Old vs. New Sportbikes

It’s a dilemma many sportbike riders face every year. With autumn comes sneak peeks at the flashy new models, followed by riding impressions in the magazines and show bikes to drool over and sit on each winter. Spring arrives, and those sexy new bikes are calling your name from the local dealer’s floor. You want that new bike, but maybe-just maybe-you should hang on to Old Yeller for another year. With the money saved, you could buy some upgrades and make your bike stand out from the crowd; heck, with the right mods, your old sled could even be better than the new version. The new bike’s siren call lures you to the dealer, but your current bike is such a trusty steed… What to do?

We’re in a position to help you answer that question. With a cornucopia of ‘07 models in the shop, we rounded up a couple of “old” bikes and proceeded to modify and compare them to the new versions. Savvy readers will remember a similar test we conducted a few years ago, wherein we compared a modified ‘98 Yamaha YZF-R1 and an ‘02 Kawasaki ZX-6R to their then-current counterparts. This time around, it’s the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Yamaha YZF-R6 that get the treatment.

Holding Back The Years
First introduced in ‘99, Yamaha’s new-from-the-ground-up YZF-R6 was a revelation. Its laser-sharp steering and sky-high redline practically redefined the middleweight class, leaving the other manufacturers struggling to catch up. The tiny R6 took our ‘99 Bike of the Year honors, the first (and still only) 600 to do so. Minor updates to the ‘01 model were aimed at decreasing weight and increasing usability, and it wasn’t until ‘03 that the R6 received-or needed-a major overhaul. That year saw the introduction of Yamaha’s controlled-fill die-casting, which dropped weight considerably; carburetors were dropped in favor of fuel injection, and both features improved performance significantly. Minor tweaks in ‘05 included an inverted front fork, radial-mount front brakes and slightly more top-end power, but in ‘06 the bike had its most significant update. Both the engine and chassis were all-new, with the engine featuring ride-by-wire throttle control and the suspension endowed with separate high- and low-speed compression-damping adjustments front and rear. The ‘07 R6 in this test is functionally identical to the ‘06 model.

Weight has seesawed over the years, with our ‘07 test unit scaling in just a few pounds lighter than the ‘99 bike’s 425 pounds. Power, however, has steadily increased by a couple of ponies with each iteration. Our ‘99 test bike measured just under 95 horsepower versus 105.6 for our ‘07 model. On the used-bike market, a clean ‘99 YZF-R6 will run you $4260 in Los Angeles, according to the Kelly Blue Book (www.kbb.com), while an ‘03 model typically costs $5480. Yamaha still offers a variant of the old R6, dubbed the R6S. This model is a mix of the ‘03 and ‘05 versions, and an ‘07 R6S served as our platform for the “old” R6 in this test.

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 landed with a bang in ‘01, obliterating the open-class landscape-much as the R6 had shocked the middleweight class two years earlier. With 143 horsepower on tap and scaling in at just 437 pounds full of fuel, the big Suzuki was a monster we fell in love with. Since then, the GSX-R has received an evolutionary makeover every two years. Slightly more, and more refined, power in ‘03, with extruded frame spars replacing the stamped units and four-pot radial-mount front calipers in lieu of the original’s six-pot binders. In ‘05 the frame changed again, this time to a combination of cast and extruded sections. The EFI sprouted a second set of injectors, and displacement was bumped by 10cc. For this year, twin exhausts help the Suzuki to make more power while meeting stricter emissions and noise standards, and a switch allows the rider to choose one of three power settings. The engine is still based on the original SRAD GSX-R750’s, with a similar layout and architecture, but engineers have massaged the engine and chassis with each generation to finally coax close to 160 horsepower from the latest version.

The 1000 has filled out over the years, ballooning steadily from that original feathery 437 pounds to a porky 471 pounds for the current model. What price, progress? Nonetheless, countless literbike comparison test wins and BOTY awards adorn the GSX-R’s trophy case, and the bike has left a trail of broken and battered opposition over the years-in both showroom and Superbike competition. The Kelly Blue Book lists $6205 as a typical price for an ‘01 GSX-R and $7525 for an ‘04 model. We were lucky to get our mitts on a cherry ‘01 version that belongs to a Suzuki employee and started life as a magazine test unit.

