Bargain Hunters
BARGAIN HUNTERS
FIVE GOOD DEALS FOR THE OPEN ROAD
A NUMBER OF CHANGES HAVE GONE DOWN since Cycle World's, last budget-bike shootout. Unfortunately, one thing that hasn't is the price of the participants. Yet these five bikes still represent the most sport for the least spent in today’s market.
Suzuki has dropped the Bandit 400-runner-up in our last comparison-returning with an unchanged GS500E. Kawasaki’s EX500-third last time out-has been significantly revamped for ’94, entering the fray as the Ninja 500, which looks like a strong contender for Best Bargain Bike in this year’s Ten Best Bikes voting. Taking that title in ’93 was Yamaha’s Seca II, which returns with slight alterations.
A couple of surprise guests have crashed our low-budget party this year. With the coming of Yamaha’s YZF600 and Suzuki’s RF600R, the old FZR600 and Katana 600 have been relegated to bargain stature in the middleweight sportbike class.
What follows is a rundown of each machine, listed by order of weight, starting with the lightest-as every bargain hunter knows, you get a better deal when you purchase by the pound.
CW COMPARISON
SUZUKI GS500E FUN ON THE CHEAP
Comparison tests in Cycle World have never been one of the Suzuki GS500’s fortes, whether it was pitted one-on-one against Kawasaki’s EX500 (April, 1991 ) or taking part in a multi-bike shootout (February, 1992). Swinging a leg over Suzuki’s sporty entry-level standard was sort of like drawing the proverbial short straw of the lot. jite
Outgunned once OS takes familiar role of underdog. enough, since its 1989 introduction, there have been no significant changes made to the GS500. It seems there's no interest at Suzuki in elevating the Suzuki GS’s truly performance understands status the real-world among its needs peers. of Or the perhaps entrylevel rider, because in many ways the GS500 meets a novice rider’s requirements better than any other bike in this group.
Having the lowest seat height as well as being the lightest certainly scores big points for the GS among beginners. Its aircooled, dohe, four-valve, parallel-Twin motor, while lacking a bit in lowand medium-range power, offers simplicity and ease of operation. Its 4-into-l exhaust looks cool, and having only one tailpipe greatly reduces the chance of having a leg tattooed with a nasty muffler burn. Still not convinced? Well, there’s no expensive fairing to collect the scars of lessons learned the hard way.
Light and nimble, the GS is a real delight for squirting about town or for freeway commuting. Maneuvering the GS out of your garage or into a tight parking space is a piece of cake. Take the GS500 through a set of tight curves and its abundance of cornering clearance combined with competent handling guarantees big-time fun.
A fairly wide, medium-height tubular-type handlebar puts the rider into a comfortable, upright seating position that's complemented by roomy footpeg placement.
At $3649, the GS comes in $750 under Yamaha’s Seca II and Kawasaki's Ninja 500. Ironically, it's been the GS500’s consistent lack of development that’s finally paid off. The price gap has grown larger than ever in '94, making the GS500 a viable pick as the best entry-level bargain.
KAWASAKI NINJA 500 THE EX500 EARNS ITS BLACK BELT
If longer your award-winning draws the same chili rave no reviews it once received, don’t throw out the whole pot of beans just yet.
Kawasaki didn't can the recipe and start from scratch when the EX500-voted Best Under-500cc Streetbike four times in our annual Ten Best voting-finally relinquished the top honors. By merely adding a few new ingredients, such as larger wheels and wider tires, and a new front fork with larger-diameter tubes for increased rigidity, then wrapping the result in restyled bodywork, the EX has been granted a new lease on life and a new name. Certain items on the Ninja 500 were sourced from upscale Ninjas. The turnsignals, taillight and mirrors come from the ZX-7; the headlight and handlebar switches are from the ZX-6. A new stouter swingarm has been fitted, and a rear disc brake replaces the EX’s drum. The Ninja 500's instrument panel has also been revamped, with a distinct look akin to those of the ZX-6 and 11.
What hasn’t changed is the quality of power produced by the little Ninja’s liquid-cooled, dohc, eight-valve parallelTwin. This jewel of a motor has plenty of beans right off idle and runs like stink up top with 48.8 peak horsepower at 9000 rpm, nearly 9 more than the GS500, which peaks at the same rpm. The engine has a gear-driven balancer and rubberized mounting to reduce vibration, and what vibes do reach the rider through the bars are not a tingly, hand-numbing annoyance.
With 17-inch wheels replacing the 16-inch hoops of the EX, both handling and stability have improved to a small degree. Steering remains extremely light, distinguishing the Ninja as the quickest turner of the bunch, though it still has a slight tendency to fall into turns. We particularly like the Ninja’s suspension for its very controlled, yet compliant ride. Its ergonomics are also at the top of our list, matched only by the Seca U’s.
All in all, with little more than a stir of the pot, Kawasaki has managed to bring a once-great player back into the game. The Ninja 500, priced at $4399, is truly a gas to ride and that’s why it’s our pick as the best overall deal in this group.
YAMAHA SECA II FULL-SIZE BARGAIN BLASTER
Yamaha’s our testers very raving yellow about Seca any II particular didn’t leave strength. any of What’s far more important in this class is that nobody could find major fault with any facet of the bike’s performance. We were impressed with the 1993 model to the point that we voted it the Best Bargain Bike in our Ten Best Bikes competition.
