hey guys just updating you on the situation. Over the weekend I took a Kawasaki zx10r 06, Yamaha yzf R1 08, Triumph 675 07 and Suzuki gsxr 750 07 for a test ride. Heres my amateur review.
First off all let me say that they were all great bikes everyone of them a great piece of machinery to own and ride. The first bike I rode was the Kawasaki zx10r, great effort from team green the bike was great pleasure to ride.
First the sitting position it had the longest reach of all the bikes I felt ( im 5'6 60kgs) and can be potential a strain on my back and arms for longer rides. I didn't like the way I felt on the bike. 7.5/10
The engine was the stand out of all the bikes great power not what I expected as everyone said they were wheelie monsters but for my riding style I think the engine is great for the street low down power. I didn't really get to open her up but did a few highway kms and the engine just pulled no matter what City commuting was a breeze. The gearbox is slick and shits well. 9/10
The brakes those petal discs look great and the also perform really well. Stopping power is great and the brake feel was tops 8.5/10
Looks also are an important factor, thats why I'm not even thinking of a Honda cbr1000r 08. The zx10r gets a 9/10 for me.
General handling of the bike was also great but I did notice the front was a little vague and didn't inspire confidence in me. Still I think with some suspension adjustments I can easily fix that. 8/10
So all in all the Kawasaki is a superb machine only the position didn't feel right for me. Total score 8.5/10
The Yamaha R1. The newest design of all of them.
The sitting position was better than the zx10r I had less weight on my arms and so it looks like I can rack up the large miles on this thing. The only thing I didn't like with the sitting position was the extreme heat from the under tail exhaust. Crisp city right there. Definetly the hottest of the bunch. score 7.5/10
The engine was only second to the zx10r it was great during normal city commuting and highway riding, people have mentioned the lack of low down power but I thought it was great. Fueling is great no problem there. Great gearbox best shifting of all the bikes nice and smooth. 8.5/10
The brakes ohh the brakes they don't come any better than this great feel great stopping power, look great as well. I felt that the R1 had the best brakes of the lot. 9.5/10
Looks wise the R1 gets top marks 9.5/10
General handling the front end was also abit vague but not as bad as the zx10r still again it felt like a great bike to ride and it was really nimble. 8.5/10
Total score for the R1 9/10
The triumph 675.
I haven't ridden a 3 cylinder bike before and I wonder why. Its a great piece of kit, the torque down low is just great and it pulls from any revs. Its really linear in its power delivery and I could believe it was just a 675. The wonderful engine got me out of a sticky situation were a Mitsubishi mirage (bikes natural enemy
) suddenly swerved into my lane I just gunned the engine and was out of there. Engine is great but was overshadowed by the liter bikes but still very good for what it is. 9/10
The worst gear box I have ever used, it was notchy, difficult to find 1st gear and neutral which was a pain during start stop traffic. Big let down it might be a one off problem but still just crap 1/10
The sitting position reminded me of my old RGV250 it was that narrow and as a result the bike is really easy to change direction with. I felt really comfortable on the 675 there was alot of heat from the exhaust but not as bad as the R1. Great bike to ride really light 9/10
The brakes were somewhat of a disappointment as the felt wooden and didn't have the stopping power of all the other bikes even though its the lightest. Poor show 6/10
Looks wise the bike looks great and even got afew compliments from a couple of ladies
Top looker that one 9.5/10
So all in all the Triumph is a great bike in every department apart from the brakes and crap gearbox.
Total score 7.5/10
Suzuki gsxr750.
Ive always been intrigued by the 750 and found out why. The bike was great. First of all the sitting position it felt the widest of all the bikes I rode (not sure why but just felt that way). Still I was comfortable on it and looks like I can spend alot of kays on it and with no underseat exhaust no problem of roasted thighs and buns.City commuting and long ride days not a problem. 8.5/10
Engine wise its great the power is there more than a 600 but not intimidating as a 1000. This is one bike you can truly learn to ride as it wont spit out sideways and yet it still has enough power to satisfy your needs. WHY don't other manufacturers follow Suzuki's lead theres a killing to made in this category. 9/10
Handling is a strong point of the 750 it was light and nimble just like a 600 and it just felt well sorted. Great is all I can say 8.5/10
The brakes of the bike were also good, not R1 powerful but almost as good as the zx10r. They still are a good piece of kit and felt great and have lots of stopping power. 8/10
The looks of the bike as also great it doesn't grab your attention like the 675 or R1 but is more understated which is what I like. 8.5/10
Overall the 750 is a great bike, it handles superbly has enough power for the street and just felt like a joy to ride. The bike is great machine so I'm giving it a 8.5/10
The thing when your test riding a bike it straight from the dealer or private buyer its been setup differently from what your used to so I guess with most of the handling issues with the ZX10r and R1 they could be dialled out by a good tweak of the suspension.
All this bike are winners in my book but I only can buy one, shame I couldn't get a test ride on the new ZX10r. I didn't test ride any 600s as I made the choice of wanting a 1000 or the 750. Still I'm heading down to another dealer on Saturday so maybe a zx6r could be given a quick spin.
So overall ranking IMO is;
1. Yamaha YZF R1
2. Kawasaki ZX10R
3. Suzuki GSXR750
4. Triumph 675
all bike were created equal, its just Kawasaki were created more equal than the rest.
