Comparison test of mid-range motorcycles

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Comparison test of mid-range motorcycles, Honda CBF 600 / S, Suzuki Bandit 650 S

The easy tour

A fat steering iron, two wheels, four cylinders, no frills? Honda CBF 600 versus Suzuki Bandit 650. Enough motorcycle for dynamic pastime and just in case: ABS.

AT.Suzuki wrote everything down. Instead of sinking the well-known air / oil-cooled engine in the museum, pack-
ten the Japanese in 1995
a classic double loop frame made of steel, saved in the right place, and whoosh, the community had its cult. Spartan two-wheelers and conservative windy faces helped the idea to break through and Suzuki to success. Bandit was no longer a model name, Bandit was in a class of its own.
Honda jumped up two years ago
opened the train and caught Suzuki
the CBF 600 takes the audience away from their noses. Simple elegance, a bit more modern and ?? optionally with ABS. The Honda dealers rubbed their hands, the Suzuki men their eyes. The concept of the CBF is not a sensation. Honda also resorted to a well-known engine and put the water-cooled four-valve engine from the CBR 600 F into a bulky, welded, largely hidden central tube chassis. Everything around it is neatly done, with a slim, oval stainless steel muffle and passably processed cast parts. Exciting is different.
Now the bandit is back. With fat 650 cubic meters, fresh paint and ?? SECTION. Whereby the undisguised Suzuki has nothing
has lost its down-to-earth charm. The four-cylinder alone is worth kneeling down for true traditionalists. 1785, no, it was 1985, presented in the legendary GSX-R 750 and since then used in all possible and impossible model variants, the fine rib engine has what it takes to become a real classic. The rest of the 2005 model is pure bandit.
A mild Sunday morning in April, shortly after seven o’clock. Actually much too early, but not soon enough after the nasty, frosty winter for the first big trip in the home area. Finally. The map stays at home, our 400
Kilometers of house-and-yard lap is blind. Urach, Lauter, Bussen ?? second breakfast with a view of the Alps. Upflamor, Danube Valley, Windegg ?? Coffee with cake. Bear, punch, Rossberg tower ?? still ?? not
last coffee with a view of Tubingen and Neckar valley. Let’s go.
Where’s the damn choke on the Honda? Neatly hidden in the bottom left and then also damn stiff? jo where samer there? Suzuki is doing better, but both machines take a few seconds to recover from a freezing cold. They run lukewarm, smooth and clean on the gas. With its extra portion of displacement, the Bandit is a bit more muscular than the water-cooled Honda drive, which works well with a relaxed driving style. In numbers: the passage in the last gear of
The CBF does 60 to 100 km / h in 5.9 seconds, the Bandit in 4.9 seconds.
A quick ride, on the other hand, means quickly sorting the gears, because pulling through has never been the real strength of the 600 engines. Not even the one inflated to 650 cubic meters. In the Honda gearbox, the gear wheels thread jaggedly into their position, while the Suzuki gearbox sometimes moves
starts a bit bitchy before it follows the soccer switch. Again for the statistics:
The bandit lies in the sprint up to 100 km / h
0.3 seconds ahead of the Honda with 3.9 seconds,
up to 140 km / h is 0.9 seconds ahead for the 650 engine. No worlds, more of a breath, especially since the exultant sprint only occurs at brisk speed for both of them. The music plays between 7000 and 10000 revolutions. No, they don’t uproot trees, but if they are properly squeezed they sweep through the hilly landscape with a full taste. Anyone who has found the river, sorted the races appropriately and keeps the momentum, is way ahead of the simple middle graders.
Fine, chirping vibrations from 6000 revolutions creep in both four-
cylinder over the seat, handlebars and rests in the body, fingers and hands want
numb on monotonously boring routes. However, they have no chance on the house-and-yard group. In hastily oblique-
The drivers have their hands full in curves, endless asphalt arcs and weightlessly over hilltops. Braking, shifting, clutching? Gaaaaas. Pure pleasure, with Honda’s CBF 600 zapping around corners a little more lustfully and more easily
than the bandit. Why? Because that’s tight-
A tuned chassis guarantees solid feedback between the road and the driver, less kinks in quick changing bends and confidently stays true to the targeted line. A great advantage when the load snaps through sneaky twisting curves with a concentrated eye. The pilot thinks the Honda is steering. Simply great, great simply.
The bandit demands more emphasis as well as concentration and a fine sense of balance in half an incline, really inclined ?? it runs better. Not bad, the Suzuki, definitely not. But to the
It doesn’t match the casualness and sovereignty of the CBF 600. Too softly sprung and dampened, with too much movement when changing lean angles in fast, undulating corners. The positive side of the comfortable set-up: The bandit makes its appearance on rutted stretches and hisses velvety over waves and beats-
holes, while such parquet requires a certain capacity for suffering at the Honda. Even at top speed, the Suzi rushes over like an anchor
the bumpy test highway. Concrete slabs, bridge heels, longitudinal grooves ?? nothing upsets her.
The CBF, on the other hand, is more sensitive. Your suspension elements are ?? except for the rear tension? not adjustable and have a hard time with the high-frequency vibrations. That’s how she reacts
Honda noticeably nervous, shows first-
signs of handlebar slaps. On the other hand, it stays clean when loaded with a pillion passenger
the track, drives and steers perfectly
around curves of all kinds, swings at
Bumps not and also retains
its agile handiness with a load. In addition, the pillion passenger finds a firm hold on two well-shaped handles on the rear. The duet on the bandit doesn’t work out quite so well,
whose retaining bracket is good for the TÜV, but not for the pillion passenger. The drivability is hardly worse than with the CBF 600. Why Suzuki though
still clinging to the much too soft fork set-up, which springs through to the stop with every hard braking, remains a mystery.
It is just as incomprehensible why the rearview mirror arms are too short on both the Honda and the Suzuki. A few more centimeters, and apart from your elbows you would have comfortably a complete tour company in the (back)
Look. In return, the round headlights shine in competition, although the conventionally corrugated lens of the CBF does not quite come close to the rich, large-area illumination of the Bandit spotlight. In terms of processing, the contract goes to the CBF, since the Bandit
gives a light patina after a few rides in the rain. A nice addition to both: the height-adjustable benches.
A real treat with the middle graders: the leisurely hike over winding streets, lanes, paths and hairpin bends ?? if necessary, also in gravel version. The narrower, the better and nothing easier than that. Where super sports drivers mutilate on their stumps, tourers with their six hundredweight living rooms get lost and big enduro riders just find the right way via GPS
find, the agile 600s whiz up and away. Less is more. More fun, more speed, more economy. With 4.8 or 4.7 liters of regular gasoline on the MOTORRAD country road lap, there are still a few euros left for coffee and cake? with cream. Where did we land Exactly, sublime on the Windegg, where you can visit the Black Forest, Alb and Alps all at once.
And there is enough time to philosophize about the pros and cons of ABS. Do people really need it? All MOTORRAD testers agree: Nobody has any doubts that ABS will be used in the 600s
only has advantages in all situations. Sure, at
dry road professionals brake without
better. But even these do not even come close to the short braking distances on slippery surfaces as with electronic helpers. Gravel, bitumen stains, moisture and manhole covers, simply awesome, how safe and stable ABS is-
Decelerate machines with fully activated hand and foot brakes. The short blockages at low speeds are noticeable, but they never throw the machine and crew out of balance. And you get used to the pulsing of the brake lever and pedal in no time.
There are still differences. The Honda stoppers are snappy, strong and with a clear pressure point, while the braking equipment of the Suzuki is somewhat limp and crumple, and the ABS pressure modulator occasionally creates a shifting pressure point. The bottom line, however, is not a question mark, the ABS upgrade, which costs around 600 euros, is recommended to every buyer (see also pages 56/57). It doesn’t matter whether you are a newbie, a newcomer or an experienced frequent driver. When it gets tight and it really matters, nobody brakes better than with electronics. Even with the
easy tour. Guaranteed.