Let The Wrenches Fly
With the two pairs of bikes in hand, we set about modifying the old versions of each with an eye toward closing the performance gap as much as possible. Full exhaust systems and EFI tools were high on the list; while the R6S is just a few horsepower down from the ‘07 model, our ‘01 GSX-R started out almost 20 horsepower down from the ‘07, a significant deficit. The new bikes have made those increases at the expense of midrange, and while we could have easily gone with some more wild mods to fully close the top-end gap, we didn’t want to sacrifice one of the few performance areas where the old bikes hold a clear advantage.

One significant item both new bikes sport is a stock slipper clutch, which allows more aggressive corner entries-especially with a high-revving middleweight such as the R6. The aftermarket in this area is steadily growing as the technology develops, with more companies offering slipper clutches and prices correspondingly declining. An easy decision, then, to order up units for both of the old bikes.

Turning to the chassis, the GSX-R-while in mint condition-needed some TLC in addition to performance upgrades. The suspension was shipped out for rebuilding; the stock discs, worn pads and rubber lines were ditched in favor of new aftermarket bits; and the chain and sprockets were replaced. The R6S, a new bike when we started, needed no maintenance. While we had some suspension and brake modifications in mind, the necessary parts in both cases were delayed and eventually given up on-surprisingly, many companies we called didn’t stock anything for the R6S. The upgrades for each bike are detailed in the accompanying sidebars.

Old Versus New
Our testing for this comparison was conducted entirely on the street rather than the racetrack. Primarily, we figured that the majority of riders facing the new/old dilemma are street riders rather than track-day junkies, and made the modifications and planned our testing accordingly.

Immediately noticeable are the ergonomic differences between the old and new bikes. The R6S, with its clip-ons above the top triple clamp and tight seat-to-bar distance, has an upright riding position that is quite comfortable. The new R6’s ergos are racier, with higher pegs and lower bars-no surprises here. The Suzukis, on the other hand, posed an interesting contradiction. Recent GSX-Rs have low, narrow seats with swept-back clip-ons and high, forward pegs to significantly close up the seating triangle. Most of our testers praised the new GSX-R for that, finding it more comfortable; some, however, preferred the old 1000’s softer seat and less-angled bars, even though the reach is much further.

While we expected the new bikes to be more powerful than the old, both pairs surprised us in this area. The new R6 is known for its wheezy midrange, and here we thought the R6S would have a distinct advantage. The old model is definitely peppier in that area, but the new R6’s shorter gearing-thanks to a higher redline-masks its deficiency in many situations. Not helping here were some fueling issues we had with the S model. We initially used the Power Commander “street” map provided by Graves, but switched to the “race” map after riding the bike and finding it quite abrupt at small throttle openings. Response was still not as smooth as stock, and we were also disappointed by the R6S’s performance on the dyno: peak power is identical to stock, although the torque curve is somewhat smoother. Our past experience with Graves products has always been positive, and a call to the company revealed that we may need a different mix of parts from the various R6 models to work properly on the S model. Unfortunately, we were not able to rectify the situation before press time, but will report our results in a future issue.

The Yoyodyne slipper clutch made a huge improvement to the R6S, significantly reducing engine braking and easing the normally clunky shift from first to second. Lever effort is a bit more than stock, and the clutch’s action is felt through the lever, but those are small concessions for the advantages the clutch offers.

Turning to the Suzukis, riding the K1 and K7 models back-to-back really pointed out how the big GSX-R has been softened over the years. The old bike has way more bottom-end and midrange, and feels more powerful just riding around town. Throttle response is not so much abrupt as it is instantaneous, and the K1’s much lighter weight certainly helps here. Complementing the smoother power delivery of the ‘01 Suzuki is less vibration than the new model, another pleasant surprise that we wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. Just as on the R6, the GSX-R’s STM slipper clutch made railing into slow corners a simple matter.

In the handling department, the two Yamahas are not worlds apart. The R6S steers a bit lighter thanks to its higher bars, but the ‘07 bike turns just as quickly with some effort. While the stock R6S is certainly flightier than the new model, the Pit Bull damper calmed things nicely, and on the street neither bike had much of a handling advantage. The two Suzukis were more disparate in their manners; despite carrying more heft, the new model steers lighter and quicker, and is definitely lither than the old. A slimmer midsection and the close-set clip-ons help somewhat, and swapping back and forth really points out how bulky the old bike is. Race Tech’s work on the ‘01 GSX-R’s suspension-coupled with the Hyperpro steering damper that provides lighter damping than the stocker but still quells any headshake-paid off with a stable ride that gave our testers lots of confidence to muscle the bike around, but there’s no question that Suzuki has done its mass-centralization homework and developed the 1000 significantly since its introduction-the ‘07 is more graceful and can be ridden quicker with less effort.

