"I'm not comfortable taking responsibility for the results of this test," says Executive Editor Sean Alexander, "because, damnit, this is a shootout and our job is to tell you which is the fastest bike. It's simple, you kick everyone's ass and you win. Intangibles? They are, by definition, intangible, and I, personally, don't buy into that. But, I'm the guy that drives this test, and it was my decision to invite a plethora of testers with disparate street-based ideals and all three voted for a bike that wasn't the outright fastest. Yes, I agree that the winner was the best street bike, and the fact is that these are streetbikes...

but, screw that, I don't care, in my opinion the outright fastest bike, or the best-handling bike, should have won. Ain't democracy a bitch?"

A day after submitting final text for this test, Sean's still ranting, pacing and causing havoc in the office. Sean's gear-head opinion differs from everyone else's because, for street riders, the decision isn't that easy. Consider this: Sean posted the outright fastest lap time of the test on the Kawasaki ZX-6R, but expert-level racer and new Feature Editor Gabe Ets-Hokin -- as well as million-mile motorcycle courier man (and neophyte racer) Pete Brissette both put in their personal best times on the Honda CBR 600RR. "The Honda is very confidence inspiring, and you're going faster than you feel you are on it," explains Gabe. So, what standard should decide which bike is really faster? The one you'll be fastest on, or the one a handfull of Championship-winning roadracers can coax more speed out of? See the delimna? Here it is, graphically:

You'd think testing sportbikes would be simple, and it would be if it was one writer, or a draconian editor that imposed his opinion on the entire staff. But, you all decided long ago that middleweight supersport shootouts should bias the results towards what is the best streetbike.

And given those criteria, the winner is...

 

1) The Street

...Yamaha's R6. "It's the best street bike because its riding position is immediately comfortable and feels the most natural," says Sean. Our street and everyday riding tests revealed some unexpected strengths and weaknesses. Who would've thought the compact Yamaha R6 to have the most comfortable riding position? Who would expect a Suzuki GSXR to offer ergonomics that fit everybody? Who would believe that last year's torture rack ZX-6R could transform into this year's living room couch? Would you believe that a Honda finished a distant fourth in our comfort rankings? It's all true.

After testing the new CBR 600RR at Buttonwillow Raceway, Sean named it the best-handling sportbike he'd ever ridden. On the street however, the CBR's stellar handling wasn't enough to overcome the weight it places on the rider's wrists, its hard seat or its buzzy engine. The Honda is a racebike and it seems best to leave the street duties to the other three. A good deal farther up the practicality and comfort scales, you'll find Suzuki's GSXR 600. With a nice combination of stability and surprisingly comfortable ergos, the Suzuki is a good choice for an all-around sportbike. First place in the street category was hotly contested between the ZX-6R and the R6, even though both bikes would benefit from a steering damper to help calm their twitchy heads. In the end, the R6's comfortable riding position and less-intimidating nature won out over the ZX-6R's awesome seat and motor. The Yamaha is, to put it bluntly, the least painful to ride in the real world, and everyone agreed it was the best streetbike. For Pete, Fonzie and Gabe, that impression was powerful enough to earn it the coveted overall victory vote. "Thus," says Sean, "the vote was three-to-one against me -- I voted the R6 last overall! -- and you'll never see those three guys again! They'll be swimmin' with the fishes!"

Street Results:

1st place: Yamaha R6
2nd place: Kawasaki ZX-6R 
3rd place: Suzuki GSX-R 600
4th place: Honda CBR 600RR

2) The Dyno

Inflated manufacturer claims have a funny way of deflating, once you strap a bike down in a same-dyno, same-day test with its competition. It would be fun to expose one of those pie-in-the-sky claims in this shootout, but there were none! Each bike delivered about what we expected from them and the three 600cc machines were covered by less than 2Hp. Five horsepower further up the ladder we find the 636cc ZX-6R, as it delivers over 110Hp to the tire! Aye Chihuahua! Lest you dismiss the GSXR as the weakling of the test, please note that it delivered the most torque of the true 600s and almost as much torque as the 636.

Dyno Results:

1st place: Kawasaki ZX-6R  110.42Hp / 47.38Lb-Ft
2nd place: Yamaha R6  105.09Hp / 43.53LbFt
3rd place: Honda CBR 600RR  104.11Hp / 44.19Lb-Ft
4th place: Suzuki GSX-R 600   103.21Hp / 46.13Lb-Ft

3) The Strip

With one very good guest drag racer (Ryan Evans from Motofab) and one heavy and hopelessly mediocre drag racer (Sean Alexander), MO managed to baby our four test bikes through a chilly night of drag racing at Los Angeles County Raceway. At the end of the night, Ryan and Sean concluded that these bikes were all geared too tall and their clutches were way too grabby to make clean launches. None of the bikes really stood out as excellent drag racers, with the feelings and comments being almost identical for all four bikes. About the only discernable difference between them, was that the Kawasaki pulled a bit harder and the Suzuki seemed slightly more difficult to launch cleanly. The lack of any shocking revelations is backed-up by the fact that their dragstrip ranking mirrors their dyno rankings. It would seem that in this case engine output, not chassis design determined the outcome.


Dragstrip Results:

1st place: Kawasaki ZX-6R 10.61 sec @ 127.5 Mph
2nd place: Yamaha R6 10.77 sec @ 123.4 Mph
3rd place: Honda CBR 600RR 10.86 sec @ 125.7 Mph
4th place: Suzuki GSX-R 600 11.03 sec @ 123.1 Mph

4) The Track

Honda's CBR 600RR was our favorite track bike, or, wait -- was that the ZX-6R? Talk about splitting hairs. The Japanese have been flinging middleweight supersport hardware at each other in an ever-escalating war since the late '80s. By now, they have truly mastered this formula, so whichever bike we don't pick as the winner is still the best bike, if it's the bike (brand, color, size, sound, etc) that you like.

