The sleek R1 bombed big time in the dyno portion of our test. In no area was this more apparent than the torque numbers, which displays the blue line way below its peers. The red Honda line nearly matches the yellow Gixxer once past 6000 rpm.
Yamaha's R1 struggles in this category with the most jagged dyno trace, clearly without the torquey and linear pull of the others. Blame the Yammie's most oversquare engine configuration. In '04 Yamaha gave the R1 a 3mm bore increase to produce a higher-revving powerplant, making its bore and stroke 77.0mm and 53.6mm, respectively. Compare that with the GSX-R1K's 73.4 x 59.0mm, the least oversquare of the bunch.
The result is an engine that is simply out-motored by its competition, especially at the low end and mid-range points of the powerband. Making matters worse is a significant flat spot from 6500-7000 rpm, which is a range that is ridden through constantly on the street. It then comes on like gangbusters from 7200-8000 rpm before again softening up until 9500 rpm when it hurtles past the 125-hp threshold. This motor's saving grace - especially on the racetrack - is its 4100-rpm spread of 125-plus horsepower before it hits the highest-in-class redline of 13,750 rpm (the same limit Yamaha claims). It peaks with 148.5 ponies at 12,400 rpm, 1000 revs higher than the CBR's similar max number. Just as important a flaw is the R1's weak torque. While the others crest above 75 lb-ft between 8300 and 8700 rpm, the Yamaha's peak of just 71.4 lb-ft arrives way up at 10,000 rpm.
Strip 'Em!
Although these bikes were designed to go around corners, we all know there are more straight roads than curvy ones. So which bike has the best acceleration? Our high-tech VBOX data acquisition unit provides the answers. Each bike received just four runs to get a quick time, except for the R1 whose clutch began to slip after just three. Times are corrected for altitude and temperature.
Best out of the hole is the Gixxer. Its combination of strong midrange power, a clutch with good feel, and the lowest seat height makes this the dragracing champ. Its best 60-foot time translated into the quickest to 60 mph, going through the virtual traps with a 10.09 at 143.8 mph. Testimony to the Suzuki's excellence at this task is that my last three runs on it were all within just 0.05 second of each other! The three nearly identical runs shows that I got somewhere near "the most" of it.
The ZX and Gixxer tie at the end of a quarter mile, but the Kawi is carrying more speed through the traps. The CBR and R1 are nearly equal through the quarter, but they get there in different ways.
The same can't be said for the ZX-10R. My best run on the ZX wasn't ideal - I'd left something on the table, being unable to hold the throttle wide open in low gear because its fierce power wanted to loft ET-killing wheelies. It lags slightly behind the Gixxer during the first part of the run, and then uses its highest horsepower to claw back the gap until tripping the lights at 10.09 seconds - same as the Suzuki. The Ninja holds the trump card, though, as its trap speed of 145.7 mph was faster than the GSX-R's.
The R1 is held back by its peaky engine and a clutch that doesn't like abuse, slipping badly after just three hard launches. Clutch feel is okay, but the bike requires an 8500-rpm launch instead of the 7K of the other bikes. Too bad, because it has some decent potential. Despite its (slightly) slowest 0-60 time of 3.08 seconds, it still outsprinted the CBR, if just barely.
The Honda reaches 60 mph quicker (3.05 seconds), but its 10.28 @ 143.5 mph was beaten by the R1's 10.22 @ 142.47 mph. It's interesting how the R1 could produce the tardiest launch and the slowest trap speed and yet still get through the quarter-mile quicker than the CBR. The Honda's excellent hydraulic clutch proved to be easier to modulate than the cable clutches on the ZX and R1.
A side note: During acceleration testing in our secluded test area, I had the chance to take a couple of the bikes to high speeds. I saw 173 mph on the CBR's speedo, but the VBOX logged just a 162-mph maximum, a 6.4% error.
Then it was time to go for a big number. I kept the ZX-10's throttle pinned after running the quarter-mile, and it continued to pile on speed at a ridiculous rate. In seconds the speedometer was reading more than 180 mph, and then climbed slower until it hit 186 mph. Then back to 185, then 186, then 185.
What did I prove (aside from being stupid enough to go that fast)? Two things. First, the speedy Kaw's computer has the Euro-mandated 300 kph (186 mph) speed limiter, which, by the way, cuts in very gently, unlike a rev limiter. Second, when you see 186 mph on your Kawi's speedo, you're actually only traveling a paltry 170 mph, according to the VBOX, an 8.6% error.
Okay, the preliminaries are over. Time to cue Michael Buffer: "Let's get ready to rumble!"
