Show of Force
Show of Force
Turn and burn aboard the Sport Fours
DON CANET
TWIN PRATT & WHITNEY AFTERBURNING TURBOFANS SPLIT THE air with a tremendous roar as a McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle lifted off the tarmac and pitched up into a near-vertical climb. As though flexing its muscle for all eyes below, the fighter jet accelerated in a rapid ascent until its pilot rolled out and throttled back several thousand feet overhead. Pretty exciting ride, I related, observing from the cockpit of our Suzuki GSX-R1000, a canyon-strafing Open-class weapon in its own right. Could the thrill of probing the edge of the performance envelope be that different for either pilot?
With Nellis Air Force Base right next door, testing sportbikes at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway often holds the bonus of an impromptu air show. And with the current global climate being what it is, USAF Red Flag training sorties were running full swing. Perhaps much of this aerial activity could have been avoided had the Commanderin-Chief consid-
ered my own tactical plan for toppling the Taliban. For a fraction of the cost of conventional measures, my “Operation Infidel Infiltration” would deploy an MTV Spring Break festival to Afghanistan, or any other region known to harbor al-Qaida. Unleashing an army of beer-swilling American teens upon sacred ground would quickly bring our enemy to its knees, while simultaneously stimulating the economy and spirits throughout the occupied territory. The draft is back, kids, join up now and receive your standard-issue mil-spec beer mug!
While the boys in blue provided top cover over the Nevada desert, our own little ground war ensued below. A triad of opposing forces pitted Honda’s new CBR954RR, Yamaha’s heavily revised YZF-R1 and the undisputed victor of last year’s performance war, Suzuki’s GSX-R1000, against one another in a heads-up fight.
During the previous day’s dragstrip testing at California Speedway, the big Gixxer had handily defended its territory with a 9.95-second, 143.69-mph blast through the quartermile. The 954 and Rl posted identical 10.32-second ETs, both flashing through the trap some 6 mph down on the Suzuki. The Yamaha required more revs and clutch slip to get off the line without bogging, which left its plates begging for mercy after a few repeated passes. Warding off time-killing low-gear wheelies was also a real chore aboard the Rl. The 954’s clutch provided better feel and remained consistent throughout the four passes we made down the strip. The Suzuki has so much low-end grunt, you can botch a start and still recover to lay down a time the others can’t beat. If you’re planning to run for pinks, cover your bets and go with the Suzuki.
Our friends at the LVMS-based Freddie Spencer Riding
School helped hook us up with a track date on the nine-turn, 1.8-mile road course located adjacent to the tri-oval. Aside from serving as a parking lot during the previous weekend’s sold-out NASCAR Winston Cup event, the road course offers a good mix of tight comers, flip-flop transitions, trailbraking comer entries and varying surface conditions. An increasing-radius comer leading onto the back straight begs you to give it a fistful of stick, while the long 110-mph sweeper at the far end has some unsettling pavement ripples at the apex that’ll have you holding yer breath. In all, it’s a good test track, and a layout that would keep the Gixxer from stretching its legs on the competition.
An element of the test we hadn’t counted on were the elements themselves. Severe gusting wind made for many tense moments throughout the day, particularly in slower comers. At times, it even became a test of blind faith as clouds of dust swept across the track causing an instant of zero visibility. Unlike the throttle jocks overhead, I’m not instmment _ flight-rated.
ÆÊÊk With the track surface dusty and extremely slick, 1 favored the Rl for its combinam tion of minimal drive lash and very smooth throttle response. The Honda, by comparison, has a good deal of drivetrain slop, and its front brakes have pretty aggressive initial bite-two things that keep you on your toes when riding in wet-like conditions, even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. With the Suzuki’s abundance of torque always at the ready, you’d better have the right stuff (or at least the right line) before kicking-in the ’burner in these conditions. One tester encountered more mid-comer frontend tucks in an hour aboard the GSX-R than he’d experienced throughout his entire career. Such hair-raising moments could be avoided with early throttle application to transfer weight to the rear, but easy does it.
