Originally posted by dj dunzie
OVERALL SCORE:
Kawasaki ZX636R... 73 pts.
Yamaha YZF-R6... 62 pts.
Honda CBR600RR... 58 pts.
Kawasaki ZX-6RR... 57 pts.
Suzuki GSX-R600... 56 pts.
Best Lap Times By Bike:
Kawasaki ZX636R... 1:25.915 (Toye)
Suzuki GSX-R600... 1:26.524 (Ulrich)
Kawasaki ZX-6RR... 1:26.597 (Ulrich)
Yamaha YZF-R6... 1:27.322 (Toye)
Honda CBR600RR... 1:27.588 (Toye)
Best AVERAGE Lap Time Among All Testers, All Laps:
Kawasaki ZX636R... 1:27.323
Kawasaki ZX-6RR... 1:28.233
Honda CBR600RR... 1:29.396
Suzuki GSX-R600... 1:29.940
Yamaha YZF-R6... 1:30.055
Best Lap Time By Rider:
Toye - 1:25.915 (Kawasaki ZX636R)
Ulrich - 1:26.524 (Suzuki GSX-R600)
Haskovec - 1:27.248 (Kawasaki ZX636R)
Sorbo - 1:27.608 (Kawasaki ZX636R)
Hannas - 1:28.281 (Kawasaki ZX636R)
SAE Horsepower RW:
Kawasaki ZX636R... 102.11hp
Honda CBR600RR... 101.2hp
Yamaha YZF-R6... 99.6hp
Suzuki GSX-R600... 98.8hp
Kawasaki ZX-6RR... 94.8hp
SAE Torque RW:
Kawasaki ZX636R... 45.0 ft-lbs
Suzuki GSX-R600... 44.9 ft-lbs
Honda CBR600RR... 43.7 ft-lbs
Yamaha YZF-R6... 43.1 ft-lbs
Kawasaki ZX-6RR... 40.9 ft-lbs
Measured Wet Weight:
Kawasaki ZX-6RR... 413 lbs
Kawasaki ZX636R... 414 lbs
Yamaha YZF-R6... 415 lbs
Suzuki GSX-R600... 429 lbs
Honda CBR600RR... 442 lbs
What's interesting to me in this shootout (which the 636 wins) (besides the fact that the Honda at running weight is 29 pounds heavier than the Kawasakis!!!) is that they use REAL AMA racers (active ones... check 750 superstock, superbike, and formula extreme and you'll see some of them are top 10 guys!!!), and even though in stock trim the ZX6RR is down on power, it gets the third best lap time, and the second best AVERAGE lap times on track! Says to me that racers can really put the 6RR's trick bits to good use. When asked which bike they would take as their platform for a racebike, 4 out of 5 picked the 636, but when the 636 was left out of the equation, 2 out of 5 picked the 6RR.
This shootout was a good read, if slightly track-focussed, and pretty in-depth. I like the fact that it's active top 10 racers doing the testing instead of magazine columnists with SOME riding skill. They broke the ratings into 20 categories, and without sounding biased, the ZX636R romped... sweet.
"That thing is raceable." said Sorbo. "That thing has clearly got the most power of all the others. It really accelerates hard from turn one to turn two. That power is a kick in the pants."
"That thing has got some nuts! It's got some power. It's fast!" said Toye, "and the braking power is just retarded. Those things are almost too intense, but I could get used to them."
"Keep yer feet on the pegs and your right hand cranked."