Introduced two years ago, the II gave Yamaha an instant winner in the increasingly popular bargain category. For 1994, Yamaha increased compression damping on the shock and improved the windscreen, making it taller and wider. The price also got a hike, going up $200 to $4399.
Suspension rates are on the soft side for aggressive sport riding, but well suited for average daily duty. Steering is fairly light and neutral, while overall chassis stability, although not bad, is surpassed by the Ninja, Katana and FZR.
At freeway speeds, the 599cc, air-cooled engine is the smoothestrunning of the lot; it does become audibly buzzy at certain revs on either side of its midrange power spread, however. Performance numbers are very comparable to those of the Ninja 500, with nearly identical quarter-mile acceleration times and peakhorsepower readings. Braking distance was equally close, although the Ninja gets the nod here for having slightly better brake-lever feel. The Ninja’s advantage in top speed was offset by the Seca’s superior top-gear roll-on performance. And like the Ninja, Seca power serves a rider well around town, with a broad enough range that the rider isn’t tap dancing on the gearshift lever.
Seca ergonomics are the most spacious of the group. A relatively broad, comfortable seat and a wide handlebar put the finishing touches on this comfortable, full-sized motorcycle. Passenger potential wasn’t neglected in the Seca’s seat design; the comfort’s good for two.
Though we favor the Ninja as best overall bargain bike on the strength of its fun-to-flog motor, it’s a very close call. Which of these two bikes is right for you may come down to how partial you are to the color yellow. If yellow isn’t mellow enough, the Seca II also comes in blue.
KAWASAKI NINJA 500
$4399
SUZUKI GS500E
$3649
SUZUKI KATANA 600
$5499
YAMAHA FZR600 NOT OUT TO PASTURE JUST YET
Once a great champion with solid standing in national-level roadracing, the Yamaha FZR600 has been bumped down to the minors in ’94. Not to say the FZR isn't the bike it once was; fact is, including the FZR among this mixed company was like pitching a piranha into a goldfish bowl. But with the new YZF600 warming up in th Yamaha bullpen, time has come to relieve the FZR600.
YAMAHA FZR600
$5699
YAMAHA SECA II
$4399
In our most recent 600-class comparison, the FZR squared off against the likes of the Honda CBR600F2, the Kawasaki ZX-6 and the Suzuki GSX-R600. The already-aging FZR impressed us by having the strongest bottom-end power of all the frontline 600s. Its liquid-cooled, dohc, 16-valve inline-Four is ideally suited for street riding, thanks to its broad, smooth power delivery and crisp throttle response.
The FZR has always received high marks for its precise steering, which to this day remains light and neutral with excellent feel and feedback. Suspension rates which in the past drew criticism for being undersprung and underdamped, proved less of an issue this time out, since hot laps of our local roadcoursc weren't on the test card. Fact is, the FZR has always delivered a better freeway ride than its race-replica peers, being less prone to pitch and buck over slab joints.
Unfortunately, the FZR’s ergonomics never have allowed it much use as a medium-distance sport-touring mount. Its low clip-on bars and thinly padded saddle soon remind the most determined long-haulers of the FZR’s original mission when it invaded the supersportracing scene back in ’89. Another drawback to the FZR on the street is the placement of] its mirrors, which offer little more than an unobstructed view of the rider’s arms.
On the other hand, the FZR was Yamaha’s best-selling motorcycle in 1993, and that says something for the sporting value the FZR600 represents. At $5699, the FZR is the highest paid player in this lineup; it’s also easily the best repli-racer bargain currently available. Either way, the aging FZR600 still has a strong arm and a way with the curves, two qualities worth the price of admission.
SUZUKI KATANA 600 THE KAT FINDS ITS CALLING
While the FZR600 may seem a bit out of place among these bikes, the Katana 600 is no stranger to the junior leagues. Introduced in 1988, the Katana enjoyed a glorious year in the limelight, winning the national supersport title. However, since those fabulous beginnings, the well-rounded Suzuki has taken a beating in middleweight sportbike shootouts. At one point, we took pity on the Kat and gave it sidebar status rather than run it head-to-head with frontline 600s.
Why the segregation? The Katana 600 has always been one of our favorite streetbikes. And although it can no longer run with the class leaders around a racetrack, down the dragstrip or on top-speed runs, none of that mattered once we were out in the real world of street riding, where the Katana excels.
Like the Seca II, the Katana offers plenty of room for taller riders, with generous handlebar and footpeg placement. The Kat’s seat is well padded and its full-coverage fairing offers sufficient wind protection for semi-serious sport-touring duty. Only one factor cuts into the Katana’s longdistance capacity and that’s engine vibration. Its air-oil-cooled, dohc, 16-valve inline-Four buzzes, tending to numb fingers on extended rides. Aside from that and a tendency to be cold-blooded, the Katana’s engine offers good power over a wide range and a very slickshifting gearbox.
Two out of five testers preferred the Katana’s handling over the other bikes, something you may find surprising with the racer-sharp FZR and ultra-nimble Ninja on hand. Fact is, the Katana’s size and weight yields a feeling of being on a bike of substance, and solid stability is a comforting trait in any bike. Aided by higher, wider handlebars, the Kat’s steering is only slightly heavier than the FZR and more neutral than the Ninja. Its brakes are also on par, and its suspension offers the most adjustment of any bike here.
With the RF600 taking on the other top middleweights, it’s much easier to accept the Katana 600 for what it is, and at $5499 it offers a substantial price break for those looking to buy into the 600cc class. □