We wouldn't hesitate to own or race any one of these four machines and if well balanced performance is your thing, you shouldn't either. If forced to choose from our personal experiences, we'd pick the Kawasaki ZX-6R as our expert Track Day / Club Racing weapon of choice, since it is the lightest and most powerful bike in this test. However, the Kawasaki can be a bit edgy and tends to wag its head a little more that we'd like, so if we were a new racer or slower track day guy, we'd skip the Kawasaki. If forced to stick with a "true" 600cc track bike, the Honda gets our nod, thanks to its best-in-class chassis. As for the R6 and GSX-R, we'd take the Suzuki over the Yamaha, based on its factory steering damper and overall competence at the racetrack. The R6 is slightly faster than the GSX-R, but like the Kawasaki, it shakes its head and can be a little demanding near the limit. These are just our impressions and as you probably noticed, different testers had different experiences with each of these bikes. As (sometimes) thinking men, we should probably declare this contest a 4-way tie for 1st place. However, as journalists we are expected to make a final decision, lest you decide to crucify MO.

We have come to the conclusion that our individual rankings are more dependent on our own racetrack experience levels and our physical sizes, than they are on the actual technical merits of each bike. Therefore, we will stick with the objective numbers and base our "official" decision on the combined average of the "best" laps from all three test riders.

Racetrack Results:

1st Place: Honda CBR 600RR 1:59.130
2nd Place: Kawasaki ZX-6R 1:59.388
3rd Place: Yamaha R6 2:00.132 
4th Place: Suzuki GSX-R 600 2:00.198

-Tester Profiles-

Page 2Sean ~ Honda CBR 600RR ~ Street ~

Pete loved the CBR on the street because it seemed to fit him well. For me, even though the Honda may be the best bike in the canyons, in the "real world" the CBR's "racer" riding position and buzzy engine has me longing for the ergonomic excellence of the R6 or the plush seat of the ZX-6R. My discomfort aside, the CBR is the only bike in this test that gives you the feeling of holding the front axle in your own two hands. From the rider's seat, you barely notice the fairing and the visual cues are more like flying headfirst while looking down at the road's centerline. This sensation is a bit unsettling at first, but once you get used to it, the sense of traction and absolute control is something that just can't be matched. If we only rode on dirty canyon roads with lots of obstacles and dodgy traction, I'd pick the CBR as the best street bike. However, reality dictates riding to-and-from those canyons, commuting on freeways and trolling around town. In these conditions, the Honda lagged behind its competition in the comfort department and I must relegate it to last place for "real world" streetbike riding. If you are a little shorter than me and a lot lighter, the CBR's layout might work better for you, but it would still have a plank for a seat and a buzzy engine to make your commute a bit more tedious than the others. It is a rakishly sexy motorcycle with unmatched engineering and one trip to the canyons or racetrack will erase any doubts about its performance credentials. Just meet me there with the bike and I'll be happy to ride it for you.

Pete ~ Honda CBR 600RR ~ Street ~

At this stage of the comparison the Honda would get my pick for best bike. With just a couple of nits to pick, it seems to be the perfect blend for me. Standing a slim 5'8" and about 150lbs., with a short, little T-Rex upper body & arms, the RR gives me a nice compact feeling without that compactness coming at the cost of having my groin pressed into the back of the gas tank. It has the most "sporting" riding position of the bunch, giving you the sensation that you're positioned closely over the front wheel, more so than any of the others. Yet it never gives feedback as to feel uncomfortable about being in that aggressive of a riding position. The CBR's brakes may also be at the head of the pack. This was even more surprising to me, as I noted that it was the only one of the four test bikes with a traditional master cylinder. Apparently Honda sees no need to jump on the radial master cylinder bandwagon. The cockpit is a sign of Honda's attention to detail. The instrument cluster was laid out well enough to give all the important info at a quick glance and yet still had a fuel level gauge and a clock. None of the other bikes offers that. The only glaring problems, (and they're only "glaring" because this bike is so good in every other aspect) were the relatively firm saddle and a notchy tranny. The seat can be fixed but the gearbox on the other hand is something that a rider might become a little too conscious of, at least on the street. It really isn't a problem; it just stood out a little in the company of the others with their very smooth gear changes. On the positive side, its gearbox had an industrial, almost military quality to it. That lets me know that it would stand up to years of abuse and still function like new. Aesthetically, the Honda looks the part. When I see it I think 600 Supersport.

It's still solid as a rock. Jumping on the Honda at the track, directly after getting off the other bikes makes you exclaim "I'm Home!" There's nothing wrong at all with the others, (they're fantastic) but the Honda is simply planted in bedrock by comparison. Its engine is quite stout, but the overwhelming impression isn't of outright speed, it is of a comfortable and unflappable competence. This feeling tended to make our test riders corner faster on the Honda and the laptimes seemed to reflected this fact, because our two "new" testers lapped faster on the Honda than they did on the more powerful Kawasaki. I was a bit faster on the Kawasaki, but only because I outweigh Gabe and Pete by about 70Lbs and that 636cc "cheater" motor did a better job of flinging me from corner-to-corner. Though I may have been faster on the Kawasaki, I simply love the way this Honda feels on the racetrack. After my initial track test of the '05 CBR, I spoke to a rep from one of Honda's competitors and they implied that the Honda only felt so solid, because it was heavy as a tank compared to the other bikes.... WRONG! The CBR's weight has been an easy target for the last two years, but for 2005, the CBR 600RR is no longer the heaviest bike in its class, although all four bikes are within four pounds of each other, so being "heaviest" really wouldn't matter anyway. In this case, the CBR's solid feel comes from one thing and that's excellent chassis engineering, period.

