter-class sportbike comparison tests with visits to local tracks and road rides throughout the region. But the belated acquisition of a couple key players this year prompted us to break our own mold and roll both categories into one intercontinental mega-test.

So in addition to hot lapping in Spain at MasterBike, the world's largest track-based sportbike test, we also hit the road at home to form our own "Street Wise" riding impressions. To be sure our test numbers represented U.S.-spec machines, we gath ered our own dyno performance figures, weighed the bikes on our own scales, etc. We even rented the Honda Proving Center of California, a high-speed test facility located in the Mojave Desert, where quarter-mile and top-speed performance was obtained on each bike.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of MasterBike, Cycle World seventh-consecu tive visit and my fifth opportunity to represent the USA in this huge international event organized by Spain's leading motorcycle magazine, Motociclismo. Over the past decade,

the test has been conducted at a variety of Spanish tracks, but Circuito de Jerez (pronounced Her-reth), located in the country’s sherry-producing southern region, has been the most-visited venue. This year’s test involved 18 riders representing 15 magazines from as many different countries, all putting in fast laps aboard 13 of the most significant sportbikes currently available.

With the purpose of revealing the year’s best racetrack weapon, MasterBike’s format places a great deal of emphasis on the almighty lap time clocked by not only the bikes but by the respec-

tive riders as well. Since my first MB test in 2001, the number of full-fledged journalists filling the rider roster has steadily been supplanted with hired guns-many of whom are nationalor world championship-level roadracersrepresenting several of the participating magazines. It’s all fair play and lends the event an element of prestige, while the competitive air among racers virtually

guarantees that not one ounce of motorcycle performance goes unused.

Making a MasterBike debut this year for France’s Moto Journal was former World Supersport Champion Stephane Chambón. The roster was stacked with MB vets. Jürgen Fuchs, a retired Grand Prix racer, was riding for Germany’s Motorrad, while the always-swift Spaniard Oriol Fernandez represented the Motociclismo home boys. Another notable among the 18-rider rotation was former GP star Randy Mamola making his fifth appearance as MB Grand Marshal.

The five-day proceedings included photo and video shoots along with an official timing session conducted for each of three categories-Supersports,

Japanese Superbikes and Italian Superbikes-with every rider putting in five timed laps recorded by the circuit’s transponder-based timing system.

The quickest lap times of the six fastest riders are factored into a bike’s average lap time. The average time accounts for 60 percent of a bike’s overall score in its category, while the number of riders who set their personal best-in-category time aboard a bike accounts for another 20 percent of its score. The remaining 20 percent comes from survey forms completed by each rider subjectively ranking bikes

from best to worst in their category, as well as ranking each bike’s engine, frame, brakes, suspension and riding position. The top-scoring bike of each category meets in a final timed session for a chance to win the coveted MasterBike title. The

six riders with the fastest outright lap times make the final.

Eight manufacturers/importers in attendance took up residence in neighboring garage stalls on pit road and maintained their respective machines throughout the week.

To ensure the fairest test possible and to avoid the varying level of grip provided by the wide assortment of stock-fitment rubber, a “control” tire is used. Which meant tire supplier Continental occupied another pit box stocked with stack upon stack of ContiRace Attack sport radiais.

Monday was Day 1 and offered factory test riders a

chance to dial-in chassis and suspension adjustments to suit the tires and circuit. The test-and-tune day also gave us an opportunity to get acquainted with the 2.75-mile, 13-turn track and put in quick hops on the 13 MasterBikes.

My priority that first afternoon was getting seat time aboard the trio of Italian exotics. Due to prior obligations, I’d be on a flight returning to the States before the test had been completed and would miss the Italian-bike timing session and the MasterBike final, as well.

This was unavoidable and unfortunate considering I’d gone quick enough to make it into the final on my previous visits.

Late Tuesday morning, 18 rounds of Supersport timing got under way with a set rider rota-

under way with a set rider rotation allowing a break after every third round for tire changes. Unlike previous years, when each rider enjoyed fresh skins at some point in the rotation, this year only a select group of six pre-determined fast guys enjoyed peak grip on every bike they rode. While this relegated the rest of us to alternating

between secondand third-round rubber, it did achieve tire-performance parity as the chosen few moved from bike to bike.

My first timed stint came in Round 2 aboard the Kawasaki ZX-6R, and the green machine’s solid stability, neutral steering and spread of power quickly earned my trust. I didn’t realize it at the time but, after riding our U.S.-spec 6R when I returned home, it was evident that the European model felt stronger in the midrange than its American-spec counterpart. Even with that, I went quicker on

each of the remaining Supersports and wasn’t alone as the bike’s average lap time was fourth-quickest in class. It was awarded a third in engine rankings based on its midrange strength, but the Kawasaki finished dead last in overall subjective ratings.