The Bottom Line
In a serious throwdown, the two new bikes handily outperform our modified old versions-there’s little doubt of that. But step back from that abyss even slightly and the results change. The old GSX-R is peppier than the new in many real-world situations and, to some riders, more fun to ride. There’s a lot to be said for the untamed rawness of the original thousand that turned the literbike world on its ear. Likewise, the R6S is more comfortable than the R6 and just as quick on the street-probably on the track, too, for most riders. One of our testers wrote that “the new-bike trend seems to be to make a better racebike, but often at the expense of what makes a good streetbike. It may sell more bikes, but is it actually better for the average buyer?” For the latest in style and the ultimate in performance, choose new. For real-world function and fun, go with old.

2007 Yamaha YZF-R6S
To extract the top-end power we knew the R6S would need to compete with the new R6’s screaming mill, we turned to Graves Motorsports, perhaps the most experienced shop when it comes to modifying the Yamahas. The company’s full titanium exhaust ($1299.99) is a work of art, weighing in at 8.5 pounds-just over half the stock pipe’s weight-and installing perfectly. Graves also provided a pre-mapped Power Commander ($339.99) to work with the exhaust system, another easy installation.

Every bit of horsepower and weight is important where middleweights are concerned, and to that end we tossed the stock 532-sized chain and sprockets in favor of a 520 RK Gold RX-Ring chain and matching Vortex sprockets. The narrower chain ($110.50) alone saves weight, but the Vortex steel front sprocket ($30.95) has lightening holes and the rear ($70.95) is CNC-machined 7075 aluminum as opposed to steel. The combination dropped more than 2.5 pounds from the R6, a huge savings.

We cleaned up the Yamaha’s rear end with a Competition Werkes fender eliminator kit ($139.95), which includes smaller-than-stock signals and a stainless-steel license-plate bracket. The high-mount Graves pipe just touched the stock turn signal, but there’s lots of clearance to the smaller one. Anodized swingarm spools ($29.95) and an aluminum oil cap ($24.95) from Ride Engineering add some bling to the bike.

2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000
Six years and three generations after its introduction, the original GSX-R1000 is still a missile. And we couldn’t have asked for a better example than this one we found that belonged to an employee at Suzuki’s Brea, Calif-ornia, headquarters. With 25,000 miles on the clock, the bike was in mint shape; the only modification was a Yoshimura bolt-on exhaust, and the GSX-R pounded out 140 horsepower on the dyno-just three less than our own test bike posted in ‘01.

The original 1000s have torque curves that are flat as pancakes, and, wanting to preserve that as much as possible, we kept engine modifications to a minimum. The exhaust was swapped for an M4 system with stainless steel headpipes, a titanium midpipe and a carbon canister. While the canister is beautifully finished and the individual pieces fit together fine, the M4 needed some coercion and the liberal use of a prybar to have the “two” sections of the header clear the sump on both sides. That sorted, the rest of the system lined up fine. The $987 M4’s stainless header scaled in at approximately 1 pound heavier than the stock titanium piece, but that is more than offset by the lighter-than-stock midpipe (we removed the SET valve completely) and canister.

Inside the engine, we installed an STM slipper clutch left over from a previous project. Using a split inner hub with a ball-and-ramp setup, the STM employs a small diaphragm spring to vary the amount of slip and a large diaphragm spring in lieu of the stock coil springs. The clutch installed easily enough, but it’s worth noting that the STM’s design requires you to remove the hub nut to swap out the clutch plates, turning what is usually a several-minute job into more of a chore. As a precaution, we fitted new steel and fiber plates, and refilled the crankcase with three liters of Maxima Maxum4 synthetic blend oil ($8.67/liter) and replaced the air and oil filters with K&N parts.

It wouldn’t do to upgrade the performance of the big Suzuki without bringing the style up to date also. Targa Accessories sent over an impressively well-made rear hugger fender, which bolted up easily with no drilling or modifications. The $199.95 fender adds some bling to the back of the bike, keeps the rear end nice and clean, and matches the rest of the bike nicely. Likewise, Targa’s tank cover ($34.50) slipped on perfectly and prevents the tank from getting dirty and scratched. The company also sent over an equally beautiful undertail kit, which replaces the huge stock fender, brake light and turn signals; that stayed in its box as installation required cutting the bungee hooks from the subframe and slicing the back of the fender off, and we didn’t want to make any irreversible mods. We did, however, bolt on the Targa anodized lever set ($25.50) and tank screw set ($9.75) to add some color to the front of the bike.

