ninjadriver
Die hard MF'er
srry is wel int engels maar anders moet ik het weer hertypen en daar heb ik geen zin in
PART ONE:
Engines & Performance:
"They are all quick. For the first time ever the whole class is making more than 100bhp at the wheel on a dynomometer, and not by a little bit. Only four of these engines feel as fantastic as they sound though and of the other two, one is a big surprise.
Kawasaki's ZX-6RR was not built to be a class-winning road bike. It was built to have its bollocks tuned off and howl past the others on track. Hence this standard version didn't really blow our socks off. The 599cc lump may be all-new but it simply felt like a three year old model in the absence of the kit parts the design relies on. It revs up fairly quick and feels enthusiastic once above 10,000rpm but it's the least impressive here... the solution is to give it what it wants - a full race kit...
The surprising disappointment of the test was the all-new Honda CBR600RR. The previous model was acclaimed for its grunty motor and broad spread of power. But much of that's gone, and in chasing lofty peak power figures Honda has sacrificed a fair chunk of midrange ability. Not much seems to happen until just before 10,000rpm as torque picks up a little and carries you towards the real power. In order to hang onto the other bikes the RR needs you to use most of the 15,000rpm as the peak is close to the redline. Don't think that this symptom is only shown by track thrashing. On the road you can't plan as far ahead and you need power more on demand. It's likely that on a spirited road ride you will spend a good deal of time around 8-9,000rpm where the CBR hasn't enough serious power to dip into. At nine grand the ZX636R makes 18bhp more and utterly devestates the CBR.
This is a worrying trend from Honda. The SP-2 is quick at the top but so gutless in the mid-range even top Honda insiders were expressing concern at the launch. The FireBlade likewise has an impressive peak but rather lacklustre torque. It looks like someone at Honda's engine team is only interested in a fat peak power figure to slap on the brochure.
Ducati's 749S gave us more mood swings than a pre-menstrual, Prozac-fried missus after you've been out with the lads. One bend we loved its torque, the next we suddenly hated the breathless top end.
The Yamaha R6 is fast. Regardless of anything else in this test, this new bike can shift. Easy second gear wheelies, flexible mid-range power delivery and a broader, higher peak all mean that it howls in a whole new way... From 4,000 to 16,000rpm this engine is beautifully linear and smoother... more than all, except the 636, it feels like you always have a choice of at least three gears that will work perfectly well. That means you can dial the gear and revs in to suit your requirements without thinking about how the engine works best. On the Honda you'd go backwards doing that but the R6 is far more flexible.
The Gixxer is no aural illusion either, it really is that fast. Lapping the circuit at speed with R6... showed that the GSX-R could pull half a length on the front straight even carrying a slower, taller, and heavier rider. The SDTV injection system that set the world on fire two years ago is still the best way of asking an engine to go faster, unsurpassed in this company. Together with enough mid-range torque to drag the CBR backwards up Everest the Suzuki stays very near the top of the pile wherever you ride it.
Despite the Suzuki's voracity, sound, speed, drive and road manners it isn't the best performer here. That accolade goes to the ZX-636R and by some margin. Within seconds on this bike I was completely agog in a way normally reserved for GSX-R1000s or Turbo Hayabusas. Last year Kawasaki simply over-bored an existing engine. This year it has built an almost all-new motor around set dimensions... many lighter parts and a revised cylinder head for higher compression (and therefore, more power) couple with the weight loss from the whole bike to turn it into a f**king missile. The work Kawasaki has done has optimised the engine around the larger bore. The result is staggering. First gear produces huge power wheelies, in second gear it will wheelie off the clutch from as low as 20mph. That means an enormous midrange. Quite simply, it dumps all over the other bikes from idle to the redline on any road, at any track, with any rider. On the road the surge from the midrange is shocking in such a compact bike. The ZX-7R wouldn't stand a chance and the GSX-R750 would be run close with only five foot-pounds of torque in hand over the lighter, slimmer Kawasaki. The difference to your road riding is far more relaxing when you don't have to work the engine as hard. The 636 simply romps out of bends and when you want to get a hustle on it will pull half a length on the other bikes in the shortest of gaps. The fuel injection isn't quite as sweet as the Suzuki's low down but it's equal at higher revs... On track the Kawasaki feels like a tuned supersport bike... it revs as ravenously as the GSX-R but makes considerably more power right through the range. You could tow a Caravan and still overtake the CBR.
As far as engines and performance are concerned, it's all become clear."