Comparison test of mid-range motorcycles

The easy tour

Technical data: HONDA CBF 600 ABS

Engine: water-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead, ket-
driven camshafts, four valves per
Cylinder, bucket tappet, wet sump lubrication, constant pressure carburetor, Ø 34 mm, uncontrolled catalytic converter with secondary air sys-
tem, alternator 336 W, battery 12 V /
6 Ah, mechanically operated multiple discs–
Oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, O-ring chain.
Bore x stroke 65.0 x 45.2 mm
Cubic capacity 600 cm3
Compression ratio 11.6: 1

Rated output 57 kW (78 hp) at 10500 rpm
Max. Torque 58 Nm at 8000 rpm
Pollutant values ​​(homologation) in g / km
CO 2.624 / HC 0.773 / NOx 0.109

Chassis: central tubular steel frame, load-bearing motor, telescopic fork, Ø 41 mm,
Two-sided swing arm made of steel, central spring strut, directly hinged, adjustable spring base, double disc brake at the front, Ø 296 mm, double-piston floating calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 240 mm, single-piston floating caliper.
Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 4.50 x 17
Tires 120/70 ZR 17; 160/60 ZR 17
Tires in the Michelin test
Pilot Road, in front "B"
Dimensions and weights: wheelbase 1480 mm, steering head angle 64 degrees, caster 109 mm, spring travel f / h 120/128 mm, seat height * 795 + /-
15 mm, weight with a full tank * 225 kg, to-
load * 178 kg, tank capacity 19 liters.