Uh folks... Lest ye think my impressions are a bit off... Let's not forget that last year's CBR600RR won the World Supersport Championship and this weekend, the 2005 CBR 600RR just swept the top three spots in the first round of the `05 World Supersport Championship. Say what you want, but there is no denying that this is the most competent racetrack chassis in the middleweight class.

Gabe ~ Honda CBR 600RR ~ Track ~

The RR greeted me with a hard, flat seat and very low bars. The seat is high and the reach to the bars is close, making me feel perched atop the machine. The instruments, which are nicely laid out and easy to see at a glance, are directly below the rider's helmet. At least they don't have a clutch cable obscuring the speedo like the Honda CBR 600F4i's!

My first session on the RR didn't impress me. The engine felt softer than the Kawasaki's, but the chassis felt harsh and stiff, not communicating the solid feel Sean raved about. The higher seat and weight-foreward riding position conspired to make the bike feel tippy- it would resist light steering inputs and then seemed to fall alarmingly into turns for the last bit of lean angle.

I did notice how refined and well-engineered the Honda felt, with perfect fuel injection that pulled hard from almost any RPM and a gearbox that didn't just feel liquid smooth- it felt like clicking a light switch. But overall, I went slower that first session on the RR than I had on my first session with the R6.

But overall, I went slower that first session on the RR than I had on my first session with the R6.

 Back in the pits, I had told the Honda technician about the stiff, tall feeling I got from his RR. Now usually when I complain, people just nod at me, pretending to listen. They often say things like "I'll get right back to you on that" or "we'll be taking steps to rectify that situation next year." But now the guy actually took out a notepad and wrote down my complaints, which in all my many years of complaining have never been done before except maybe by therapists and emergency room physicians. I was practically moved to tears. Then he actually made the changes I requested!

My next trip out on the Honda was amazing. Suddenly I felt supremely confident on the thing, passing almost everyone who was supposed to be in the B group. I noticed much higher entry speeds on the red RR than the other bikes as the newly compliant suspension soaked up the bumps in perennially bumpy turn 5 like they weren't there, even passing slowpokes on the outside line. I was able to zoom up the hill in to turn 6 faster as well. In fact I had enough new-found confidence in the RR that I started to worry about the stock Dunlop D218 tires, especially when spinning the rear tire as I exited Infineon's Turn Two.

The Honda is so balanced and easy to ride that its rider is able to relax and get down to lowering their laptimes sooner than they can on the other bikes. Flawless fuel injection, sophisticated, perfectly selected suspension, great ground clearance and lack of headshake means you never feel like you are pressing the bike's limits, even as the day wears on and your lap times improve in leaps and bounds.

 Pete ~ Honda CBR 600RR ~ Track

From a novice's viewpoint, the first two words that come to mind with the Honda are "confidence" and "inspiring." Or just call the CBR confidence inspiring. The difference in rider position from the other bikes to the 600RR seemed even more pronounced on the track than on the street. Giving the sensation of truly sitting forward on the bike, perhaps due in part to a higher ride height, the compact nature of this unit never led to a feeling of: "I'm going to get in over my head on this thing!" At least not after the first lap was under my belt.

Once accustomed, the Honda let you know it was there to adjust to your riding style however good or bad. Very forgiving of rookie maneuvers, it would stabilize quickly and be immediately ready for throttle input. The Honda was letting me think I was better than I really was. Or would the RR actually make me a better rider? I truly appreciated the way it would forgive an overzealous downshift in preparation for a tight right-hander. And even if I were able to upset the chassis the bike would come back into line so easily and quickly that any rider error was quickly forgotten. Once again the Honda was more than willing to accommodate, making it all the easier to apply gobs of throttle to get to the next turn. In simple terms, I was able to pin the throttle without fear of finding myself somewhere down the track that I hadn't anticipated arriving so quickly.

Another facet of this bike that let me experience broadening my limits was the brake quality. They worked so well and easily that I basically forgot they were there. Very light and subtle yet they applied more than enough stopping power. The bottom line for me about the 600RR was its ability to "disappear" from my conscious and let me think of little else than the task at hand.

Sean ~ Kawasaki ZX-6R ~ Street ~

Frankenbike! Take 1-part 63% MotoGP engine + 1-part ultra light & nimble racebike + 1-part tourer and after you've finished mixing, you'll have a new ZX-6R. The only glaring flaw in this package is that the chassis transmits too many grating engine vibrations to the rider's hands and feet. It may be uber powerful and plusher than any supersport has a right to be, but those vibrations and an occasional headshake make the bike feel somewhat unrefined and negate the long distance potential that the new flatter, deeper and softer seat promised. On smooth open pavement however, the Kawasaki will walk off and hide from the other bikes and this fact means that street riders who do a little dragracing on the side or who just like to brag about how fast their bike is, will find the 636 to be the ideal bike. With a smoother engine and a steering damper, the ZX-6R would be the best middleweight streetbike in the world by far. Stock, it's still damned impressive, but the GSX-R and R6 deliver a slightly more harmonious overall experience on the street.

Pete ~ Kawasaki ZX-6R ~ Street ~

The Kawi was the bike I was most eager to ride. Straight off-the power is awesome for its relative displacement. I got a chance to wind it up on an open stretch of freeway, and it punched forward with the force a two-year-old liter bike. Hooray for Kawasaki's seat engineers! It is by far the most comfortable seat of the bunch. I've sat on couches that were less comfortable than the ZX-6R's seat. Unless someone buying one of these intends to go straight to the track, everyday practicality should be a large part of their buying decision. The 636 would be the bike you might actually ride from L.A. to Laguna and back. Switching to the Kawi from one of the other bikes allowed me to immediately sense some additional leverage from the wide clip-ons. I think this is a nice quality to have for real world use, as it equates to easier steering. This very green machine might have the best brakes, challenged only by the Honda. On the Kawasaki, braking is basically a one-fingered, sub-conscious act.