As I strapped on my hel met for a Round 6

ride on the Triumph Daytona 675, bad news arrived in the back of the crash truck. Because there was no fixing the English company’s wadded-up “A” bike, I stood by as the backup Daytona was quickly readied and rolled out.. .with mud on its tires because it was wearing the wheels off the crashed bike to maintain “tire parity” in

the rotation! This, along with rotated down at an odd angle,

its clutch and brake levers pretty much spoiled my five-

lap dance with the defending class champ. I’d put in a few laps aboard the other 675 the previous day and came away extremely impressed with its razor-sharp handling. But the backup machine didn’t deliver the same light and neutral steering that the A bike had and required a bit of pressure on the inside bar to get it to hold its line midcorner.

While the 675’s tall seat height relative to its classmates requires some mental adjustment, the Triple’s

broad torque spread proved

the easiest to immediately grasp. The 675 allowed me to do my third-quickest lap of the Supersports, but its aver-

age time was best in class and it carried 11 riders to their personal best times. Furthermore, it topped all other Supersports in the overall survey for a clean sweep and clear victory.

I climbed aboard the Honda CBR600RR for Round 8 and put in five laps without a hitch. For the first time in a few years, the CBR felt like a serious contender. Of the 600s, the Honda’s broad spread of power felt closest to rivaling the Brit

Triple’s tractable character.

This, along with a rock-steady chassis (with the added security of its electronic auto-adjusting steering damper) and very natural riding position, made the CBR the most confidence-inspiring bike in the class.

It clocked the second-best average lap time and was the top 600 in the survey.

Following a lengthy layoff, I was back out, revved up and rocking in Round 14 on the Yamaha YZF-

R6. It was a very different experience from those of the Triumph and Honda, as putting in fast laps on the R6 required its engine to remain on the boil above 12,000 rpm. The track’s trio of hairpin corners presented a dilemma, as low gear was simply too low, and secondgear exits made it seem like an eternity was lost as midcorner revs dipped near

9000 rpm. The R6’s sharp agility made up for this in spades, although stability under hard braking wasn’t on par with the others, despite it having a slipper clutch. I was shocked to later learn my personal quickest Supersport lap had come on the R6 and that I was among the six fastest riders on the

bike. The survey showed only one rider picked the R6 as a class favorite while nine of us had listed it as our least favorite.

My final stint of the day came at the very end of the Supersport rotation. I may have been influenced by the thought of a hot shower back at the hotel, but I found that speed came on the Suzuki GSX-R600, so much so that I was fourth quickest of the 18 riders on the bike. While many surveys gave the small Gixxer mediocre marks in

most areas, I scored its frame, suspension and brakes as category favorites. The bike’s sure-footed and agile handling inspired me to attack apexes like none other, evident in the curled brake pedal I’d grounded at deep lean. Having just ridden the peaky R6 gave me an appreciation for the

Suzuki’s decent midrange and smooth

delivery. While the GSX-R’s overall score put it at the bottom, it’s not a C-student by any means, just the outcome of being graded on a curve in a very elite class.

A threat of rain the following morning remained just that, as conditions couldn’t have been better for the day’s Japanese Superbike timing. I headed out in Round 3 aboard the Honda CBR1000RR figuring the rear tire might be shagged

from its previous 10 laps of literbike abuse. Although a greedy throttle hand would produce the anticipated spin or

slide on corner exits, the CBR’s broad spread of power not only felt impressively strong but very manageable. The bike is a super-size version of its 600cc sibling, offering a similar degree of balanced performance and usability at its elevated horsepower level. While the Kawasaki and Honda tied in average lap time (to the thousandth of a second!), five of us logged our personal best-inclass laps aboard the userfriendly CBR, while the ZX tallied only three. The CBR also outscored the green

machine in the survey for a solid runner-up class showing. While the GSX-R750 feels outclassed in power when

cast in with these liter-class brutes, it

also provided a breath of relief in our hunt for rear grip. The chassis offers 600-like lightness and agility, while the engine delivers the flexibility and forgiving nature that comes with a much broader power range. After feeling the bike out for three laps, I was putting in a flier on my fourth that 1 felt could well be a personal best in class.

Unfortunately, despite 15-second starting intervals between

riders, I caught up to a slower rider late in the lap and wasn’t able to safely pass his harder-accelerating 1000 until two turns into our final lap. Dang! The 750 ended up not only as my slowest bike of the category but the last in class overall.

