600 class shootout

Hi there, I have been on bikes for most of my life, and it got kick started again today after riding a friend's 2005 CBR-1000RR.

Anyways, I'm man enough to admit the 1000 is too fast for me. By 10,000rpm in 2nd gear it was too much and I had to let off. It pointed to the sky in 2nd gear at 7000rpm, and I didn't crack it, or drop the clutch.  I rolled on the throttle at 4k, and by 7 it was pointing skyward. It is too much for me.

Thus I will be looking for a 600 class bike (No 750), and I want it brand new. I'd like to get a webpage of the most recent 600 class road test/shootout that SportRider did. I am a subscriber, and could not find it in my past issues. A link would be great.

I don't want to get into which one is best, I'll make that decision for myself. But I want the help from the testers who don't get scared shitless by a 165hp 4 cylinder. Thanks a lot for any articles you can find!  

the year 2005 was chock full of 600cc shootout articles & the Honda CBR600RR won it last year as the best 600cc sportbike, you should be able to get a back issues that feature 600's from first rides to the shootout.  

Here's one

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/31march05_600comparison.htm  

Hi Aaron, I was lucky enough to test the 05's this year with Sport Rider. As usual these days you really can't go wrong with any of these bikes. Yes there is a best in class but the fact is the 600 class is now a bit spread out displacement wise. The 636 in '05 was a great middle weight but as I wrote, not a true 600. If that doesn't matter than it's the best of the group by a slim margin. It does have it's faults though. The best 600 was the Honda and it was my pick due to the simple fact that it is indeed a true 600. The RR does it all in a composed manner and delivers a quality machine to the buyer. As I said all of the middle weights we tested were very competent and it really boils down to personal preferences. Hope this helps you and good luck.
S. Mikolas  

Obviously I'm a bit biased because I own an '04 636. I'm one of the many that could care less about displacment as long as it doesn't hurt the overall package, and in the case of the 636 I don't believe it does. To me, when comparing the middleweights there are several things to weigh in your decision, but displacement isn't one of them unless you intead to race. If the 636 can provide equivelant, or better, performance and do it for the same price point while giving you a little extra grunt...who cares if it does it with 37 more cc's.

We (most folks) do our riding on the street with the occasional track day. Being a "true" 600 has no real world bearing, at least for me. Hell, if I was buying today I'd seriously consider the new Triumph 675 if the added crank mass has little effect on handling.