On the downside, the 636 delivered a noticeable engine buzz, especially at freeway speeds. The 636 also looked and felt the longest. Another problem spot was the quality and placement of the ZX-6R's instruments. My view of the cluster was cut in half by the top line of the windscreen and the poorly lit and contrasted gauges became almost useless. Assuming the suspension was at factory settings, the ride also seemed a little too firm for me. Especially at speed over consistently rough pavement. Also, my perception of the clutch was that it can be a little "grabby" when trying to modulate speed off the line. This might have been an aspect of the slipper clutch they're using and would probably become invisible once you were accustomed to the bike.

Sean ~ Kawasaki ZX-6R ~ Track ~

Two years ago JB and I interviewed Colin Edwards and he just couldn't shut up about how fast the Aprilia RS3 (ok, not a world beater, but it did make a ton of power) MotoGP bike was. He kept saying "It's like sticking an ICBM up your ass." Well, I've never stuck anything up my ass, but I think I know what he meant anyway. All four bikes in this middleweight crop feel faster than the bikes they replace. However, the 636cc Kawasaki is in another league compared to last year's 636. This thing is truly ballistic. Its acceleration builds in a headlong rush that intensifies with speed/rpm. Thrilling would work as a description, but I think addictive might be more accurate. Throttle response is outstanding, with a linear delivery that lets you use all 110Hp without testing your karma.

The ZX-6R does occasionally shake its head. However, the Kawasaki feels a bit more "planted" than the R6, so when the Kawasaki shakes, it is a bit less of a scare, where on the R6 the twitches occasionally set-off secondary motions that caused me to pucker-up and roll out of the throttle. Both bikes feel a bit more on-edge than the Honda or Suzuki, but once you get used to them, the headshake and chassis activity can actually become entertaining in a TZ-250 sort of way. An accomplished rider will go faster on the Kawasaki than any other bike in this test, thanks to the Kawasaki's light weight and most importantly, its monster motor. Since the Kawasaki can be a bit intimidating at times, its extra capability doesn't seem to help it as much with intermediate level racers and occasional track day guys.

At the end of the day, I set the fastest lap time on the ZX-6R, even though it doesn't quite possess the overall goodness of the Honda or the quick steering of the R6. Bottom line: If you can use its extra power, the 636 will get you there faster.

Gabe ~ Kawasaki ZX-6R ~ Track ~

"Ha, ha" said the insanely green Kawasaki 636. "I'll spit you off my high-side like Chuck Yeager in an ejection seat! Go back to your car dealership, little man!"

Like hell! I flung my leg over the Kawi. It felt bigger than I had expected, with a broad, comfortable seat, which was so high I could barely put my feet flat on the ground. The handlebars were sooooo low compared to my Triumph, but I figured that was the price I would have to pay today and thumbed the starter. The engine came alive with the expected raspy, clattery four-cylinder roar. I pulled in the clutch lever (which, like all the clutch levers on motorcycles these days, has a longer reach to the bars than I find comfortable) and snapped the slick gearbox into first. I headed out to pit lane.

 I was already late for my first session and the starter didn't even look up. I looked over my right shoulder for oncoming traffic and powered up the hill.

Yow! The 636 responded with perfect throttle response and a nasty growl from the air box- I had forgotten my earplugs! No matter, the top of the hill, dreaded turn two, was upon me!

Page 3 The Kawasaki felt harder and heavier to turn-in than I expected from a 360 pound (423Lb ready to ride. -Sean) sportbike, but once we were turned and settled, the 636 stayed on the right track. I was battling a tremendous array of emotions as I struggled to move off the bike in my stiff and too-tight leathers- I felt cold, uncertain and not a little silly as everyone in that session sailed on by me- fat guys on street bikes and budget racers on Ninja 250s alike.

I didn't really open it up until the second to last lap, heading down the hill out of 8a towards the silly AMA chicane, where you can open it up for just a second or two before you enter the reverse-drag-strip of the braking zone before a 90-degree right turn. But when I did turn the throttle to the stop, the front wheel got light, the intake noise shattered my eardrums, and the little green monster just flung itself down the track like a bullet train. Crap! I never expected a middleweight to have that kind of kick!

Luckily, the brakes matched the go-power, but I wanted to check out that new-fangled slipper clutch everyone is talking about, so I snapped the shifter down three times to first gear and dumped the clutch at around 30 mph. The bike responded as if I hadn't done such a stupid thing, retaining traction at the rear wheel and slowing me down so I could snap the bike to the right...hey, maybe this does steer pretty lightly!

After a rotation through the other bikes, I got back on the Kawi expecting to like it even less and I was surprised! Maybe because I had more confidence and was riding harder, the Kawasaki suddenly made sense. With earplugs now in my delicate ear canals, the intake screech was less pronounced, more like a techno-beat soundtrack than an annoyance. At higher speeds the suspension felt less harsh, and working the powerband from 9k to redline was satisfying and rewarding.

But the Kawi still wasn't a perfect bike. The motor was rougher than the other machines and the chassis just didn't exhibit the same amount of sophistication right out of the box. But the bike's slightly rough, unfinished character was nice to feel in a day and age when cars and motorcycles are refined to the point where it almost doesn't matter what brand you purchase.