Coming soon... PART TWO... Chassis and Handling
PART ONE:
Engines & Performance:
"They are all quick. For the first time ever the whole class is making more than 100bhp at the wheel on a dynomometer, and not by a little bit. Only four of these engines feel as fantastic as they sound though and of the other two, one is a big surprise.
Kawasaki's ZX-6RR was not built to be a class-winning road bike. It was built to have its bollocks tuned off and howl past the others on track. Hence this standard version didn't really blow our socks off. The 599cc lump may be all-new but it simply felt like a three year old model in the absence of the kit parts the design relies on. It revs up fairly quick and feels enthusiastic once above 10,000rpm but it's the least impressive here... the solution is to give it what it wants - a full race kit...
The surprising disappointment of the test was the all-new Honda CBR600RR. The previous model was acclaimed for its grunty motor and broad spread of power. But much of that's gone, and in chasing lofty peak power figures Honda has sacrificed a fair chunk of midrange ability. Not much seems to happen until just before 10,000rpm as torque picks up a little and carries you towards the real power. In order to hang onto the other bikes the RR needs you to use most of the 15,000rpm as the peak is close to the redline. Don't think that this symptom is only shown by track thrashing. On the road you can't plan as far ahead and you need power more on demand. It's likely that on a spirited road ride you will spend a good deal of time around 8-9,000rpm where the CBR hasn't enough serious power to dip into. At nine grand the ZX636R makes 18bhp more and utterly devestates the CBR.
This is a worrying trend from Honda. The SP-2 is quick at the top but so gutless in the mid-range even top Honda insiders were expressing concern at the launch. The FireBlade likewise has an impressive peak but rather lacklustre torque. It looks like someone at Honda's engine team is only interested in a fat peak power figure to slap on the brochure.
Ducati's 749S gave us more mood swings than a pre-menstrual, Prozac-fried missus after you've been out with the lads. One bend we loved its torque, the next we suddenly hated the breathless top end.
The Yamaha R6 is fast. Regardless of anything else in this test, this new bike can shift. Easy second gear wheelies, flexible mid-range power delivery and a broader, higher peak all mean that it howls in a whole new way... From 4,000 to 16,000rpm this engine is beautifully linear and smoother... more than all, except the 636, it feels like you always have a choice of at least three gears that will work perfectly well. That means you can dial the gear and revs in to suit your requirements without thinking about how the engine works best. On the Honda you'd go backwards doing that but the R6 is far more flexible.
The Gixxer is no aural illusion either, it really is that fast. Lapping the circuit at speed with R6... showed that the GSX-R could pull half a length on the front straight even carrying a slower, taller, and heavier rider. The SDTV injection system that set the world on fire two years ago is still the best way of asking an engine to go faster, unsurpassed in this company. Together with enough mid-range torque to drag the CBR backwards up Everest the Suzuki stays very near the top of the pile wherever you ride it.
Despite the Suzuki's voracity, sound, speed, drive and road manners it isn't the best performer here. That accolade goes to the ZX-636R and by some margin. Within seconds on this bike I was completely agog in a way normally reserved for GSX-R1000s or Turbo Hayabusas. Last year Kawasaki simply over-bored an existing engine. This year it has built an almost all-new motor around set dimensions... many lighter parts and a revised cylinder head for higher compression (and therefore, more power) couple with the weight loss from the whole bike to turn it into a f**king missile. The work Kawasaki has done has optimised the engine around the larger bore. The result is staggering. First gear produces huge power wheelies, in second gear it will wheelie off the clutch from as low as 20mph. That means an enormous midrange. Quite simply, it dumps all over the other bikes from idle to the redline on any road, at any track, with any rider. On the road the surge from the midrange is shocking in such a compact bike. The ZX-7R wouldn't stand a chance and the GSX-R750 would be run close with only five foot-pounds of torque in hand over the lighter, slimmer Kawasaki. The difference to your road riding is far more relaxing when you don't have to work the engine as hard. The 636 simply romps out of bends and when you want to get a hustle on it will pull half a length on the other bikes in the shortest of gaps. The fuel injection isn't quite as sweet as the Suzuki's low down but it's equal at higher revs... On track the Kawasaki feels like a tuned supersport bike... it revs as ravenously as the GSX-R but makes considerably more power right through the range. You could tow a Caravan and still overtake the CBR.
As far as engines and performance are concerned, it's all become clear."
Coming soon... PART TWO... Chassis and Handling