Finally, we topped everything off with a Zero Gravity Double Bubble windscreen ($84.95) that provides more wind protection and better optical clarity than stock, along with some Galindo F1 grips to replace the well-used stock bits.

Metzeler Sportec M3 and Bridgestone BT-002 RS
To keep the old and new bikes on equal footing, we fit each pair with identical tires-Metzeler’s Sportec M3 for the two Yamahas and Bridge-stone’s BT-002 RS for the Suzukis. This was the only modification for the new bikes; aside from the tire swap, the ‘07 R6 and GSX-R remained stock.

Introduced last year as a replacement for the Sportec M-1, the M3 features an updated construction, compound and profile, with the aim of increasing mileage and improving wet and dry grip. Editor Kunitsugu detailed the changes and sampled the tires at their introduction (Late Braking, April ‘06), and was impressed with the performance of the street-oriented rubber. In brief, the front M3’s profile is more rounded compared to the M-1’s, while the rear incorporates a changing radius that optimizes its footprint at all angles of lean. The material inside the tire, while still Pentec for the cross-ply belts and steel for the circumferential belts, has been changed to make the carcass more pliable, in turn allowing a stiffer, longer-lasting tread compound.

We fit both Yamahas with 120/70 front and 180/55 rear sizes. Both bikes exhibited light, neutral steering with no instability, and traction was excellent overall. The Sportecs did feel stiffer and slightly less compliant than the Dunlop D208s fitted as standard equipment to the R6S and the Dunlop Qualifiers that were originally on our ‘07 R6, but wear appears to be better so far. The Sportec M3 is available in a variety of sizes, including the 65-series front that came as standard on the R6 until ‘05. Visit www.us.metzelermoto.com or call (800) 747-3554 for more information.

Bridgestone’s new BT-002 RS (racing street) tire is a street- and track-day-oriented version of the company’s BT-002 Pro DOT race tire. The front tire has a medium-compound center section and soft-compound shoulders to provide a balance of grip and mileage, and HTSPC-MSB (high tensile super penetrated cord-mono spiral belt) technology in both front and rear tires increases stability and reduces heat generation. One factor that led to our choice of the BT-002 RS for the two Suzukis is that the tire is offered in the GSX-R1000’s OEM 190/50 rear size as well as the more racetrack-oriented 190/55 size. We used the lower-profile 50-series tires, which required no suspension or geometry adjustments to the ‘07 1000.

The Bridgestones provided excellent traction on both bikes, with outstanding grip at full lean on smooth pavement. One notable characteristic of the tires is their warm-up time, which is significantly quicker than some other street/ track hybrid tires we’ve sampled. The BT-002 RS is available in 120/70 front and 180/55 rear sizes in addition to the sizes mentioned above. For more information, visit www.motorcycle karttires.com or call (800) 543-7522.

NEW VS. OLD PERFORMANCE NUMBERS
STOCK 2007 MODIFIED 2001 STOCK 2007 MODIFIED 2007 SUZUKI GSX-R1000SUZUKI GSX-R1000YAMAHA YZF-R6YAMAHA YZF-R6Sweight471 lbs.445 lbs.-422 lbs.412 lbs.quarter mile9.741 sec. @ 149.31 mph10.10 sec. @ 141.70 mph*10.854 sec. @ 127.44 mph10.831 sec. @ 127.5 mph *roll-on, 60-80 mph2.90 sec.3.26 sec.5.08 sec.4.89 sec.roll-on, 80-100 mph2.99 sec.3.24 sec.6.31 sec.4.40 sec.

*Our dragstrip session was cancelled due to excessive wind, so we pulled quarter-mile numbers for a stock ‘01 GSX-R1000 from our June ‘01 full test and for the stock ‘07 R6S from the “Get Real!” test in the Oct. ‘06 issue. Both the modified old bikes are lighter than their stock new counterparts, and the R6S posted better roll-on times than the new bike.

Photo Gallery: Old vs. New Sportbikes - Sport Rider Magazine

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Posted on October 8th, 2007 by Klaus Roe
Filed under: Motorsport, Horse Racing, Photo, Fun and Games, Question of Sport