Tale of the Tape
Like any pugilistic battle, it's important to know the capabilities of the combatants before the show begins. A bike's handling is the product of five key aspects. First, there's a bike's weight and weight distribution. Then there's the triumvirate of rake, trail and wheelbase. Lesser amounts of each make a bike steer quicker, but taking the combination too far results in a nervous and unpredictable beast that wants to shake its head and spit you off.
As you can see in the table below, there's only a slight variation in both the rake and trail numbers. Rake figures deviate by just 0.75 degree, while trail sways less than a quarter-inch. In terms of wheelbase, the 55.3-inches of the CBR and GSX-R are book-ended by the ZX's short distance between the axles and the Yamaha's new longer stretch.
The Weigh-In
Astute readers understand the weights listed by OEMs on their spec charts have no bearing on reality. To bring some authenticity into the equation, we rolled each bike across our electronic scales. With tanks filled to the bottom of their filler necks, we then subtract the weight of the fuel to determine a tank-empty weight; otherwise, some bikes would be penalized for having a larger fuel capacity (which is more desirable for street riding). We're also able to provide static weight distribution figures (with tanks full), as well as with a 190-lb rider aboard.
Treading the lightest path is the Gixxer, notably the only one of the group without an underseat exhaust system, a design that always seems to add weight. It carries 51.0% of its 412 lbs on the front wheel. With Ken Hutchison (our 5'8", 190-lb rider) aboard, the front weight bias went to 47.7%. Interestingly, with my same-height-but-45-lb-lighter body topside, the weight on the front end went to up to 48.8%, nearly a full percent more desirable.
The next lightest bike is actually 12 lbs heavier than the previous model. Yep, the ZX has become porkier, now at a tank-empty weight of 417 lbs, with much of the added ballast due to the twin underseat mufflers as opposed to the traditional (and much lighter) single-can, side-exit unit of the previous model. In developing this new ZX, Kawi engineers wanted to shift more weight toward the rear for better traction. They were successful, with the unladen bike having just 50.5% of its mass on the front end, the least in this group. That weight bias fell to 47.1% with Kenny behind the bars, and 48.2% with me on it. These numbers, not far off the Gixxer's, shows the effects of the ZX's more aggressive riding position.
While the Kawi sat on the couch and packed on extra pounds, the CBR was clearly down at the gym. Its new chiseled physique rang up 421 lbs on our scales, a massive 15-lb reduction. Without the burden of Kenny, it carries 51.1% of weight up front; it translated to 47.9% with KH.
The R1 tied with the CBR for the chunkiest award, coming in at 421 lbs. It carries 51.3% of its weight up front, the most of this group. With Kenny, that shifted to 47.9%.
Spin The Drum
When it comes to maximum power, the ZX-10R puts the rest of the bikes on the trailer. It churned the dyno drum to the tune of 155.3 horsepower at 12,100 rpm, shortly before its 12,700-rpm redline (not quite the 13K Kawi claims).
But before we deem the King Kong Kaw as the best motor, consider the GSX-R's 153.2-hp pull. Despite its higher rev limit of 13,100 rpm (not the 13.5K Suzi claims), its peak power arrives earlier than the ZX's at 11,100 rpm. It also comes on sooner and more progressively, surging past the 125-hp mark at 8600 rpm while the ZX takes an additional 500 revs to eclipse that mark. So, while the ZX has a 3700-rpm spread of 125-plus horsepower, the Gixxer does the same feat over 4500 rpm. The Suzuki also has a more linear pull, without the Ninja's slight flat spots at 6000 and 8500 rpm.
Honda's CBR engine has been derided in the past for its ultra-friendly powerband, and it still retains its predictable linear pull through its new 12,400-rpm rev limit (200 revs higher than claimed, and way up from the 11,600 limit of last year's model). It logged its peak of 149.4 hp at 11,300 rpm, a 4-pony bump. Using the aforementioned 125-plus-horsepower range, the CBR manages to be above that level for 3800 rpm. The double-R was especially impressive by mostly out-muscling the steamy ZX from above 6000 revs until 11K.
