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Words:
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Rob Harris
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Pictures:
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Richard Seck |
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AND THE WINNER IS ...
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Editor
'arris, Seymour and Ed (and a large gentleman in the background)
compare notes. Okay, they're menus, but we gotta eat! |
In the first part we looked
at how each bike performed on our long weekend trip, without much of
a judgement being made between them. But if you've read all three write-ups
and got close to $20,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you'll want
to know the dirt that will help decide where that hard earned cash is
going to go.
As is often told to a bunch
of pre-teenagers waiting to hear whether they've been picked for the
school team, "There's no losers here. You've all won by taking
part. But ..." The
ensuing tears suggest a different story, but when it comes to a weekend's
comparison of three of the hottest sport-tourers, I can say (with hand
on heart, and Kleenex at the ready) that there are truly no losers here.
After the three days of fun
and madness, we all sat down over a beer and discussed the pros and
cons of each bike. Numbers were allotted to each category and then comments
of the group summarized into bite sized chunks of knowledge.
The result of this highly
scientific process can be found in the handy Model Rating chart below.
P.S. Missed Part 1???
Click here.
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MODEL RATING (Graded
from 1 to 3, 1 being the best)
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CATEGORY
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Honda
ST 1300
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Yamaha
FJR 1300
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Kawasaki
ZZR 1200
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COMMENTS
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Braking
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1
|
2
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3
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The Honda
brakes had a whole load of bite and needed the least amount of
effort to stop hard and well. Yamaha brakes are lifted from the
R1 and work well but require a tad more effort to haul the hunk
to a stop. The ZZR's brakes aren't crap either, but needed the
most squeeze of the lot.
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Fit
& Finish
|
1
|
2
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2
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Honda
have a bit of a reputation for good build quality and do a great
job on the new ST. Yamaha and Kawasaki are perfectly acceptable,
but they just don't quite come together like the ST. |
Handling
(twisties)
|
2
|
3
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1
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The
ZZR is the most sport-bike like of the lot. Less weight, stiffer
suspension and a screaming engine made it the bike to grab when
the curves sprang up. The ST did remarkably well considering its
weight, but inevitably lost on the flickability The FJR was the
bike most likely to feel that it was tying itself in knots. It didn't,
it just felt like it might. |
Transmission
|
1
|
3
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2
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The
ST was the smoothest of the lot. ZZR not far behind, but needed
a bit more of a punt. The FJR was positive but definitely notchy,
and required a more thoughtful push to click into the next gear. |
Comfort
(seat)
|
1
|
2
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3
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ST
= Arse masseur. Say no more. FJR was close but would cause some
pain eventually. ZZR was , well, sportbike-like and broke my arse
clean in two on the way down to Penns. Less noticeable in the twisties
when sliding around, but not pleasant on the highway. |
Comfort
(position - twisties)
|
2
|
3
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1
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Again,
the ZZR benefits well from it's sportier bias, which a more lean-over
position for greater control. The ST is upright but you still feel
somewhat plugged in. FJR lost out thanks to its weird bars that
come too far back making you feel that your on a cruiser, not a
sports-tourer. |
Comfort
(position - highway)
|
1
|
2
|
3
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ST.
Perfect position, super seat and a screen that comes up high enough
to clip low bridges, leaving the rider in a sea of calmness. FJR
comes a close second, though the screen doesn't completely isolate
the rider. ZZR locks you into one position so that it can focus
on breaking down yer arse. |
Engine
(performance)
|
3
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1
|
1
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The
ZZR loves and begs to be revved. Although it lacks power below 3,500
rpm, it keeps on hopping up from there. FJR is fierce, with massive
stump pulling torque and unlike the ZZR, is accessible from any
point. Party stops early at 8,500 rpm when power drops off. Honda
motor is perfectly usable, but a bit too much on the sensible side
for the sporty edge. |
Engine
(alroundability)
|
1
|
2
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3
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The
ST nudges out the FJR thanks to its silky smoothness and flat feeling
torque output. Massive spread of power from FJR is a wondrous thing
but it's just not quite as sophisticated as the ST. ZZR is a bit
too sport orientated for this category. |
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Overall the Honda gets the
best marks, only falling a tad short when it came to putting it through
the twisties and in general sporty mode. Of all the bikes, the ST was
seen as the one that would do it all - gobble up the highway miles and
then flip-flop through the twisties with sufficient ease. However, even
though it did so well, there was a certain lack of love/lust for the
bike. Tester Ed summed it up nicely with "It's a mile killer. It
does everything you want it to do, but at the end of the ride, you weren't
infatuated".
The Yamaha came in just behind
the Honda in its touring abilities, but seemed to come out worst when
it was asked to get sporty.