One area the Kawi retains it's unique flavor in is front-end stability. Although it never felt dangerous to me, I definitely had to ride around and anticipate the 636's propensity to get up on its hind legs anytime the throttle was applied hard. I'm a timid guy and I don't like crashing, so I'm sure I could have ridden the bike harder if it had a little more weight on the front end- or maybe a spark plug disconnected! But plenty of Mr. All Caps types, along with more cultured individuals enjoy that kind of character. I just prefer a more neutral, balanced feel.

Pete ~ Kawasaki ZX-6R ~ Track ~

Unfortunately, first impressions seem to stick. With the 636 it may have been me leaving the poor impression rather than the other way around. The Kawasaki is probably a bike better left in the hands of the more experienced rider to help it reach its potential.

My grounds for stating such come mostly from the fact that every time I thought I was starting to push the bike, a quick glance to the tachometer showed me that I'd a long way to go. As if to say: "That's all you got racer boy?" It's simply a bike that has a lot of potential. In all humbleness, more potential than I'll every have. Another noticeable characteristic was seemingly heavier steering and an overall "bigger" feel, for lack of a better term. It was the bike that I had to apply the most effort to maneuver through the tighter portions of the track. And even some lesser demanding sections. Although, unlike time spent on the street, the previous buzz from the engine never made itself apparent on the track. The Kawasaki offered another example of stellar braking and shifting and rock solid handling once it was set for the turn. In the end, getting the most out of the Kawi will require more of me from the bike and less of the bike from me.

Sean ~ Suzuki GSX-R 600 ~ Street ~

WOW. I was very surprised to find out how well the GSX-R 600 fit me on the street (and on the racetrack). This is a bike that works effortlessly with the rider to deliver exactly what he/she wants, with a minimum of drama and effort. The Suzuki manages to be both nimble and stable, thanks to its stock steering damper and is perhaps the least intimidating bike to ride quickly on the street. The only downside to this is that it is such an effective tool that it fades into the background and doesn't stick its neck out in this crowd. It is loads more comfortable than the CBR 600RR, but not quite as comfortable as the ZX-6R or R6. Never the less, it may be the most competent all-around bike in this group. If I were to spend my own money on a single do-it-all motorcycle, I probably wouldn't be looking at middleweight supersports. However, if I had to pick one of these as an only bike, the Suzuki would mine. Surprised? I was too.

Pete ~ Suzuki GSX-R 600 ~ Street ~

Maybe viewing a bike as long time class dominator has led to a complacency in my perspective but the GSXR600 just seems to get lost among the others. Nothing about it made me really sit up and take notice, though I have nothing horrible to report either. Good ol' reliable I guess. To start with the good; the overall riding position gave me the feeling that I could commute every day of the week on her. The gearbox was possibly the cleanest of the group, having the smoothest transition of the crowd. In the "good" department, I'll have to eat my words from above. There was one thing that stood out. Something that in reality is totally useless: awesome intake snort! That sound absolutely gets two thumbs up. Every bike should sound like this. Other than that, it was at least on par with the others but it didn't really inspire me. Suzuki should probably update the GSXR line's tired looks. The GSXR is the one of two bikes with a "traditional" four-into-one exhaust, and unfortunately, it has a very traditional Suzuki look. To me, it just falls flat in overall sex appeal, and that's a very important aspect in these machines' target market.

Sean ~ Suzuki GSX-R 600 ~ Track ~

At first the GSX-R was giving me fits on the track. Every time I'd weight-shift or feed an input through the clip-ons, the Suzuki would bob and weave like it had pogo sticks instead of forks. However, after adjusting the rebound damping in both legs to 3/4 turns out from max, the bike settled down nicely and we developed a nice rapport with each other. The GSX-R is loads of fun on the racetrack, with excellent torsional rigidity leading to nice solid steering feel and an intake tract that sends deep & racy sounds into the riders helmet, As you can see from the Video, once dialed-in, the GSX-R is capable of circulating the racetrack at a more than respectable pace, even when it's shod with standard street tires and the other riders are on real race rubber.

It does all this, while retaining enough composure to pull power wheelies and change line at will. This is a great bike and as you all know, GSX-R's seem to leave the factory ready to have number plates bolted-on. Suzuki also provides excellent racer contingency programs and the house of Yoshimura is always ready to make a buck in exchange for the privilege of turning your streetbike into a world class racer. Unfortunately, other than the intake sound, the GSXR inspires little more than some enhanced confidence and a desire to customize the vanilla out of it.

Gabe ~ Suzuki GSX-R 600 ~ Track ~

Next was the Gixxer, and I expected a hard-edged sportbike with the businesslike seating position of the Honda RR and the wicked harsh motor of the Kawi. I found just the opposite- the GSXR 600 is a very well-balanced machine: comfortable, fast, smooth and easy to ride quickly. What was remarkable was the relative lack of character compared to the other three bikes.

Mr. Gixxer has a nice seat that is reasonably close to the ground and humanely placed handlebars. Clicking into first, I let out the clutch and notice the light pull and precise engagement. I head out of the pits and get on track, warming the tires up on my out lap.

Ripping out of turn 6 on my second lap, I turn the throttle to the stop in fourth gear. The engine howls and whips me to the next corner in the typical high-performance 600 manner, except with remarkable smoothness and quiet. While braking for the double-apex turn seven, I notice that the chassis is a little softer than the other bikes I've ridden today, adding to the impression I have of a smooth, comfortable bike that is easy to ride fast the instant I swing a leg over it.

I also notice how similar braking on the GSXR is to the other machines, but that's no surprise as the Kawi, Honda and GSXR use practically the same four-piston radial calipers.

