Legendary Supersports - 2008 600cc Test

Whitham is joined by British greats to assess the supersport machines

RIDERS

Terry Rymer, 41

Career history: 1 British Superbike Championship, 2 World Endurance Championships, 2 World Superbike round wins and 1 European Superbike Championship.

What are you doing with yourself now? “I’m the South East area manager for MotoDirect who import motorcycle kit including AGV crash helmets, Wolf, Arlen Ness and RST leathers into the UK.”

Steve Parrish, 54

What are you doing with yourself now? “BBC Commentator on the MotoGP, I’ve just written a book on Barry Sheene and I’m still heavily involved in the motorcycle world.”

Alan Carter, 43

Career history: In 1983 won the French 250 GP becoming, at that time, the youngest ever GP winner at the age of 18 (Dani Pedrosa beat this record).

What you doing with yourself now? “For the last 12 years I have been running a flower business selling wholesale goods to florists, but I’m taking a year off to spend some time with my three kids. I sold my road bike, a ZX-R636, last year.”

Mick Grant, 63

Career history: 7 TT wins, 5 British Championships (plus 2 trials championships) and 3 GP wins.

What you doing with yourself now? “I’ve retired gracefully and I’m now a full time trials rider, pre-1965 bikes only. I still ride on the road, I bought a BMW R1150RT because it’s crap and I can’t go fast on it.”

James Whitham, 41

Career history: 2 British Superbike Championships, 3 British Championships, 1 World Superbike round win, 3 World Supersport round wins.

What you doing with yourself now? “I work with you, you daft sod. Can I call myself a journalist?”

The 600 supersport bikes have evolved. 10 years ago they were a budget sports option, five years ago they started getting all the tricks and wizardry their bigger brothers had, today they’re possibly the most exciting sportsbikes you can ride. Involving, thrilling and bloody fast all at once, 600s cross the divide between being rideable by those of lesser ability, but searingly exciting for those who lead from the front at track days. Walk down the line of assembled bikes and you can’t help but be impressed by their jewel-like precision and the miniturisation of technology.

The new crop of 600s surely represent Japanese engineering at its absolute finest. So we assembled a grizzled selection of some of the greatest racers this country has ever produced to pass judgement on the current crop. Their names and faces need little introduction - if you’re into bikes, really into bikes, then you know who they are. From ex-Grand Prix racers to some of the finest ex-superbike racers in the world, the elite test-team we assembled here wasn’t about to pull any punches as to which was the best 600. With a collective 203 years of riding experience between them, what these gentlemen don’t know about what makes a good bike tick really isn’t worth knowing. And if it was, you wouldn’t dare argue with them anyway...

RIDERS

Terry Rymer, 41

Career history: 1 British Superbike Championship, 2 World Endurance Championships, 2 World Superbike round wins and 1 European Superbike Championship.
What are you doing with yourself now? “I’m the South East area manager for MotoDirect who import motorcycle kit including AGV crash helmets, Wolf, Arlen Ness and RST leathers into the UK.”

Steve Parrish, 54

Career history: 2 British Championships, 2 GP podiums and led the 1976 British GP until the last lap when Barry Sheene held out a sign saying “gas it wanker.” Parrish fell off a few corners later. 5 World Truck Racing Championships.
What are you doing with yourself now? “BBC Commentator on the MotoGP, I’ve just written a book on Barry Sheene and I’m still heavily involved in the motorcycle world.”

Alan Carter, 43

Career history: In 1983 won the French 250 GP becoming, at that time, the youngest ever GP winner at the age of 18 (Dani Pedrosa beat this record).
What you doing with yourself now? “For the last 12 years I have been running a flower business selling wholesale goods to florists, but I’m taking a year off to spend some time with my three kids. I sold my road bike, a ZX-R636, last year.”

Mick Grant, 63

Career history: 7 TT wins, 5 British Championships (plus 2 trials championships) and 3 GP wins.
What you doing with yourself now? “I’ve retired gracefully and I’m now a full time trials rider, pre-1965 bikes only. I still ride on the road, I bought a BMW R1150RT because it’s crap and I can’t go fast on it.”

James Whitham, 41

Career history: 2 British Superbike Championships, 3 British Championships, 1 World Superbike round win, 3 World Supersport round wins.
What you doing with yourself now? “I work with you, you daft sod. Can I call myself a journalist?”

Yamaha YZF-R6

SP: I’ve ridden the R6 before and on its day it’s a good bike, but it wasn’t in today’s conditions. I don’t think the tyres were up to it, they didn’t give any feedback or me any confidence to ride it. Also you have to work the R6 hard, on a dry day it’s as good as anything out there, but when the conditions aren’t 100% perfect…

TR: When it gets going it’s out-and-out the quickest, but it’s got a terrible midrange. If the engine isn’t spinning it goes ‘uggg, ugg,’ until the revs ride. That said, when it’s above 8,000rpm it felt the quickest.

MG: I didn’t like the front end, for me it was turning in too quick, it felt too sharp, especially in the morning when it was damp. The engine’s response was too abrupt too, the power came in way too hard.