Two year guarantee
Service intervals every 6000 km
Colors blue, light blue, gray, black, silver
Power variant 25 kW (34 PS)
Price 6190 euros
Price test motorcycle1 6790 euros
Additional costs 170 euros

Technical data: SUZUKI Bandit 650 ABS – SUZUKI Bandit 650 ABS

Engine: air / oil-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead,
chain driven camshafts, four valves
per cylinder, fork rocker arm, wet sump lubrication, constant pressure carburetor, Ø 32 mm, uncontrolled catalytic converter with secondary air-
system, alternator 475 W, battery 12 V /
8 Ah, mechanically operated multiple discs-
Oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, O-ring chain.
Bore x stroke 65.5 x 48.7 mm
Displacement 656 cm3
Compression ratio 10.5: 1

Rated output 57 kW (78 hp) at 10,100 rpm
Max. Torque 59 Nm at 7800 rpm
Pollutant values ​​(homologation) in g / km
CO 1.920 / HC 0.580 / NOx 0.150

Chassis: double loop frame made of steel, telescopic fork, Ø 41 mm, adjustable spring base, two-arm swing arm made of steel, central-
Suspension strut with lever system, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, double disc brake at the front, Ø 290 mm, double-piston floating calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 240 mm, two-piston fixed caliper.
Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 4.50 x 17
Tires 120/70 ZR 17; 160/60 ZR 17
Bridgestone test tires
BT 011 "J", BT 020 "L"
Dimensions and weights: wheelbase 1440 mm, steering head angle 64 degrees, caster 108 mm, spring travel f / h 130/126 mm, seat height * 770 /
790 mm, weight with full tank * 229 kg, to-
load * 211 kg, tank capacity 20 liters.

Two year guarantee
Service intervals every 6000 km
Colors blue, red, black, silver
Power variant 25 kW (34 PS)
Price 5990 euros
Price test motorcycle2 6490 euros
Additional costs around 130 euros

SECTION ?? a question of time

The move to introduce ABS for some mid-range bikes should not be the last on the road to the spread of anti-lock devices. But there must be exceptions, says MOTORRAD editor Werner »Mini« Koch.

Over a thousand test kilometers with the ABS-Mit-
High school students make it clear that things also work great in the lower price range. Downhill over mud-smeared pass roads including meltwater streams, heroism is quickly over. With ABS, on the other hand, you just have to pinch your bum a bit and hit the iron. It’s amazing how the two of them brake, where the adrenaline rushes out of your ears when you shallow the front brake. Or the famous jump in the coefficient of friction: with a full anchor from asphalt to grass and back again. Does it cost to overcome? but works. Today. Ten years ago, I slipped right at the feet of the head of ABS development for this test.
One thing is clear: ABS must become the standard on certain motorcycles. But please with appropriate training opportunities. Because no one dares to simply hit the sting in dangerous situations without practice, when fractions of a second decide whether to continue driving or falling. Not even the test professionals. Therefore, dear dealers and importers, instead of seductive discounts, prefer solid ABS training
lure, otherwise the whole thing is of no use. ABS can not only prevent a fall from a blocked front wheel, it also gives you the security of knowing that you can achieve the shortest possible braking distance on all road surfaces. But that too has limits. For example, in the event of an emergency stop at a great deal of speed. If a motorcycle comes to a stop from 100 km / h after around 40 meters, MOTORRAD has measured a hairy 79 meters from 140 km / h, i.e. normal travel speed. Almost twice as long at less than one and a half times the speed, a person must have saved that first, otherwise he will not believe it. So: practice!
And please do not generalize the ABS matter. I don’t want any of that on my super sports cracker
see. On request for a surcharge ?? according to me. But not off the shelf as standard. Because Great athletes like to do without every gram and every cable harness. And because brakes
on the last groove, with smoking rubbers in a slight drift, is also a challenge. Training of the senses and intuition. And that’s indispensable in sports.
The same goes for my hard enduro? no
half a gram more than absolutely necessary.
And please, come on ?? me nobody with that
glorious idea to enforce ABS by law.

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