What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago three of these bikes were the very latest, sharpest tools that their respective
manufacturers could produce. Now they are overshadowed by newer, faster and better looking siblings. The march of progress has developed into a flat out sprint when it comes to the supersport 600s.
Which is great news for the bargain-hunting buyer because as with every race there are always stragglers. I don't mean this in a detrimental way, it's just that in the 600cc class things are progressing so fast that some truly fantastic bikes are now considered, well...old hat. Which means that both brand new and second-hand these five bikes offer tremendous value for money.
Take the CBR600 F1 for example. Just two years ago it was launched alongside its Sport brother. Virtually identical bar some very minor engine parts the F1 was intended as the all-round CBR. Or in other words you got a centre stand, single pillion and rider seat and slightly subtler graphics. Big deal. But because it had the image of being the 'soft option' riders snapped up the Sport and largely forgot about the F1. Put the two of them together on a track and they are inseparable but ask a pillion which they prefer, or try and adjust and lube the chain, and the differences show. Now the Sport has been dropped from Honda's range in favour of the RR the differences are even more profound. Pillion on the RR? No thanks. Luggage carrying? Not really. And the seat's padding means comfort is measured in laps rather than miles. Which is why the F-1 has been kept in the range. Die-hard sports bike fans will consider it second-rate to the single-minded RR, but for real world riding it has its fans.
It's a similar story for the 2002 ZX-6R. Despite it being the most road-biased of the Japanese 600s (with the exception of the CBR) it can still cut it on the track and Niall Mackenzie rated it second behind the GSX-R in last year's group test. However that was before the 2003 bike was launched. Now the Kawasaki looks decidedly old fashioned. No radial brakes? Conventional forks? Carbs? With the drawing back of a curtain to reveal the 2003 ZX-6R the 2002 bike instantly became an all rounder. But dealers still have plenty of brand new 2002 bikes in stock, and like the CBR F1 secondhand examples are starting to appear.
However where the CBR and ZX-6R have been demoted to the status of real world by sharper siblings the Thundercat and GSX have little in common with their sportier brothers. The Yamaha has remained virtually unchanged since it was replaced by the R6 way back in 1999 and the good old GSX is one of those bikes that seems to keep getting churned out year on year and goes unnoticed by nearly everyone except those who actually buy them. Both can still be bought brand new but most of their sales are secondhand as owners upgrade to newer or sportier bikes.
And as for the TT600? Well the new Daytona 600 has now firmly established itself as the British firm's rival to the best Japan can offer, which has taken the pressure off the TT600. When it was launched, the TT was heralded as the new Japanese beater, it wasn't. What the TT600 is a good handling all-round 600 with a British name on the tank and now the Daytona is on the scene prices of new bikes, another stumbling block for Triumph as riders were unwilling to pay a premium just for a British bike, are dropping and secondhand bikes are appearing for those want to save cash.
So there you have it, five real world 600s that can all be bought brand new or secondhand. Yes we all would love to own the very latest model, but with price tags in the region of seven big ones for the latest all-singing all-dancing bike the secondhand market is currently booming. So that's were we delved to find these bikes. We spent a week ringing around dealers trying to get together these five bikes together in one place for us to ride, and the problems we had getting them gives a very good indication of which are the big sellers, but are the big sellers also the best machines?
Conversations with dealers about either the Kawasaki or Honda went along the lines of: Me: "Hello, do you have any second hand CBR600 F1s or ZX-636s?" Dealer: "No" or there was the occasional "I sold one yesterday" or the even more annoying "they go out the door as soon as we get them in, try in a few weeks." Eventually a call to Wheels International uncovered both bikes, and that was only because the shop had just bought them secondhand and they hadn't even made it to the showroom before we intercepted them. Expressions involving hen's teeth are certainly apt for these bikes. The Thundercat was also tricky to discover but with it being in production for so long, seven years now, it was more of a case of getting a good, new example rather than a tired old hack. In the end a call to DK Motorcycles in Stoke turned up a very tidy Y registered Yamaha with just over 6000 miles on the clock. No such problems with the other two bikes. Because the Triumph is such a niche market a single call to experts Jack Lilley Triumph secured a TT600 while the GSX600F was simply a case of locating a dealer with one. In the end it was DK again who supplied us with a three year old bike, and seemed quite relieved to get it out of their showroom for a few days.
So on this evidence the CBR and ZX-6R should be the best, followed by the Thundercat with the Triumph and GSX trailing behind. Right? Not really.
