A pair of 41mm conventional forks keep the front wheel securely attached to the rest of the motorcycle. Adjustable for spring preload only, they work well both at the track and on the street, equally at home soaking up freeway expansion joints as they ar e blitzing around Laguna Seca Raceway, where we spent a day evaluating the RF. 

The revised-for-1995 rear shock offers adjustable spring-preload and more-effective rebound-damping adjustments - Suzuki's have been plagued in recent years with too-soft damping. Unfortunately, this year, Suzuki overshot the mark, dialing in excessive r ebound into the rear. Even on the lowest of four settings, the rear shock still rebounds too slowly, meaning this is one of the few OEM shocks that will actually get better as time wears and it begins to fade.

Tires are high-quality Dunlop D202s that offer excellent grip and acceptable mileage. Wheels are 17x3.5" up front and 17x4.5" out back, meaning that finding high-quality replacement rubber won't be a problem. 

Once at speed, the RF is an easy bike to ride fast. Clutch action is light and positive, and there is good throttle response once clear of the flat spot. A six-speed transmission diverts power to the ground and shifts very smoothly with a short click of the shifter. Gear ratios are closely spaced, but without the too-tall first gear found on most race-replicas. The bike turns into corners easily and neutrally, and stays on line without constant rider input. At a claimed 429 pounds dry, the RF is light en ough to be ridden hard without feeling like you've just gone 10 rounds with big George Foreman, and it hides its relatively long 56.3 inch wheelbase remarkably well.

Out on the open highway, a windscreen provides ample coverage to hide behind, and there is an integrated push-to-open glovebox in the left fairing that's within easy reach. The box is big enough to hold a couple packs of smokes, or a garage-door opener. Thankfully the gas tank, which hold 4.7 gallons of juice, is quite tall, meaning that it's a short dip to lean on and rest aching wrists and arms (which will ache, no matter how jaded a sport-bike enthusiast you are!) while cruising.

There is an amber low-fuel indicator light on the dash-panel that alerts the rider when there is about 80 miles left on tap. Expect to see this light often. On average, we went 34 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and when sport-touring, and about 42 mp g when droning at constant speeds. The light is simply a reminder, as there is also a fuel petcock with reserve switch.

Overall, though, we weren't impressed with the RF. If you don't mind spending the time and money to replace the handlebars (easily changed since they bolt on above the triple clamps) and dig through the carburetors to replace low-speed pilot jets, the RF 600 could be the perfect bike for you. Indeed, once the kinks are worked out, the silky-smooth engine and striking beauty of this machine could make it a timeless masterpiece. But in stock form, Suzuki's missed the mark with the RF600--its flaws simply out number the benefits, especially for 6699 dollars.

Fehlermeldungen an die Webmistress senden		Zu Favoriten hinzufügen / bookmark		update dieser Site am: 02.12.01