Hotshots
HOTSHOTS
Fourplay
Having read all the British bike mags, then Cycle Worlds diametrically opposed conclusions of the Kawasaki ZX10R, MV Agusta F4 1000S and Suzuki GSXR-1000 in your “Three 4s” shootout, I’m completely baffled. Help me out and pick one: 1) You and they tested different bikes; 2) you did the simple pencil evaluation and didn’t even ride the bikes; 3) author Brian Catterson has a new, free ZX-10 sitting in his garage; or 4) guest-tester Doug Chandler is still on the Kawasaki payroll.
Oh, well, the 2005 racing season will prove you correct and the Brits wrong when we see 90 percent of privateers riding ZX-10s. Yeah, right...
Russ Merz Cincinnati, Ohio
First place ZX-10R, second place MV F4, third place GSX-R1000? I think you should check the standings for World Superbike and AMA Superbike-Troy Corser and Mat Mladin on ’05 Suzuki GSX-R1000s are having their way with everything on the track so far this year.
Daniel Anzai Placentia, California
Let’s see.. .Motorcyclist magazine winner: Suzuki GSX-R1000...5poríR/úfer winner: GSX-R1000.. .Roadracing World winner: GSX-R1000.. .two Briîish magazines’ winner: GSX-R1000. Every bike publication I’ve picked up has nothing but praise for the Suzuki. Maybe CW got a Gixxer that was a little off? How about a re-test? Marcelo Arrua Norwalk, California
First, turn to page 40.
Planet Earth to Cycle World\ How can you have a 1 OOOcc sportbike shootout when you leave out two or more of the liter-class contenders? Is it CW policy to stack the deck? Are you taking a lean to Green? C’mon, let’s get real and face it-Honda and Yamaha were left out for no good reason.
Duane Reamers Warner Robins, Georgia
Actually, the CBR1000RR and YZF-R1 were left out for two good reasons: They both lost to the ZX-10R last year and were virtually unchanged for 2005. Therefore, we lined up the Kawasaki againsttwo newBestSuperbike contend ers, the redrawn Suzuki GSX-R1000 and the powered-up MVAgusta.
Too bad Doug Chandler couldn't push that crappy GSX-R any faster. I mean it's not like Doug is a "Kawasaki guy" or anything. I'm sure the results would've been the same if Mladin, Schwantz or an MV development rider were the guest-tester...
Expert opinions are great, but outwardly biased drivel like the “Three 4s” article has no place in a supposedly impartial magazine. John Griffey Franklin, Tennessee
For the record, Doug Chandler has been a factory rider for Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, Cagiva, HarleyDavidson, Ducati and KTM, currently runs a Supermoto school using Husabergs and is no longer on anyone ’s payroll. He does not bleed green blood.
Just wanted to say thanks for the excellent liter-bike comparo. Far and away the best part was having Doug Chandler along. You did it right, got help from a real professional (not some Pro Blunder rider like another publication that will remain nameless).
I have one question: Why didn’t you publish the suspension settings Chandler found for the ZX-1 OR that helped with headshake? I’m sure all of us 10R pilots would like to know how a threetime AMA Superbike champ does it.
Raymond Duval Columbus, Ohio
The ZX-10R had its fork compression damping set 10 clicks out from closed (standard is 7), while shock compression was set at 3 V2 turns out (standard is 3) and shock spring preload was one turn out from standard (182mm spring length vs. 178mm). All other settings were as specified in the owner s manual. According to Kawasaki tech Scott Buckley, who helped with our test, these settings work for the Dunlop D208GPs we ran and for the stock D218s, but he warns other tires may require different settings.
More on 4s
How can the MV Agusta be (your words) “the best handling sportbike maybe ever” but then lose a 1 OOOcc shootout, especially to a Kawasaki that’s at least a little weavy and has a huge horsepower hit. Sure, the MV costs more, it’s Italian and there are economies of scale to think about; however, to relegate this bike to second place based on price is absurd. When you have 160 hp on tap, stability and throttle response are all that matter. And, no, I don’t own an MV.
Nick Campbell Gilbert, Arizona
Your otherwise excellent comparison of the ZX-10R, GSX-R1000 and MV Agusta F4 has me a bit worried. Going by your charts, they don’t generate maximum torque until you hit at least 8600 mph! What are you, daft? I mean, how long can their dilithium crystals last?
Brad Nus Sugarland, Texas
I see that you guys have developed a new method for determining engine torque. All three specs boxes rate engine torque as foot-pounds @ 80009400 miles per hour, not rpm as it should be. Your proofreader must have been asleep at the dyno. Bethany, Oklahoma
You either have a typo or your factcheckers took the day off. In the “Three 4s,” you say Doug Chandler ran a 1:57.35 at Thunderhill Raceway, “just 4 seconds off the outright motorcycle lap record.” Both Dave Stanton and Ken Hill have dipped into the 1:50s during AFM Formula Pacific races at Thunderhill-Ken in 2003 (1:50.2) and Dave in 2004 (1:50.7). Just wanted to clarify and give the respect that’s due these AFM fast guys.
Eric Arnold Gilroy, California
Please help me understand something. In the May issue, the “Into the 9s” article states that Rickey Gadson ran a 9.93-second quarter-mile at 135.05 mph on a stock Kawasaki ZX-6R. June’s “Three 4s” shows that the Kawasaki ZX-10R ran the quarter-mile in 10.04 seconds at 144.27. The ZX-6R generates 111.6 horsepower, while the ZX10R produces 155. That’s a whopping difference of 43.4 horsepower. Is the 600’s advantage due to the suspensionlowering modifications made to the bike or Gadson’s riding skill?
Geoff Jones Naperville, Illinois
Daytona downgrade?
