Don't dare call these commuter bikes. The days of those boring budget bikes are dead. With the Kawasaki EX500 and Suzuki Katana collecting retirement pensions (Yamaha didn't have a crappy middleweight to retire) the door has been opened for truly sporty bikes that come straight from the showroom floor with loads of potential. The only thing missing is the gasp-inducing price tag of their full-on race replica siblings.
It's 2010, and the performance clock has ticked a full circle, thus allowing the manufacturers to build bikes with purpose-not just to a price point. Because sportbikes have evolved so much recently what was cutting edge a few years back is now cast aside as bargain bin gear. Is that bad? Absolutely not. In fact, we should rejoice at the performance that's available on entry-level middleweights. Thanks to the aforementioned "soft sportbike" retirees there were gaps left in the market, but they were soon filled with these upgraded, better performing and more stylish versions.
But let's distinguish exactly what these bikes are all about before we dissect how to make them better. Take your standard 600cc sportbike and break it down: fully adjustable suspension, loads of peak horsepower alongside an uncomfortable riding position. Contrast that to these gentler, more budget friendly versions: non-adjustable suspension, mid range power delivery and comfortable yet sporty riding stances.
It makes more sense for a lot of street riders to go with the latter option except for one thing-street cred. There's no doubt that any of these three parked next to their sportbike siblings would be overshadowed, but we have some solutions to get the race replica riders second guessing their selections.
All bikes are begging for upgrades. Whether it's a Hayabusa or a Ninja 250, there's always a way to make it look, sound and ride better. But most riders simply throw on a pipe and a colored windscreen and call it a day. While for most sportbikes that's probably enough, this potentially rowdy group requires educated mods to get the best results.
We cycled the bikes through different riders of different skill levels to find out the most common complaints and blatantly obvious shortcomings. Most of our conclusions were anticipated, but there were some surprises too.