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Picking a 100hp bike - Supersport or Sport Tourer?
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Interesting comparison, I hear you say but not exactly comparing like with like! But actually, that is the very point. Dave Wright has written about his VFR from an owner's perspective on another page and I don't need to
know how the ZX6R, the CBR600, the GSXR600 and the R6 stack out against each other, I know that for all but the most committed of riders they are going to be within a gnats of each other in terms of function on the road, and
for most of us the most important decision is going to come down to price, local availability or even colour scheme!
Riding over the same sort of terrain, and seeing what you trade-off moving from a sports 600 on to the most popular sport tourer in the UK and seeing how they perform against each other is quite an eye opener, I can tell you... and it's not always what you'd expect from reading the UK press...
I rode Wim's 98 VFR800 back to back with a 98 ZX6R. Now I emphasis that this was all seat of the pants stuff, we weren't racing each other and we didn't have access to dynos or timing equipment, so I can't give you standing 1/4 figures, lap times or top speeds - you'll have to check out the comics for that. These impressions are the result of an evening's riding back and forth over a lowish pass at Sederon in Southern France. I'd ridden it often enough over the week to be reasonably familiar with the road, an interesting mixture of good and dodgy surfaces, hairpins, fast bends and 100 mph straights. Neither bike was mine so I took good care of them and didn't push them too far. I'd just got back from the leading the "fast" group on a day out so was "hot" as it were.
The first and biggest surprise was the VFR motor - the best word is unexciting - very linear power deliver. Which would be fine, except the ZX6 drove just as well from low revs, felt like it had the edge in the mid-range, which
completely astonished me, and left it for dead at the top - where the VFR stopped revving, the 600 just carried on going. Throw in a nicer gearbox and the result was not only better drive out of corners but the Kawa seemed to
reach the same speeds more quickly on the short straights. Having heard so much about the legendary VFR V4 torque, I was very disappointed in the Honda's motor.
Kawa 1, Honda 0
The ZX6, as you'd expect of the lighter of the two bikes, was quicker to turn but was also much 
more accurate to point, rather surprising because I had expected something a bit
twitchy and nervous. So, unusually for me, I had 100% inch-perfect confidence within 5 minutes of getting on, and thus able to use a reasonable proportion of its cornering ability on a pretty
technical road. The big plus was that it was forgiving, and you could chop and change line mid corner without bothering it in the least.
By contrast the bulkier Viffer was much slower to turn, which meant I had to be more careful setting the corner up, and rather vague with it - I never really got the feeling the VFR was going precisely where I wanted it, and was much more cautious. I never felt it was poor and it certainly wasn't dangerous, it simply didn't inspire the same level of confidence as the Kawasaki. It was also much harder work physically, which considering the wider, higher bars was a surprise. Rumour has it that Metzler tyres can sort this, but it was a bit disappointing. Some bikes hide their weight well, the VFR didn't seem to.
Neither had any stability problems in a straight line, and the suspension coped with the various bumps, but for sheer ease of riding, the ZX6 impressed so much because I felt
completely at home on it within a few minutes. So it's...
Kawa 2, Honda 0
Brakes... the Honda has the much discussed linked braking system. Well, I can only say that I had forgotten this when I jumped on and wasn't reminded when I got off. I didn't
notice any untoward effects... or any advantages! However, the brakes just felt a little "flat" again with a very linear feel, whereas the Kawasaki's front stopper seemed to give
more sensitive braking... still they both stopped where and when I wanted them to, so this round is even...
Kawa 3, Honda 1
One area I had expected the VFR to excel was the ride comfort... For a sports bike the Kawasaki is a bit of a softy in terms of ergodynamics. The bars are fairly high, and the
footpegs not too extreme, but they are in a position where, given the nature of the bike, they make sense and allow you to use all the input you need to get the best out of the
bike. The Honda's bars are by contrast in no mans land, not low enough for a sportsbike, not high enough for a tourer. Even though the ZX's seat left a bit to be desired in terms of
padding, it was broad and well shaped. The pillion perch was another matter, but as we were riding solo, I still score this one to the Six!
Kawa 4 Honda 1
Conclusions? Riders often see bikes in black and white... that's a sports bike so it should be light and revvy and thus can't be any good for touring, this is a tourer so it must be heavy and dull, thus useless on the bends, and this message is reinforced by the magazines with their emphasis on race track reports and fraction of a second lap times. You have to ask yourself how relevant those sort of figures are for the road.
