Honda CBR1000RR vs Kawi ZX-10R vs Suzuki GSX-R1000 vs Yamaha YZF-R1 Comparison from 2009 Shootout Test
We were expecting Yamaha’s new cross-plane crankshaft design to offer significant benefits in this critical category, but not all our testers were blown away by it. “I can’t say I really felt any difference from the cross-plane crank on the street, although I can hear what people like about the exhaust note,” said journalist/author Mark Gardiner after a ride. (Check out RidingMan.com to see his exploits at the Isle of Man.)
On the other hand, Steve “Speed” Kelly believes the cross-plane engine enhances corner-exit speeds on the track. “All that hype about there being a connection between the throttle and the rear tire is true. If you want to able to spin up the rear tire exiting a corner, having the bike sliding around while you keep the gas pinned, no other literbike I’ve ridden before made this so easy. The grip and drive the R1 gives somehow allows you to just keep opening the throttle when on other bikes you’d be backing off for fear of highsiding yourself.”
Indeed, this is a much more pleasing engine than its former peaky powerplant, and its V4-like growl entices even elderly kids to twist the throttle to hear it rev. It’s an audio treat for ears that have grown accustomed to the familiar shriek of a typical four-cylinder motor. The cross-plane crank design results in odd vibrations for an inline-Four, delivering rough vibes at lower revs before magically smoothing out at higher rpm via a counterbalancer. It’s another sensation unique to the R1.
But, as we suspected at the Yamaha’s intro, this new motor is lacking a bit of the old bike’s revvy surge up top, peaking with just 146.1 hp at 11,800 rpm. This is the lowest output of all the literbikes, even less that the Ducati’s 150.4 hp, and it’s down from 2008’s 153.5 hp. Max torque is down incrementally to 73.1 ft-lbs at a relatively low 9000 rpm.
Overall, this is a very interesting and satisfying engine, but there’s no escaping the fact that it’s down about 10 ponies from the most powerful engines in this group. The R1’s missing top-end pull became evident when the bike was unable to make up ground on the V-Twin Duc down Willow’s front straight. While this speaks volumes about the 1198’s bodacious V-Twin, it also writes a less impressive chapter in the R1’s story.
At the other end of the spectrum is the mega-motored Kawasaki ZX-10R. It rules the roost with 155.9 hp, vigorously inhaling any straightaway in its trajectory. When twisting the Ninja’s throttle hard, you’d best be pointed in the direction you want to go, as you’ll be there in a nanosecond, especially if you keep the heavy-hitting mill spun up to exploit its 12,200-rpm horsepower peak.
As with all these bikes, electronic fuel injection assures prompt cold starts and mostly seamless acceleration. Throttle response from the ZX is immediate and incredible - newbs beware! - but power production is surprisingly soft in the midrange zone. The 10R’s mill has a stimulating rumpity vibration at low rpm, but it smoothes out nicely at cruising speeds.
Challenging the Ninja for the biggest dyno numbers is the all-new engine in the Gixxer Thou. It spat out 155.2 hp at its 11,700-rpm peak, and it pulls though the powerband in an impressively linear fashion. Torque production is second (third if you count the Duc) only to the amazingly strong CBR, and a GSX-R rider always has a deep reserve of power on tap.
On the track, the Gixxer feels noticeably stronger than all but the potent Ninja, and its throttle response also proves to be very manageable on the street. As usual, we barely experimented with Suzuki’s Drive Mode Selector, preferring to keep it in its full-power A setting. The Gixxer mill’s only shortcoming is some rough vibes coming through the frame at various revs, becoming obtrusive above 85 mph when the motor is spinning around 6000 rpm in top gear. Keep the speeds down to a more reasonable 75 mph and it’s smooth enough for a day-long sport-tour ride.
The CBR’s engine doesn’t post the biggest horsepower numbers, and it’s missing some fancy technology (engine-mapping adjustability, cross-plane crank, variable-length intakes) fitted to some others, but this is perhaps the best street engine of the group. Its midrange pull is simply outstanding, with major-league grunt available earlier than any other literbike. Its torque peak of 76.6 ft-lbs is not only the highest of the Fours, it also boasts a twist advantage over a 5000-rpm range
The double-R engine’s only hiccup is a leisurely response at low revs, perhaps tuned that way to minimize harsh throttle reaction when tooling around town. Power peters out above 11,000 rpm, so there’s little sense in wringing it out to its 13,300-rpm redline, but this powerplant is nevertheless extraordinarily effective.
Power, tractability, response, user friendliness (Given the importance of this category, it’s double-weighted)
SCORE CARD RESULT
Engine review: Power, tractability, response, user friendliness (Given the importance of this category, it’s double-weighted)
GSX-R1000 - 95%
ZX-10R - 91.25
CBR1000RR - 90
YZF-R1 - 87.5