Finally, the Kawasaki seemed
to excel at the sporty stuff, but when asked to gobble up the highway
miles responded by getting medieval on yer arse.
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BIKE SPECIFICATIONS
Okay, not convinced what
the three testers thought? Well here's some harder facts on each bike:
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- BIKE
SPECIFICATION COMPARISON -
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Bike
|
Honda
ST 1300 |
Yamaha
FJR 1300 |
Kawasaki
ZZR 1200 |
Comments |
Horsepower
|
125
bhp @ 8,000 rpm (claimed) |
145
bhp @ 8500 rpm (claimed)
(approx. 123 bhp at rear)
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140
bhp @ 9,750 rpm (claimed)
(approx. 136 bhp at rear)
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Yamaha
has the gruntiest, but the Kawasaki gains at the wheel thanks to
a more efficient (chain) drive. |
Torque
(claimed)
|
85
ftlb @ 6,000 rpm |
93
ftlb @ 6,000 rpm |
80
ftlb @ 8,250 rpm |
All
pretty healthy, but pure strength is with the FJR once more. |
Fuel
Capacity
|
29
litres |
25
litres |
23
litres |
Thankfully
the ST carries most of that gas under the seat! |
Fuel
Economy
|
16.2
km/l
6.2 L/100 km
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14.6
km/l
6.8 L/100 km
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19.1
km/l
5.2 L/100 km
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FJR
proves to be the thirstiest, and could drop 'orribly if pushed really
hard. |
Range
|
470
km |
365
km |
440
km |
Reasonable
fuel consumption and large capacity mean the Honda can go forever. |
Engine
Redline
|
8,400
rpm |
9,000
rpm |
11,000
rpm |
The
most tourable bike has the lowest, the sportiest the highest. |
Screen
Adjustment
|
13
degrees, 189 mm |
20
degrees, 118 mm |
Non
adjustable |
C'mon
ZZR, let's get an adjustable sail up there. |
Bag
Capacity
|
35
litres each (standard) |
30
litres each (standard for first year) |
40
litres each (optional @ $1,122 - includes required brackets) |
Since
we didn't have the ZZR bags fitted, no comment. Honda bags have
the edge but when removed leave an 'orrible gap. FJR bags leave
the bike looking good whether on or off. |
Top
Box
|
Optional |
Optional |
n/a |
Get
one and earn your money back making pizza deliveries. |
ABS
|
Deluxe
model only |
n/a |
n/a |
Honda
system works well but is available on the deluxe model only. |
Suspension
- Front
|
Preload
only |
Preload,
compression and rebound |
Preload
only |
FJR
gives most options that you probably will never use anyway. |
Suspension
-
Rear
|
Preload
and rebound |
Preload
and rebound |
Preload
and rebound |
As
long as it comes with a big knob. |
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
And finally, the usual (and
very handy) CMG technical data comparison. And free of commentary too!
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- TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION COMPARISON -
|
Bike
|
Honda
ST 1300 |
Yamaha
FJR 1300 |
Kawasaki
ZZR 1200 |
MSL
|
$18,999.00
for deluxe model (comes with ABS).
$17,599.00 for the standard model. |
$17,499.00 |
$14,299.00 |
Displacement
|
1,261
cc |
1,298
cc |
1,164
cc |
Engine
type
|
V-four,
dohc liquid cooled |
Inline
dohc four, liquid cooled |
Inline
dohc four, liquid cooled |
Carburetion
|
Fuel
injection |
Fuel
injection |
40mm
Carburettors |
Final
drive
|
Five
speed, shaft drive |
Five
speed, shaft drive |
Six
speed, chain drive |
Tires,
front
|
120/70
ZR17 |
120/70
ZR17 |
120/70
ZR17 |
Tires,
rear
|
180/60
ZR17 |
180/55
ZR17 |
180/55
ZR17 |
Brakes,
front
|
Dual
310 mm discs with LBS 3 piston calipers |
Dual
298 mm discs with 4 piston calipers |
Dual
320mm discs with 4 piston calipers |
Brakes,
rear
|
Single
316 mm disc with LBS 3 piston caliper |
Single
282 mm disc with single piston caliper |
Single
250 mm disc with 2 piston opposed caliper |
Seat
height
|
775/790/805
mm (30.5/31.1/31.7") |
805
mm (31.7") |
800
mm (31.5") |
Wheelbase
|
1,500
mm (59.1") |
1,515
mm (59.6") |
1,505
mm (59") |
Dry
weight
|
276
Kg (612 lbs) (claimed) |
237
Kg (523 lbs) (claimed - sans bags) |
236
Kg (520 lbs) (claimed) |
Canadian
colours
|
Metallic
Dark Silver |
Liquid
Silver |
Galaxy
Silver, Pearl Mystic Black |
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Missed Part 1??? Click
here.
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