For sure the ZX6R is focussed at the sport ends of things just as you'd expect, but maybe less obviously it's nothing like the trackday bike and World Supersport competitor that the magazine tests would have you believe. It's perfectly capable of being loaded with camping gear and trundled up and down to the South of France as long as you travel solo. I dare say that on motorways in particular the little Kawasaki would be as tedious as my GSXR750 with its buzzing engine and hard seat, but it could cope. I wouldn't buy a bike with the sole purpose of riding on motorways - I'd compromise this function and want it to be fun when I got where I was going, and of the two the ZX6R would win this requirement hands down. For a rider who wants a bike that can do a bit of everything, it's a terrific choice.
What of the Honda? I felt confident immediately on the ZX6 whilst the Honda hid its charms. I dare say that with time I could have picked up the pace but even Wim, the owner of the VFR says, "if you're looking for the ultimate fun canyon carving kind of bike, and have no need for other applications, look for something else". Having said that, Wim sets a fine pace on the bike and clearly has no problems running twisty mountain roads in company with sportier bikes, but though it is a very competent bike there is no doubt in my mind that on the sort of roads that I like riding the VFR is much harder work than I anticipated, and for me this was a major let down.
I'm not trying to knock the Honda, but remember its sporting ancestry - Ron Haslam finishing 3rd in a round of the Transatlantic on an untuned 750F straight off the showroom floor, Joey Dunlop winning the TT on one, the V4 motor spawning the incredibly successful RC30 cousin. Somewhere along the line, Honda moved the VFR out of the sportsbike category into the sanitised allrounder class, a sort of Honda version of the 916 powered Ducati ST4. People often talk about the V4 character in the same way as the 916, but I have to say I'm damned if I could see or feel it!
Having said all that, I believe that in the sports tourer category in which it sits, Honda has aimed the bike between some very narrow 
goalposts. It seems to be aimed at a class of rider who wants a bike with some "class", who dismisses sportsbikes out of hand as uncomfortable, but wants to be seen riding
something sporty looking, so wouldn't consider the Pan European or an RT BMW. The only logical competitors I can see apart from the ST4 are the K1100RS or 1200RS BMWs, or the Triumph Sprint.
How does it stack up purely in function? As a sporting tourer, it's clearly does the job but it's not in the same class as the ST1100 for solo or two up comfort, and the ST will run the VFR very close indeed on a twisty road. Thinking back to the K1100RS, I recall the same flat power delivery, slightly odd ergodynamics and massive weight which slips away as you ride, leaving a bike that is surprisingly quick on a windy road, but one on which you have to work hard to get the best out of - a similar bike in some ways.
As a touring sportster, aside from the sportsbikes, it's really up against the "softer" and decidedly "unclassy" bikes from the Japanese manufacturers like the Suzuki RF900 and GSX750F, the Yamaha Diversion 900, the Thunderace/cat and the Kawasaki ZZR600/1100, all of which are cheaper.
Whilst some of these bikes are purely budget models, others will outperform the VFR in a straight line, and run it very close in the sports touring stakes too. The forgotten RF900 is a much better bike than it's given credit for, being comfortable, reasonably agile and as quick as a 'Blade. The Thunderace was a top performer till the R1 came along, combining speed, handling and mile-eating ability. The Thundercat is a 600cc sportsbike with the emphasis on weather protection and rider comfort, it's also quicker, at least as good a handler, has stunning brakes, is not that far behind in build quality and lastly is £1500 cheaper. That's a lot to pay for class and you can do a lot of touring for that kind of money.
It seems to me that despite the technology built in, you are buying a bike that does a lot of things competently but is outstanding at nothing - and for that Honda have persuaded the masses to pay a premium. In my opinion, that is a supreme bit of marketing, a fact that was clearly not lost on Triumph when they designed the Sprint - it looks the same, costs the same and is clearly aimed at the same rider and has successfully pinched some of the sales.
Last word. When Britta and I stopped to swap notes, the bike I wanted to grab for the ride back was the ZX6R... and Britta wanted the VFR800... so did this prove anything? Just that there is clearly more than one way to skin a 100hp cat and it's nice to have a choice.
Survival Skills is an approved trainer and assessor
for Buckinghamshire County Council
and "National Motorcycle Escort Group" Qualified
Copyright © 2007 Survival Skills & Kevin Williams
Last Page update Wednesday, November 14, 2007