As the day was coming to a close, I hopped back on the Suzuki for one last turn. The Suzuki was interesting in that my last session on the bike felt just like the first. The GSXR is refined, smooth, and fast- and it's a perfect partner for any kind of fast riding. The legroom and comfort is amazing, especially considering how much ground clearance this bike has! By this time of the day, my knees were starting to get a little achy (I admit I wasn't in the best shape for this: my idea of non-motorcycling exercise is jiggling my leg while watching Will and Grace), but the GSXR has lots of legroom compared to the other three bikes and I didn't get many complaints from the knees while riding it. I don't know how they do it with a lower seat than the Honda and Kawasaki- maybe some advance in quantum physics that only Suzuki engineers are privy to?

Pete ~ Suzuki GSX-R 600 ~ Track ~

Good ol' reliable again. Just like on the street, at the track the GSXR's riding position is immediately comfortable and natural feeling. Also like the street, the bike just sounds great, with a classic inline-four sound that's the perfect accompaniment for hot lapping. After my track sessions, I couldn't find anything to say about the shifting, because it's so seamless that I never even thought about it. Really, my shifting comments seem to work just as well when applied to the rest of the bike, it just plain works, but it might just be too plain.

Page 4-Gabe Gets A Job-   By Gabe Ets-Hokin

At my debut as a professional moto-journalist, I would be expected to ride the four fastest middleweight sportbikes on the planet, even though I hadn't ridden on any racetrack in the last year, and I had never ridden a motorcycle on the track with the performance potential of these machines. Plus, I knew that any crash or mishap would result in my not working for MO. Oh yes, and I was sure to not work for MO if I turned out to be a slow, wobbly buffoon on the racetrack, as Sean had only seen me ride for a couple hundred miles on the street and a couple laps at a mini-motard track day. (I've seen enough of his riding to know that Gabe is a fine rider and I've seen enough of his -and MR ALLCAPS'- writing to know that I'm not even qualified to carry his literary jock. -Sean)

Gulp!

"Be careful of the wheelspin, it's cold and slippery out there" said MO's Executive Editor, as I pulled on my leathers, which were still sweaty and stinky from my last trackday a year before, "especially if you're not used to this kind of power."

I looked up at the cold, iron-grey sky, and then I looked up at Infineon Raceway's notoriously slippery Turn Two, which is slippery on a hot August afternoon, never mind 11 am on a cold February morning.

Well, I thought to myself, selling Cadillacs isn't such a bad deal. After 30 years you get a gold-plated watch that says "Cadillac" on it.

Maybe I'll even own a house trailer in Tracy by then, to boot. I could take up golf.

The point of this test, in my mind, was to give MO readers a feel for what these bikes are like to ride. In my case, the impression represents a slow racer / or above average trackday enthusiast. The conclusion I came away with was that all four of these bikes are good enough stock to provide thrills and act as a learning platform for a trackday rider at just about any skill level.

We had planned on track testing with Pirelli Supercorsa race tires. Unfortunately, the Pirelli truck encountered problems on the way to the track, and we were forced to track test the bikes on their stock street tires. Sean had to test ride and approve all the bikes first, but it was quickly my turn to pick a bike and roll onto the track. At least I didn't have to ride in the "A" group, which had some extremely fast AFM and AMA racers in it. Even Sean was a bit intimidated, seeing as he had never turned a wheel at Infineon and he was the only bike out there on street tires. After Sean was done, the four bikes called to me like Harpies as the B group got under way.

We are all lucky to have access to such competent equipment at such reasonable prices, especially since halfway through the riding season the MR ALLCAPS of the world will start to provide us with a cheap supply of salvage-titled racetrack fodder. If you are looking for the best trackday only bike, any one of these will work for you if you dial in the suspension properly and ride like you have half a brain. Your own personality will dictate which brand you have a liking for, so pick that bike with no fear at all of making a wrong decision.

Sean ~ Yamaha R6 ~ Street ~

The R6 comes closest to emulating the performance and character of the Kawasaki 636. It is both the most comfortable and the most powerful of the true 600cc bikes. Like the Kawasaki, it would score higher with a steering damper. As is, the R6's short reach to the clip-ons and overall reasonable ergonomics make it the most comfortable bike to cruise around on. If I was going to use my middleweight supersport for running to the store, commuting to work or other surface-street use, the R6 would be the bike to have. On a less practical note, it also does the easiest wheelies and provided the pavement doesn't upset its chassis and cause unwanted headshake, it can cut-and-thrust through freeway traffic with unparalleled ease. The R6 shares the beautiful intake noise with the GSXR and it is quite entertaining to wind-out the gears while listening to this bike wail.

Pete ~ Yamaha R6 ~ Street

The R6 is also a bike I'd have little hesitation to spend my own hard earned money on. Much like the R1, the riding position gives the sensation of sitting "in" rather than "on" the bike. It may very well be the bike to win the long haul category. The traditional exhaust layout seems a little dated now, as does its overall look. Changing gears was very smooth with a slick little "schnick" to let you know that it accomplished your selection request. The instrument cluster and mirrors, were very practically laid out and functionality seems to be the main theme here for the Yamaha. The two things that stood out most to me about this unit both fall under the power department. Although the dyno said it was only slightly stronger than the CBR and GSXR, the R6 seemed to have a noticeably stronger pull from down low. Conversely, it also had a very noticeable flat spot somewhere between 4,700 and 5,200 rpm, but once past that point she's a screamer! Aside from a couple minor gripes, the R6 is a great machine!