JW: Gutless engine and them tyres, that’s all it was.

SP: I didn’t like the engine either, it was very aggressive on the throttle. It’s a problem with any bike if you have to keep it on the throttle and you don’t really want 14,000rpm in the hairpins, it’s nasty and awkward.

TR: The tyres felt hard and the way the engine came in broke traction all the time. James said the brakes are usually really good on the R6 but I didn’t get any real feedback from them, in fact the whole bike lacked feel. As the circuit dried the Yamaha started to get pretty good, but not in damp conditions.

JW: It’s certainly the most track-focused bike out of the five, and consequently when the conditions aren’t great the suspension, geometry and the way the engine delivers its power aren’t going to work as good. That’s the kind of bike it is, all or nothing.

TR: But then you have to think ‘what do you want a bike for?’ Do you want a bike to use every single day to ride to work on? We’ve all run race bikes in on the road and they feel terrible because they are so hard.

SP: It’s a compromise. Manufacturers have to choose which way they want to go and the Yamaha is easily the most full-on of the five.

MG: It’s certainly the most radical.

AC: I felt if I tried to ride the Yamaha like any of the other bikes I would have crashed.

JW: I think you would have too.

TR: I nearly did!

SP: Yeah, first lap out I look behind and see Terry across the grass. I thought you were going to have to do a Rossi and pull your leathers out your arse!

AC: I only did a few laps then pulled in because I didn’t like it, which shocked me because I thought it was going to be my favourite, it looks amazing.

JW: The slipper clutch can feel odd too. If you aren’t used to them it can feel like it has slipped out of gear.

MG: Yeah, I though that. It frightened the shit out of me and I went straight on at the hairpin.

SP: You think the corks had flown out of your clutch, eh?

Kawasaki ZX-6R

TR: I really like the ZX-6R.

JW: Yeah me too, I thought it was very good.

MG: What a nice bike.

SP: But again you had to rev its tits off, you really did. It was first gear in all the corners or you just sat there waiting for something to happen as the revs built.

TR: I felt the power was very linear all the way through the rev range, and it doesn’t come in with a punch, just spins up faster and gets more excited. Really smooth, lovely fuel-injection, and it sounds good.

SP: But you’re penalised for not being in the right gear. You have to have it absolutely right everywhere. Others would pull a gear higher, the ZX-6R wouldn’t.

TR: As the track started drying out it got better and better because you could use the chassis and run the corner speed. That’s the key with this bike, use its corner speed and excellent handling.

JW: I’ve ridden them hard on a circuit and that’s a good slipper clutch too.

MG: I didn’t notice it, which means it must be good. It’s so much nicer than the Yamaha’s.

AC: I used to have the 636 version as a road bike and it felt like it had much more acceleration, more bottom end. This new bike felt as powerful, but you had to go hunting for the power up the rev range. When you hit the power it was there, just high up the revs. Almost as if Kawasaki has taken the power and moved it 4,000rpm higher.

TR: It didn’t half rev though, it never seemed to stop, it felt a light engine, quick to respond but not sharp.

JW: And it was good on the brakes.

MG: The ZX-6R’s brakes were the best of the bunch.

SP: I thought the Suzuki’s were a bit more powerful but the Kawasaki’s were more progressive, much better in the damp as you had more control.

JW: Everything about the Kawasaki felt set-up right. Going into and mid-corner it was so settled, perfect.

TR: Definitely.

JW: The ZX-6R feels quite firm on its suspension, you don’t get a lot of weight transfer, but this isn’t a bad thing. I found myself getting more and more into the ZX-6R as the day went on. Like the R6 it gets better the faster it goes, but it’s so much easier to ride if the conditions aren’t great. I liked the riding position too, really roomy.

TR: Yeah, the more I rode the Kawasaki the more it grew on me. You could really take the piss with it, with the Suzuki I felt…have you put salt in my tea Steve?

Triumph Daytona 675

SP: I liked the Triumph a lot and I think if we were going from here back home on them the Triumph is the one we would all have. Great punch out of the corners, you don’t have to change gear, but it took me some time to get into. The riding position is perched on top, but once you did a few laps it was great.

JW: It’s certainly the more road-biased of the bikes, but that helped it today when it was damp.

TR: It felt more agricultural than the others, the gearbox, the way the throttle works with such a huge amount of slack, but it is an older bike I suppose.

SP: I’d have it for the noise alone, that triple sounded fantastic at high revs.

JW: That noise and the midrange, the torque is excellent. Easily more torque than any of the others and it drives so hard out of corners. It digs in for grip.

MG: I can’t understand why the throttle had so much slop in it, I’m a right fussy bastard and I hate that. But it’s a lovely, lovely engine, very impressive.

AC: Yeah throttle slop aside I loved it too. The suspension was good and the power, coming onto the back straight the power was just perfect. I couldn’t complain at all about the Triumph’s engine.

SP: And it’s British as well!