Heading for some twisty roads the first thing that became obvious was how slow the Suzuki is. It cruises quite happily at motorway speeds but try and up the pace at all and its ancient oil/air-cooled engine just gives up. Where the other four can easily clear 140mph the GSX struggled to get anywhere over 120mph. Now I know that in a world of speed cameras and unmarked police cars top speeds are largely irrelevant but the motor on the GSX is so gutless that even overtaking cars at 60mph usually requires dropping a few gears to build the revs up in an attempt to find a bit of power. To be fair what you miss on performance you make up for on total reliability, but I would rather have a bit more poke. Which is exactly what you get with the Yamaha. Before I rode it I assumed the Thundercat would also be underpowered compared to the more modern 600s. I was wrong. The motor may not rev as high as the CBR, ZX-6R or even Triumph but it produces more torque than all bar the big-bore Kawasaki and is a great road engine. Power is concentrated around 7-10,000rpm with the last 2000rpm really just there as an over-run. Where the CBR and TT600 feel a bit gutless unless they are being revved the Thundercat felt more like the ZX-6R with its extra 36cc boosting mid-range. That is until the others got into their stride.
On a flat out blast the mid-range of the Thundercat became less of an advantage and the two Japanese bikes and the Triumph start to pull away. The TT's engine has always had the reputation of being a but top-endy and it really does need to be caned to get the most from it. On a racetrack this isn't a problem but when you are on the road it can be a bit annoying. The CBR is the same to some extent but it does have a bit more in the middle before it delivers a decent kick high up the range, whereas the Kawasaki is simply strong everywhere. Taking into consideration town riding, twisty roads, motorways, overtaking and all the other obstacles that inhibit your progress in the real world the Kawasaki's motor rates the highest followed by the Yamaha, Honda, Triumph and finally the Suzuki, by quite a way.
In the corners the Yamaha surprises again. It may be a few years old but the Thundercat handles as well as the others. It feels just slightly softer all round but on unfamiliar roads it can happily keep up with the much sportier Kawasaki or Honda, and its suspension deals with the bumps better. Top honours however are a split between the ZX-6R and the TT600. Triumph got the chassis of the TT spot on first time, it's just a shame that other aspects of the bike cast a cloud over the whole package. Through 50-60mph knee-down corners the TT is totally composed and picks up from cranked over one way to the other with ease. In the corner the Kawasaki is just as composed although it feels slightly slower when it comes to turning in and the Honda is a close third mainly because it isn't quite as fast turning as the other two, but it's still a very good handling bike. Which is more than can be said for the Suzuki. Narrow tyres, budget suspension and a chassis with more play than Man Utd, all combine to make the GSX horrible in corners. Show it an apex and it wobbles and backs away faster than a fat Rick from a health farm.
The GSX has become an object of ridicule within biking circles because it is just so damn ugly. The bulbous fairing is bad enough but the horrible font end and tail unit that looks like a semi-erect dog's penis is just offensive. Next on the ugly scale is the TT600, which looks like an old CBR with twin rocket launchers attached to the front. Despite being originally designed in 1996 the Thundercat still looks quite cool and is tied for second best with the Honda, but the aggressive ZX-6R wins the beauty queen sash.
Looks are important but when you are handing over cash for a bike what is equally critical is how these bikes stood up to the test of time. To ride the Honda and Kwak feel like new bikes, despite the CBR having over 5000 miles on its clock and the ZX nearly 12,000. Both have built up a reputation for reliability and build quality and apart from a slightly slipping clutch on the Kawasaki they felt perfect. The Triumph was also in very good nick considering its 5000 miles were all as a demonstrator and the Thundercat felt perfect apart from a slightly warped front disc. The GSX, however, wasn't showing its age very well. With its V plate placing its age at just over three years old you would have expected it to have held together a bit better. The fork seals were weeping oil, the choke cable had broken and clutch and throttle cables felt stiff. The GSX is built on a budget that's why it's cheap new and cheaper used.
A new GSX600F will set you back £5000 but a two-year old one can be picked up for around £3000. For that kind of price you can almost forgive its looks, poor handling and lack of power. Well, until you see brand new Thundercat costs £6000 and a two-year old one costs around £3800, that is provided you can find one... Thundercats sell fast and hold their value well so can be tricky to find and drive a bargain on, but shop around or look for a private sale and you should find one, it's worth the extra £800 on the Suzuki. The TT600 commanded a premium when it was launched but prices are falling. A brand new 2003 TT600 costs £5999 with two year-old bikes going for around £4700. For this price you could pick up a year-old high mileage ZX-6R like the one we tested, which is a £2350 saving on their £7050 brand new price. Or hold out for a year-old CBR for around £5000. But this will only really save you £1200 on a new one, which isn't that much.
So where does the smart money lie? The GSX is a cheap bike that will run without breaking, but give little rider enjoyment. The TT is a great bike but doesn't do enough new or used to justify its premium. So it's a split between three bikes, and it depends on the depth of your wallet. If you can afford the extra both the CBR and ZX are more than enough bikes for real world riding. They're very well built and are comfortable enough to go touring on while still being able to corner with the latest race-reps. Their only downers are that they hold their value well and tend to go out of dealers as soon as they arrive in, but this is also an advantage as it means you should have no trouble selling them on again. But ultimately the really smart money goes on the Thundercat. For at least a £1000 saving on the CBR and ZX you get a bike that is every bit as good in most real world occasions, is comfier and also a few insurance categories lower, saving you even more cash. Result.
