Honda CBR1000RR: 91.6 pts
It would be easy to assume that a bike boasting nearly the lightest weight (444 pounds wet), the most lithe and flickable chassis in the class, and a seriously midrange-strong motor would be the king of the category. "Until you grab a handful of throttle, you'd think you were riding a 600," said Olsen about the Honda's remarkably nimble handling, with El Jefe concurring, "easily the quickest and most agile handling of the bunch. Good front-end feedback lets you run it into the corners faster and deeper with less effort." Despite that agility, the CBR remained composed through the gnarliest and fastest sweepers we could find, with suspension damping and spring rates that struck a nice compromise for most of our testers.
When you do grab a handful of throttle, the Honda responds, with a strong midrange lunge off the corners that is surpassed only by the Ducati's beefy V-twin powerplant. OEM-spec Bridgestone BT-015 rubber does a good job of putting that power to the ground while offering neutral steering and handling characteristics along with good grip, and the CBR's brakes are crisp and powerful without being overly responsive like the Ducati. Ergos were well-liked for the most part, with the Honda exuding that typical user-friendly character in every aspect that breeds confidence and quick acclimation.
There were a few niggling complaints, however. Fueling is still a little soft just off idle, and the engine starts to get buzzy as the rpm rise. "The CBR engine has good midrange, but it still has that thrashy feel, as if the piston and bearing clearances inside the engine are on the loose side," griped El Jefe. And even in the canyons, the CBR's top-end deficit was perceptible; "Against the other bikes here, the CBR runs out of breath up top," wrote Siahaan. Driveline lash was much less prevalent than with previous test units, but still more noticeable than the others.
| HONDA CBR1000RR |
| TEST NOTES |
| + |
Lightest and most agile inline-four |
| + |
Awesome midrange power |
| - |
Engine still has thrashy feel, burns oil |
| - |
Needs a little more top-end |
| x |
More top-end power, and this might have been different |
| SUGGESTED SUSPENSION SETTINGS |
| FRONT |
spring preload—3 turns in from full soft;
rebound damping—1.75 turns out from full stiff;
compression damping—1.5 turns out from full stiff |
| REAR |
spring preload—position 8 of 9 (full stiff);
rebound damping—0.5 turns out from full stiff;
compression damping—1.0 turns out from full stiff |
Kawasaki ZX-10R: 92.0 pts
Once again, the Kawasaki managed to fend off all comers in our street testing, although it was close this year, with one tester picking the Honda and two others just barely picking the Kawasaki over the CBR. Although lacking the outright midrange punch of the Honda, the ZX-10R makes up for it with impeccable fueling, smooth running, and a charging upper-midrange/top-end that quickly leaves the others gasping for breath. Both bikes have good throttle response, but the Kawasaki's is just that much more refined, an interesting contrast to years past when Hondas always seemed to have the most polished characteristics. While the chassis may not be as flickable as the CBR, the Kawasaki offers a much more planted and stable feel, with suspension that bridges the gap between racetrack firm and street compliant much more capably.
The ZX-10R's brakes were another feature that drew raves from our testers, with everyone citing their power, responsiveness, and feel that allowed them to bleed off the Kawasaki's tremendous speed easily and comfortably. Also helping performance was the OEM-spec Bridgestone BT-016 rubber that is a step above the BT-015s on the CBR, providing quick yet very neutral steering manners in addition to good midcorner bump absorption and superb traction. Ergos are racier which hurt the ZX-10R's street scores, but its fairing offers decent wind protection and its transmission action was much smoother.
| KAWASAKI ZX-10R |
| TEST NOTES |
| + |
Monster engine, great chassis |
| + |
Best brakes of the bunch |
| - |
Could lose some pounds |
| - |
Not quite as agile as Honda |
| x |
Kawasaki took refinement lessonsfrom Honda |
| SUGGESTED SUSPENSION SETTINGS |
| FRONT |
spring preload—6.5 lines showing;
rebound damping—8 clicks out from full stiff; compression damping—
4 clicks out from full stiff; ride height—6mm from top of fork cap
to triple clamp |
| REAR |
spring preload—27mm thread showing;
rebound damping—2.0 turns out from full stiff; high-speed
compression damping—2.5 turns out from full stiff; low-speed
compression damping—1.75 turns out from full stiff
|