Advice: Supersport buyers' guide

Middleweight sportsbikes. Which one to choose? Hmm… This is going to be tough. You see, by its very nature purchasing a sportsbike is based very strongly in emotion. And quantifying emotion is a difficult thing. More than any other category, the sportsbike field demands compromises from an owner/rider - compromises that buyers are often more than happy to make, it must be said. But, well, let's have a go anyway.

When buying a commuter bike, a good deal of advice centres on you honestly evaluating your own physical dimensions. This applies in equal measure when considering sports tackle. In fact, more so in the case of supersport bikes - they're small, there's no getting away from that. Big guys can ride them and many do, but be aware that if you happen to be extra long or wide when you're aboard a supersport you'll be folded up like a forgotten piano accordion.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS?
First up, let's see if you really want a middleweight sportsbike. The inherent characteristics of the geometry of all current mid-sporties have at their heart one dimension -- performance. That's the design brief and most of them carry it out remarkably well.

This calls for low bars, rear-set and high-clearance footpegs, forward canted and small, hard seats, stiff suspension… Look, if you wanted to build a motorcycle to make a rider uncomfortable, you'd come up with a modern supersport bike, simple as that. Comfort is pretty seriously compromised. Can't cope with that thought? Stop reading, I've done you a massive favour right there.

So, you're still here? Well, cop this then. Carrying capacity is also very limited. Yes, there are tie-down points on middleweight sportsbikes, but they are cursory at best. It's pretty true to suggest that you can't two-up tour on one and carry much at the same time. You can tour on one, and the chance to break loose on a long ride is hugely accentuated by being aboard a cutting edge, mid-sized sporty.

So, if long miles are your thing, think long and hard. A sportstourer will be just about as fast, much more comfortable and will carry a heap more. Including your spouse. Hmm. Another reason to keep the sportsbike focus?

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
All this is sounding like I'm trying to talk you out of a supersport bike. I'm certainly not. Some of my most memorable long rides have been while riding a balls-out sportsbike and if you are happy to make the compromises mentioned above, you should seriously consider one as a purchase. They are simply exhilarating to ride and offer the latest and greatest go-fast technology in the automotive world. In most cases, supersport bikes have far superior componenty to their four-wheeled brethren and in all cases are much, much faster. We like that.

WHAT'S OUT THERE?
Okay, we're in the market for a supersport bike and we're going to buy new. For our intents and purposes, we'll look at the Japanese 600s - they are by far the big sellers in the category and are therefore most deserving of our attention.

JAPAN 600 INC.
The big Japanese four. This is a difficult area. They are incredibly alike for most purposes; configuration, price - there really isn't a whole lot to separate them, but that's not helping you much, so I'll give it a go.

An incredibly competitive sector, the major Japanese marques race these things to billy-o in order to attract you. You are, to them, 'market share'. They are acutely aware that you could well be new to larger capacity motorcycles (stepping up from a 250 or LAMS machine) and that, given the fact that brand loyalty is a massive factor in the Australian market, if you buy their brand on this occasion, there's every chance they have created a lifelong brand loyalist. This is good news for you; they will talk turkey on price in this sector more than just about any other. Don't tell them I told you this, but push hard on price here - you'll do well.

In the supersport category, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki all offer a 599cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve, four-stroke, in-line four-cylinder. All are fuel-injected, all make use of a twin-spar aluminium main frame. See, I told you there wasn't much to differentiate here.

OKAY, BUT WHICH ONE?
Let's try to make some sense of all this. Here's where each bike (in no particular order) holds a slight advantage over its competitors. Choose the element that most appeals to you, suits your usage, riding style and personal taste, and, hey presto, you've sorted the pack. Well, sort of, anyway.

YAMAHA YZF-R6
THE PICK IF YOU LIKE: Your bike to turn heads. Simply gorgeous to look at. Razor lines and pips this field on build quality into the bargain. Everywhere you look the R6 offers stunning visuals. The bike has very racy ergos. If you want to look every bit the sportsbike part, the Yam's the go for you.
NOT THE BEST HERE AT: Top-end power. The bike is breathtakingly fast, and has been mapped for this year with more mid-range, but lacks that stratospheric, oh-my-god happy ending.
STATS: $16,299/166kg dry/124hp (91kW).

KAWASAKI ZX-6R
THE PICK IF YOU LIKE: Engine performance. It's tight, but the Kwaka gets the nod on useable power. Right off the bottom, the Kawasaki builds to a screaming crescendo of real-world go. Just a fabulous engine that keeps on giving. Also, fabbo brakes. A very nice combination of pluses right there.
NOT THE BEST HERE AT: Rough road handling. Needs quite a bit of tuning to get the rear to be comfortable with back road bumps.
STATS: $15,999/167kg dry/125hp (91.9kW).

SUZUKI GSX-R600
THE PICK IF YOU LIKE: Ease of use. The best 'road' ride quality of the three, the Gixxer is a sweetheart when it comes to ironing things out on Australian 'less-than-billiard-table-smooth' roads. A sublime suspension package. User-friendly handling, best road comfort in real-world road conditions.
NOT THE BEST HERE AT: Full-on track day operation. We're splitting hairs; the GSX-R wins where it really matters - on the road - but that softens it on the track.
STATS: $15,490/165kg dry/125hp (91.9kW.

HONDA CBR600RR
THE PICK IF YOU LIKE: Sensational handling when pushing on. Lovely light steering, turns in perfectly and feeds back all the info you'll ever need when having a go on good quality surfaces. Pick a good road, dial in and the Honda will reward like no other when it comes to 'racetrack-smooth' manners.
NOT THE BEST HERE AT: Having all the goodies. No slipper clutch really is an omission - all the others here have one. Okay, you don't need it often, but it's lovely to have when you do.
STATS: $15,990/155kg dry/120hp (88kW).

LEATHER UP
In short, you need to test ride each of these - it will almost certainly come down to a seat-of-the-pants decision here. What you do get if you choose one of the above four is rock-solid reliability and a dealer network and parts availability second to none.

As mentioned, any one of these four will serve you well. There's oodles of power here, the bikes are very user-friendly (for full-on tackle - remember comfort is not the game here), they're light and the prices are very competitive. I suggest that the rider stepping up from smaller mounts should look long and hard at a Japanese 600, as the larger-capacity bikes are seriously quick and the bite from one of them in the wrong hands is likely to be much harder than that of a user-friendly 600.

There's a great deal to recommend you go down the Japanese route in this category, as the bikes on offer are simply superb. All of them. Now - it's up to you…

NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
So, you want a sporty middleweight, but want to stand out from the crowd a bit. Hmm… What have I got for you?

The Triumph Daytona 675 one throws itself up as a major contender in the mid-size arena on many fronts, not the least of which is price - $14,890. You get a stonking 675cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 12-valve, four-stroke, in-line, three-cylinder engine (a strong point of difference) and a bike that has gained rave reviews worldwide.

It's slightly more comfortable than the Japanese offerings and it's every bit as fast (although it uses a bigger capacity to achieve this). The Daytona wins supersport comparos too often to be a fluke (once again, note the capacity advantage which compromises that result somewhat).

Power is 129hp (95kW), dry weight is 162kg. This one comes highly recommended. Once again, it's simply very hard to go past that price, and you'll be the individual in the pack.

Story courtesy of Motorcycle Trader.