Sean ~ Yamaha R6 ~ Track ~

The R6 feels like the lightest and most nimble bike in the test. Unfortunately, an occasional wiggle from the clip-ons serves to unsettle the bike once or twice per lap. The R6's motor is killer! It dynos a little better than the Honda and Suzuki, but that 1-2Hp difference feels more like +5 out on the track thanks to the light and responsive chassis. Also responsive, is the throttle, which can seem a bit too abrupt in off/on transitions. This tends to upset that responsive chassis, until you learn to be more delicate and precise with your inputs. The R6's stubby chassis loves to wheelie out of slower corners and if it wasn't for the occasional twitch from the tiller, I'd spend all day dragging my knee then lofting the front wheel out of every corner on the track. If you refined the off/on throttle transition and added a steering damper, you'd have the ultimate small/tight track weapon.

Gabe ~ Yamaha R6 ~ Track ~

I have always liked the R6, since I sold them at my local Yamaha dealer for a while. I actually did have a brief affair with owning a track-only '99 with a secretly bent front end that was fast as hell on the straights but maybe not so confidence-inspiring in turns. I always wondered if an undamaged

Well, duh. It was fun! As soon as I sat on the bike, it felt like coming home. The seat was comfortable, and my feet easily reached the ground. The handlebars weren't too low, but still positioned my body in an aggressive, yet comfortable position. It felt as if the R6's design team designed the bike around my 5'6", stumpy-legged frame.

That comfort extended beyond the seating position and controls. The instruments caught my eye perfectly, with the large, programmable shift light front-and-center. The tachometer face had large, one and two-digit numbers on it, widely spaced so even the quickest glance tells the rider how close to redline he is. The speedometer changes readings slowly enough so you can actually discern how fast you are approaching the blind crest of the hill at the entrance of turn six. (102, if you're wondering.)

The engines on all four of these bikes are ridiculously refined and smooth, and the R6 is one of the better ones. It's a perfect balance of rideablilty and top-end punch. Anybody who prefers the torquey hit of a big V-Twin needs to buy one of these things and just keep the tachometer needle to the right of the number "9". From 9 to 15k RPMs, the R6's just pulls and pulls and pulls, never feeling frantic or uncontrollable- just smooth, useable power.

The brakes are great too, Yamaha's trademark "monoblock" caliper desig design introduced almost 10 years ago on the YZF600R. They work great, with nice feel and response. I never felt like I needed more than one finger to scrub off speed safely and with confidence.

Speaking of confidence, the compliant yet stable chassis made me feel comfortable for the first time that day. Suddenly I was passing other riders, 250 Ninjas at first, but then some of the more portly of the middle-aged men. The R6 didn't shake its head coming out of corners, didn't wheelie unexpectedly, and didn't scare me back to selling cars. It felt like I had been riding it for years- exactly the feeling a motorcycle should impart on its rider. In the old days a serious sportbike enthusiast would have to spend at least a thousand bucks or more on suspension, brake pads, tires and brake lines to even make a bike safe, forget about comfortable, to ride on a racetrack. But now you can buy an R6 or any one of the 600s I rode and never spend another dime- even the stock tires gripped well for the three of us all day long.

When I returned to the R6 for another go, I had my typical "end of track day" epiphany. I spend the first two sessions wondering why the hell I would ever want to risk life and limb to perform such a meshuge activity like riding a motorcycle on a racetrack that has claimed countless lives. The next two sessions after lunch are more Protestant than Jewish as my anxiety gives way to an awakening realization that I have some modicum of skill, which in turn surrenders to Pagan abandonment of all rationality as I start passing everybody in my group while screaming like William Wallace on crystal in my helmet.

The R6 was a perfect partner for this with its 15k rpm redline and neutral, stable, easy to ride chassis. I was able to get on the gas sooner and sooner, picking the front wheel heading into turn 11 as I slipped past other riders, the digital speedometer telling me things my 250 Ninja never dreamed of as I tore through deadly turn one flat out. The R6 is just such a refined bike that it's hard to fault. It's comfortable, easy to ride and fast as lightning, without sacrificing too much character or edginess.

So, the winner of my (fictional) $8,500 is Yamaha's R6. There's a lot to be said for refinement, and Yamaha's engineers have walked a thin line between refinement and character. But the bottom line for me on the racetrack is having an invisible bike- a machine that lets the rider focus solely on the racetrack experience while providing more power, braking and chassis rigidity than he could ever need. The R6 does exactly that, while at the same time never feeling intimidating or hard to ride.

Pete ~ Yamaha R6 ~ Track ~

Never before can I recall feeling so immediately comfortable after getting on a bike. Not comfortable as in "ride comfort" but as in completely comfortable with what I was able to do with the bike. And that feeling came by the end of the second turn on the first lap. The R6, for whatever reason, seemed to require no time to acclimate. The thought that came to mind after coming straight off another bike to the Yamaha was: "This is the bike for me!" It truly was that strong of an emotion or sensation and it appeared quickly. I was instantly inspired to start winding the engine towards redline more quickly than on any other bike. And even though it had a potent smack of acceleration near the top of the rev range, the bike never made me nervous. It was just as easy to unwind the motor and setup for a turn as if I were out for a casual street ride. Lean a little more, apply the throttle and you feel secure as the proximity between your knee and tarmac shrinks.

I attribute this mostly to rider ergonomics. The Yamaha feels as if you're sitting "in" a cockpit. Seat to bar relation was ideal, allowing for a natural transition from full tuck to setting up for a direction change. The transmission, braking and steering were all transparent. Actually that's not entirely true, steering was noticeable. Noticeable because it was so darned easy to initiate and change at any time. It was always stable. Always! The R6 simply makes riding fast easy.

-Patience, Tires, Test Bikes, Scales & Cooperation-

By Sean Alexander

Organizing, directing and executing a story like this one takes a heck of a lot more "behind the scenes" work than you'd expect. For this story, some of that work went unrewarded and some rewards came with no work.

