Group test
These are the bikes leading the sportsbike renaissance. Let’s slip into a one-piece, stick on fresh sliders and open up the thrills…
What a glorious array of tasty adrenal gland twanging options. Picking a middleweight sportsbike in 2024 doesn’t mean choosing between a 599cc inline four and, erm, another 599cc inline four.
The market’s never been so rich and varied – and this group test brings together very different protagonists.
Honda’s CBR650R has been selling by the boatload since 2021. Fireblade family styling, A2-compatible performance and a time-proven engine have seen to that. Yamaha put together an equally compelling proposition with their R7, but using very different ingredients – this lightweight parallel twin blends MT-07 power and character with a sharp chassis and attitude, and a genuine sense of value for money. And then there’s Aprilia’s magnificent RS660, a machine that blends twin ‐cylinder punch, poise, practicality, tech and achingly attractive styling in a package that, thanks to recent discounts, is more affordable than ever.
And now here come Kawasaki, keen to join this resurgence and doing so with something altogether different again. Their 75bhp, 16,000rpm ZX-4RR is the first all-new 400cc inline four-cylinder sportsbike in years – nah, decades. And as riders of a certain vintage, we can’t help but get a little clammy and excited.
Which deserves your cash? With mild weather, dry roads and an itch to scratch, it’s time to find out…
Yamaha R7
Friendly, easy to exploit and reliable, there’s a lot to like about Yamaha’s sporty middleweight. Especially in this retro GP paint scheme…
The last 10 miles have been a game of cat and mouse. We’re on a B-road quest for a decent café and hot liquid refreshment. Yamaha R7-mounted road tester Jimmy leads the way by a good five or six bike lengths from the Kawasaki ZX-4RR beneath me. And while I can feel a spiky nip fighting its way through my leathers and gloves, I care not one jot. Because right now I’m in sportsbike heaven.
The joy of this encounter between Yamaha’s 689cc parallel twin and Kawasaki’s new 399cc inline four comes from the fact that both the R7 and ZX-4RR make around 75bhp, yet put what they’ve got to ground in completely different ways. Jimmy unleashes the R7’s advantage on every corner exit. Tapping into the Yam’s eager low and midrange urge he creates a concertina effect, pulling away from the ZX-4RR that I’m trying to keep on his tail. But his advantage is short lived.
Once back on to the centre of its rear tyre the Kawasaki gets into its stride, clawing back the gap with a high rpm flourish. We gleefully repeat this