Kevin Cameron has apparently been involved with the AMA for too long. His apologist attitude in June’s Race Watch section was, at best, silly. The AMA blew it with Daytona, plain and simple. The owners of Daytona International Speedway care only about NASCAR. They don’t care about the motorcycle races so they aren’t going to spend the money necessary to fix the track and make it safe. Why should they? Attendance is pitiful, and the AMA has only itself to blame. The racing has been completely diluted by the many classes that now take the grid. Look at any other race series in the world. Do they have as many classes of essentially similar machinery as the AMA? No. The current leadership of AMA Racing is incompetent and should be replaced, and Kevin should stop making excuses for them.
Henry Kwiecinski Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Er, Kwiecinski, sure you were reading the same article as Phipps, below?
In “Beyond Belief,” Kevin Cameron attempted to explain why Daytona racing was so pathetic this year. Good job, Kevin! I will be leaving Daytona Beach on Saturday mornings as long as 600 FX is the Daytona200. Miguel Duhamel, through no fault of his own, will not become Mr. Daytona until he wins six Superbike 200s. What a waste of vacation days this year’s 200 was. Jeffrey Phipps Charleston, South Carolina
I’ve been to Bike Week twice. You’re right, the crowd at the track is disappointing. There are a half-million bikers in town, but no race fans. Now, if you put OCC’s Teutuls out there, the place would fill up! The AMA should skip Daytona and leave the speedway to the Chopper Nation crowd. That would give them someplace to ride other than Main St.
Richard Hermanns Cincinnati, Ohio
Sahara sickness
Gary Inman’s chronicle of his African trip (“Sahara Crossing,” CW, June) was riveting, perhaps the best article in any publication I’ve read in a long time. I read each word, each sentence, three and four times, trying to feel what he was feeling and extracting every bit of information I could. When I got to the end of what I knew would be a too-short account, I was left gasping in wonder at his audacity, his foolishness, his nerve, his courage. You guys do an incredible job every month, and just when I think you can’t get better, you do. I read a lot of magazines, on many subjects. Yours is the best, bar none. George Rickerson Columbia, Missouri
I wish I would have known “Sahara Crossing” was going to be printed last month. I wouldn’t have read Ewan MacGregor’s The Long Way Round in the weeks before the June issue dropped. Somehow, Mr. Inman packed way more thrills, comedy and seat-of-the-pants action into eight pages than the Jedi Master did in his whole, uh, book. And the photos? Let’s see, a snapshot of Ewan and Paul Teutul Sr. sitting on a curb.. .or one of Inman casually laughing astride a filthy Benelli TnT while some sort of desert dweller brandishes a snake in his face? No contest!
Marty Cattani Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Never read anything as fantastic as “Sahara Crossing.” Is Gary Inman sane? Stupendous! B. Arni via the Internet
Just read “Sahara Crossing” and must say
that Mr. Inman has raised the bar on stupidity. Having lived and motorcycled in Africa for more than 20 years, I am well aware of the dangers of riding around that continent, even when you know the appropriate language and have the local currency in hand. Having rescued similar fools during my time in Africa, I must say it is ignorant people like him who cause those of us who actually belong there to be given so much grief by local authorities. Count yourself fortunate, Gary, to have emerged intact. Many do not. Jerry Giles Newton, Kansas
Great article! Thank God there are still people who just go for it, and don’t plan everything down to the nth degree. Wrong bike, inexperienced off-road rider, perfect adventure.
Maj. Sean Gibson, USMC Camp Failujah, Iraq
Roger that
As a sportbike enthusiast deployed overseas, I must say I disagree with a lot of the negative feedback you guys got for your May “Harleys That Haul” issue. I think you do a good job maintaining a balance of coverage between sportbikes and Harleys. Apparently other Marines here feel the same way since CW moves quickly off the shelves at our PX. Keep up the good work! CpI. Daniel Thompson United States Marine Corps
Golden gloves?
In a recent New Ideas section you ran a blurb on the Alpinestars GP Tech Gloves. Nice gloves, made from kangaroo so they’re soft and tough, and with some well-placed armor. But for $240!? Is it me, or is $240 for a pair of gloves a little on the steep side? I love riding, and I don’t ride without my gear, but damn guys, can a fella catch a break? I’m starting to
think that with a $ 15 co-pay, a skin graft may be more affordable than purchasing decent gear. I’ll stop whining now. Justin Gladding Fresno, California
Cheaper than gloves...
I love CW for the “cover anything with two wheels” approach, but $ 199 for a Pure Power reusable oil filter (New Ideas, May)?! Most OEM filters cost about $12. It’d take 17 oil changes and 51,000 miles to make it worthwhile. I suppose there could be some utility to such a “lifetime” filter if you lived in deepest, darkest Africa without an Auto Zone on every comer, or you were an iiber-ecoweenie. Otherwise it seems extravagant.
Jason Wang Canoga Park, California
The Luddite Rebellion
So it’s come to this-the SmarTire automa-
tic pressu lonitoring syst yCW Evaluation, lay). What’s next? Perhaps a carbon-fiber catheter for those too lazy to pry themselves off the couch when it’s time to void their bladder? Ah, but maybe it’s a safety thing. Personally, when my senses decline to a degree that precludes feeling a drop in tire pressure significant enough to signal an incipient flat, it’s probably time to hang up my leathers, sign up for cable and spend weekends watching those NASCAR yahoos chase their own tails, rather than stretching the throttle cable on my CBR.
Two hundred bucks, and less versatile than a $10 pencil gauge? (Care to check another bike’s tire pressures?) My old man Herman would laugh so hard he’d probably piss his pants. Say, maybe this thing should come with a catheter.
Mark “Luddite” Lindemann Scharaffenland, California
Can we show you something in a $200 oil filter instead?