Yamaha’s all-new YZF-R1 offers a broader and more manageable power delivery than in previous years. The new tractability certainly played a role in the RI ’s showing at Jerez, where finding rear grip was particularly difficult on the large-displacement machines. The Rl’s throttle could be opened sooner and wider than either the Kawasaki ZX-10R’s or Suzuki GSXR1000’s when driving off the track’s second-gear hairpins. Stability was good in all but a couple of bumpy corner exits where the front felt light and

light a tad nervous. Still, the R1 clocked the outright quickest lap of the entire test with Chambón in the saddle and handily won the Superbike class with an average time 0.3-second quicker than the deadlocked Honda/Kawi duo. It matched

the Honda’s total of five riders setting a class best and pulled away with a top survey score, qualifying it for the final showdown.

Kawasaki’s ZX1 OR was crowned MasterBike in 200405. Though it packed plenty of performance potential on my last visit to MB in ’04,1 also had found the bike edgy and unforgiving when pushed hard. It’s now more

civilized since undergoing a thorough revision last year, but the mighty ZX nonetheless provided plenty of thrills during my Round 15 stint at Jerez. Running on third-session rubber

didn’t help, either. I felt whipped after five laps, primarily because I found myself sliding to the rear of the unsupportive saddle and constantly having to pull up on the bars in an attempt to stay forward, which introduced unwanted steering input and resulted in some pretty shaky moments on the gas.

Following my wrestling match with the l OR, even a ride on a less-than-perfectly-set-up GSXR1000 was relaxing. Unfortunately, the

boys in blue at the Suzuki garage had trouble dialing-in the chassis on the big GSX-R. While they had nailed the setup on each of its smaller siblings, the 1000 exhibited

pogo-prone rear-suspension action. Despite this, the big Suzuki was among the easiest to turn-in while trail-braking and exhibited vigorous-yet-manageable acceleration out of slower, second-gear corners. The main area where time was lost was under heavy cornering load in faster sweepers, where the rear tire squirmed and wiggled. So even with Chambón setting the third-fastest outright lap

of the test on the Suzuki, ultimately this past MasterBike winner fell short of a repeat performance.

While I spent Thursday in the air traveling from Jerez to Madrid to London and on to Los Angeles, back at the track MV Agusta dealt out its revenge for past defeats. In ’06, the F4 had set the fastest lap of the test but fell short on its average lap time and didn’t make the final. This year, the new F4 1000 R 312 not only set the fastest overall and average lap times, but 10 of the 17 pilots laid down their personal best-in-class

lap aboard the brutish Italian inline-Four. Despite this dashing success that earned it a ticket to the final, the MV ranked last in all areas of the subjective survey. Though certainly quick around Jerez, the 312 also was very demanding of the

rider, something I’d learned for myself during my ride on Monday. The saddle is very tall and the clip-ons are low, placing a lot of weight on your wrists. Power is abrupt when the throttle is cracked midcorner, which, combined with a load of midrange grunt, caused the rear tire to spin much more easily than on either the Ducati or Aprilia Twins. It also has more engine braking than any other bike in the test when the throttle is closed, making it all the more difficult to be smooth when searching for grip at the limit.

By contrast, the Ducati 1098S was easy to adapt to, having the most natural riding position of the Italian trio and a strong yet very manageable power delivery. The only difficulty I experienced on the Due was the need to pull the clutch lever all the

way to the bar during downshifts. As with the MV, a singlefinger pull on the front brake lever was all that was required to maximize what felt like the strongest binders of any bike there. The 1098S was an overwhelming favorite in the survey, amassing unanimous top scores for its engine and was the overall class pick for 14 riders.

Surprisingly, the Aprilia RSV Factory-MasterBike winner last year-wasn’t much of a factor in its title defense. I wasn’t very enamored with the Italian Twin when I rode it days earlier, as it lacked stability under hard braking and felt unsettled during turn-in. I did, however, find the power well suited to the level of grip the ContiRace Attack provided at the rear. Perhaps this was because I was still working up to speed at the time and the RSV simply lacks the outright power of the MV and Due.

When the Quick Six took to the track later that afternoon for one last blast aboard each of the finalist machines, the man of the meeting was Chambón as the flying Frenchman proceeded to set quick time for all three bikes. But at the end of the day, it’s the MasterBike not the MasterRider that brings out the celebratory champagne. While the YZF-R1 produced the outright fastest lap of the test and eked out the best average time in the final, the hardcore MV Agusta propelled four of six riders to their personal bests, which just swung the overall points in the R 312’s favor. For the Italians, it looks like winning at MasterBike is habit forming. □