2009 Literbike Comparison Test: It's The Little Things

Once again, just a little over one second separates the quickest time from the slowest, indicating how closely matched these five bikes are. In fact, note how close the Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha are-literally side-by-side at the finish. The Ducati seemed to be held back on upper-end acceleration by something, and this is clearly evident on the graph; it can more than hold its own in the corners. The CBR doesn't shine in every area, but it does well enough in the ones where it doesn't to clock the quickest time.

Although it doesn't do as well as the others in the very fast sweeping right-hand Turn 2, the GSX-R quickly makes up for it in the very fast left-hand kink of Turn 3 (where the bike must go from full lean right to left as quickly as possible) to turn the quickest segment time. The CBR is right on the Suzuki's heels, however, with a much better Turn 2 segment to go along with decent speed through the kink. The Kawasaki's monster engine generates huge speed, but doesn't quite put everything together as well.

The apex of Turn 4 crests the one hill on the course, placing a premium on front-end feedback and quick acceleration off the apex. Here the CBR's light weight and agility come into play. It doesn't approach the corner with that much entrance speed, but the Honda slows much quicker and gets through the corner much faster than the others. The GSX-R's comparatively heavier steering shows in its slowest segment time, while the R1 was hampered in this area by its tall first gear, which put it in between gears at the apex.

While the Ducati and Suzuki both carry good speed into the corner, they can't hold that speed through it, while the Kawasaki, Honda, and Yamaha all maintain high corner speed, with the ZX-10R getting through the quickest. The GSX-R's gearing helps its exit off the corner, however, pulling serious speed into the upcoming chicane segment. Once again, the CBR doesn't shine in any one area, but gets through near the top of the order.

This series of switchbacks rewards quick steering and good power, and here is where both the GSX-R and R1's easy-to-modulate power pay big dividends. In fact, the GSX-R builds a good head of steam through the esses that towers above the others, but it loses a lot of that advantage through the final switchback, where the Yamaha and Honda quickly catch up.

This is a measurement of each bike's speed at the end of the straight just before Turn 8, the fastest part of the course. Readily apparent by the graph is the Honda's superior drive off the corners, with the CBR starting the slowest at the apex but quickly pulling past the rest by the time everyone hits the exit. Here is another demonstration of the Ducati's initial pull off the corner, but failure to maintain that acceleration down the length of the straight.