TR: It’s got far more character than the Japanese bikes but doesn’t feel as well built. The suspension held up okay, but on the real fast bumps it couldn’t cope. It skipped a bit and felt choppy, not plush like the Japanese. A bit lacking in quality.

JW: It is the most basic suspension by a long way, it works very well on the road but despite it not being very sophisticated in any way it’s still good. It hasn’t got a slipper clutch, its suspension is cheaper, it hasn’t got any fancy gizmos but it still works very well. There is nothing wrong with the 675.

TR: I found it a bit narrow.

JW: The narrowness makes it feel like a little bike, but it isn’t uncomfortable because it’s stretched out.

SP: And it was really good through the chicane, the handling was excellent and I think its small size helped it. I’m very impressed with what Triumph have made.

Honda CBR600RR

SP: The Honda was far too soft on the forks.

TR: If a bike is soft on the front it always affects me more because I’m longer. I get more of a transfer from front to rear.

JW: Yeah, it’s the speed of transfer that’s upsetting the Honda.

TR: And because the brakes bite so hard initially and are so powerful it upsets the balance of the bike. I found the rear hopped around the most under braking on the Honda, which was quite unsettling.

JW: I’m not a fan of the engine either, I thought the Honda was smooth but didn’t feel quick.

TR: It felt a little bit stronger than the Kawasaki, especially low down, but it’s not smooth power.

MG: I didn’t think it revved as fast as the Kawasaki.

TR: Certainly not.

SP: You’d say it was a bit bland.

JW: That’s the word.

MG: I quite liked it because it didn’t feel too wild, I liked it’s power delivery.

SP: It does what it’s supposed to do, but without any kind of panache. Nothing to really keep you entertained or thrilled.

TR: I found myself waiting for the Honda’s power, thinking ‘where is it?’ The Kawasaki may be missing a bit of the midrange but you know when the power comes in, with the Honda it was just there, no thrills.

SP: And first gear is too low.

JW: Yeah, way too low.

SP: At the hairpin I had to take it in second because I was too scared to do it in first.

JW: That’s a trick to make it feel fast on the road. I reckon a low first gear would be good in real road conditions, pulling away from lights and that, but on track it’s too low.

TR: But the bike is finished beautifully, well it was until Parrish got off it!

SP: Cheers. Yeah, everything feels nice on it, typical Honda. But when did that bike come out? Last year? It just shows doesn’t it, it’s ridiculous how fast things move on and it’s proved by the Suzuki. It’s the newest bike and it has the best of everything. Suzuki has been smart enough to grab the best bits from the competition and make a bike that has it all.

Suzuki GSX-R600

JW: The Suzuki was mega, I loved it.

MG: It was the best balanced bike.

SP: Yes, no doubt.

MG: The thing with the Suzuki is that when you get a bike that is well balanced you don’t notice any particular thing, like the suspension, brakes, whatever, it all works. The GSX-R was a very well balanced bike and although I didn’t feel I was going particularly quick, I was.

JW: I felt safe on it.

SP: The good thing about the Suzuki was that it felt good in all conditions. I rode it right at the start of the day when it was soaking and at the end when it was dry and whatever it inspired a bit confidence.

MG: And that three way switch, I tried it all and…

JW: Just left it in ‘C?’

MG: Yeah, left it in ‘C’. No, I don’t see the point in it.

SP: I can. When it was pissing down earlier I was running around with Terry in the ‘C’ position for a laugh and it really did knock the power off. You have to think someone could buy that bike who is just getting into it and really doesn’t want that horsepower, especially in the wet. It’s good to have an option to have a steady bike or a mad one.

TR: A lot of girls buy 600 Suzuki’s and that would be ideal if they were nervous.

SP: Not just girls, I rode an R1 in the wet around roundabouts and it scared the shit out of me. If you have a button so that you think ‘it’s not going to bite me’ that’s a good thing.

MG: But the Suzuki is so user-friendly you don’t need a switch.

SP: Agreed, but everyone rides a bike differently.

JW: If I had to buy a bike to ride to work on it would be the Suzuki. And it would be one of the best on track too, it’s not slow.

AC: If we had a Le Mans style race and those guys were stood at the other side of the track it would be a race straight for the GSX-R.

JW: Yeah, especially if it was raining. Apart from the Triumph it had more guts than the others, more midrange, and you always seemed to be in the right gear, or at least near the power. I loved it’s chassis as well, perfect balance and beautiful handling without being too sporty like the R6.

TR: I fitted the Suzuki well, like the Kawasaki it felt much bigger than the other bikes. You sit in those two rather than being perched on top of them.

SP: But you are a fucking odd size, Terry.

TR: I am, but there are guys like me who are going to be riding this bike.

JW: The word with the Suzuki is ‘confidence,’ it’s natural. The engine, brakes, suspension, everything works together perfectly and makes you feel confident enough to ride it irrespective of the weather. Mick is right, I don’t think I could pick out a specific part and say ‘this part of the Suzuki is much better than that part of whatever,’ but as a package, fantastic.