The racetrack portion of this big test was scheduled to take place on Saturday, Feb 12th at California Speedway. That ended up rained-out, so we re-scheduled our track test for Monday the 21st at Streets of Willow. That one was rained-out too, and we were now quickly nearing the end of the loan period on two of our four test bikes. In a panic, we arranged to attend a ZoomZoom track day at Infineon (Sears Point) Raceway on Thursday the 24th. We re-juggled the schedule, re-arranged for support from the OEM technicians and Pirelli tires, crossed our fingers and prayed that the third time would be a charm. And it was, sort of.MO has a long happy and healthy relationship with the Plummer Menapace Group (they handle PR for Arai, Tour Master & Metzeler/Pirelli) When MO needs tires, we call Rick, Peggy or Kelly over at Plummer Menapace and things happen. Funny enough; Mother Nature has a long, happy and healthy relationship with California's topography. When Mother Nature asks, California's hillsides slide down onto roads, driveways, parking lots and houses, it's that simple. Unfortunately, those two symbiotic relationships came to blows this week, when a rain-soaked California hillside slid into (and over) the new West Coast Pirelli tire distributor's trailer, the night before it was supposed to drive up to Infineon to support our test. This was bad. "really really REALLY F'n BAD!" I yelled, after finding out that the Pirelli truck was busy doing a little subterranean exploring instead of arriving at Infineon to support the 2005 Motorcycle.Com Middleweight Shootout.

As I scrambled to find emergency replacement tires available right now in the immediate San Francisco area, it came to my attention that MotorcycleUSA (also doing their middleweight shootout thing at Infineon on the 24th) had one extra set of Dunlop D208GP race tires and would be happy to give the tires to us, if we'd be willing to share our GSX-R 600 test bike with them. Ho boy! Suzuki isn't exactly known for being generous with test bikes for internet sites and the thought of telling them that we loaned the unit to another internet site gave me a funky feeling in my stomach. However, after reflecting on it for a few seconds, I realized that MotorcycleUSA was looking at a sub-par shootout without a GSX-R 600 and I knew how bad that felt. I also knew that if MotorcycleUSA gave me a set of D208GPs, I'd only have to find three more sets instead of four, thus increasing my odds of riding on race rubber that afternoon. So, I said they could use the GSX-R when we were finished, as long as Suzuki gave the okay to transfer responsibility away from Motorcycle.Com. Suzuki said it was "okay" and a deal was struck. Well, sort of.

Turns out, we couldn't find anybody within 20 miles of Infineon in Febuary with more than one set of race tires in our size, no matter how hard we begged and pleaded. So even though McUSA gave us a set, we still couldn't equip the other bikes, thus the racetrack testing would have to be done entirely on the original street tires fitted to each of our test bikes. To put it simply: This is not ideal for the consistency, speed or safety of a racetrack test. We would be walking on eggshells all day. On the other hand, sticking to OEM street tires does give a more accurate picture of how the bikes stack-up as equipped bone-stock from your local dealer.

Of course, it wasn't MotorcycleUSA's fault that we couldn't find three additional sets of race rubber on such short notice, so we didn't penalize them and agreed to let them have our GSXR anyway, even though we didn't use their tires. However, there was one thing that I demanded in return: "Give us your scales, you sonsa bitches! or you'll never see this Gixxer again!" My threat worked and we now have a complete accurate weight measurement, along with the usual performance test data. What's that? Does that mean that once again MO has come through with a better, more complete, more entertaining and flat-out kick-ass Middleweight Shootout before the competition? Yes, we think it does.

Lastly, we have been avid consumers of trackdays for the last five or six years, and Zoom Zoom racing seems to be one of the best prepared and most professionally run in California.

AFM racer Chris Keane started Zoom Zoom as a part-time way to get more track time, but it has grown into a full-time venture for him. He put together a program that includes classroom time, one-on-one instruction available in all groups and refreshments for no additional charge. Keane utilizes a cadre of veteran club racers to keep an eye on newbie and experienced riders alike. The result is markedly fewer crashes and less wacky behavior than a lot of other track days we could mention.

Thanks again to everyone at Zoom Zoom for running a great track day and for putting up with MO's antics!

Big Thanks go to PirelliU.S. (you tried!), Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki(especially Scott Buckley), Suzuki, MotorcycleUSA and especially ZoomZoom Track Days!  

The Honda was undoubtedly the best bike at the racetrack, did okay at the strip and dyno but was a distant fourth in the comfort dept. Yamaha's R6 was the king on the street, while it fared well at the dragstrip and did ok at the track. The Kawasaki dominated the dragstrip and dyno, did very well on the street and was fastest under our resident expert roadracer at the racetrack, but was a handful for our novice and intermediate racers. The Suzuki did well on the  street, well on the roadcourse, was mediocre on the dyno and got its butt kicked at the dragstrip. According to our "combined" votes, the actual

Overall results are:
Suzuki fourth, Honda third, Kawasaki second and Yamaha first. Congratulations to Yamaha, their bike took the overall victory, against some stellar competition.

What? How the heck did the fastest bike finish second and the best track bike finish third? It would appear that three of our testers just felt "right" on the Yamaha. If you can deal with a few grating vibrations and ain't skeered by the 636, then the Kawasaki is obviously the right choice for you. Then again, if you are new to the racetrack, or just want to get down to some serious lap time refinement, the Honda might be the way to go. In the end, It all comes down to our personal experiences and expectations, really. Our riders whole-heartedly endorse all of these bikes. However, after nearly a month of testing, thousands of dollars in expenses, countless discussions and arguments, setbacks, solutions and negotiations; we do hereby declare the obvious winner to be.... you!