HONDA CBR954RR
$10,599
Glancing up at one point, I saw a flight of F-16s painted in Thunderbirds livery. Consummate showmen, the tight Vic formation trailed white smoke as it approached the base. Duly inspired, we performed our own formation flying for the camera with dust tailing off the rear tires. As mid-day approached, little knowledge had been gained about each bike’s tme track capabilities, but we hadn’t suffered any casualties, either. One can only procrastinate for so long when being paid to perform, however. Okay, okay, timed hot laps right after lunch! At least allow me a good meal, as my next could well be hospital chow!
While we were away eating, the Las Vegas Metro squad cars raided the track for an hour of driver training. The dustbuster posse did well, as we returned to find a much cleaner road surface, providing enough grip to get on with the business of testing frontline sportbikes. Each bike wore its OEMfitment tires, a good choice for the conditions since street rubber offers superior grip at the low operating temperatures we were seeing on this day. I chose to ride the 954 first, as it seemed the easiest to come to grips with thanks to its com-
SUZUKI GSX-R1000
$10,399
pact feel, well-balanced suspension and light handling. While the RR’s willingness to tum-in and hold a line can be an asset, it was also the most affected by the wind. While it lashed out with a semi-serious headshake a few times over some ripple seams on the pit straight, this may not have been an issue but for the strong crosswind that required lean angle while traveling in a straight line. Aboard the 954 you feel as though you’re hovering over the road, its dash and nose disappearing beneath you. The R1 is a bit like that as well, both offering an unobstructed forward view like the next-generation
YAMAHA YZF-R1
$10,299
fighter jets. The Gixxer cockpit is more like an oldschool F-15 with instruments and canopy framework cutting into your field of view. There’s no forgetting that you’re piloting a machine when riding the Suzuki, as its nose sticks out there a bit.
Within a few laps, black contrails began to appear on corner exits, visual evidence of thrust-vectoring at work. In fact, all three bikes made good use of subtle and controlled rear-wheel slides out of several second-gear comers around the circuit. In a couple of these turns, full throttle application just beyond the apex was possible with the Flonda and Yamaha. With revs down around 5000 rpm, power builds smoothly-mim icking a steady roll-on-even though I had the throttle pinned to its “War Emergency Power” setting. I’m not suggesting you go try this on your bike, especially if it’s a brutish GSX-R 1000-under the wrong conditions you may end up being ejected from the saddle!
Ultra-compliant, the Rl’s suspension soaks up bumps we wouldn’t have even known about if not for riding the other bikes. While the R1 chassis is more responsive and trackready than its predecessor, it also provides the most street comfort of these three. A best lap of 1:26.38 beat out my quickest of 1:26.76 aboard the Honda. So what, you say? Hey, it was my neck on the line, and that half-second didn’t come easy! Which is to say the 1:25.31 posting by the GSXR1000 is another decisive battle won in this year’s liter-class war. Still not sold? Look at the top speed and dyno results.
So, the GSX-R is still the performance leader by more than its nose; but is it the right choice for you? Yes, if you plan on hauling a friend around-according to the calibrated tush of our test passenger.
Yes, if you’re looking for the smoothest engine at freeway speeds. And certainly yes, if you race to win at the track.
Where does that leave our challengers? Although both bikes have received plenty of updates, like any successful combat aircraft, such things as multi-role capability, roll rate, pitch and yaw control, endurance (comfort range) and reliability are to be considered. In the real world of everyday postwar play, the Honda’s slight power surge at 3000 rpm is an annoyance the others don’t have when pulling away from a stop, and its drivelash and clutch stiffness are both excessive relative to the others. Fit and finish are parade-grade, but so too are the Rl’s. It may come down to pint-sized pilots opting for the 954 for its compact size and light feel. The restyled R1 looks sexy as an F-22 Raptor and really does feel refined. It’s the best-balanced of these three and a damn good streetbike, maybe the best for most backroad aces.
But it’s not the highest flyer. That distinction remains with the Suzuki GSX-R 1000.
