The overall conclusion was called the 'Final Analysis' - We have summarized that here

"Let's try to sit quietly back and put things into perspective. "The new GSX-R 1000 is quite clearly the absolute winner of this 1000cc Mega test. 

"It is the fastest, it is the best-handling, it looks stunning and has simply moved the whole game on another 20%, which is all good and natural. "But it doesn't just win.

"The GSX-R is as civil as it is stupidly fast, and it doesn't intimidate or make you feel stupid as a rider. Just makes you feel bloody fast. Never thought that I would ride a Japanese production bike that made an R1 feel crude and underpowered, but that's what the GSX-R 1000 does. Second place is a tough one to call. The R1 has the engine, and the Fireblade has the chassis. The R1 has styling and sex appeal, the Fireblade has incredible brakes and fuel injection. The R1 will tankslap if provoked, the Fireblade will not.

"The Fireblade was faster in a straight line and over the quarter mile than the R1, it was quicker at the track and on the road.

"The Blade is a big-mileage expert, however. It won our Sportsbike of the Year 2000 test for that very reason - the R1 is only good for Sunday blasts by comparison.

"How good a bike looks is every bit as important as how good it goes, and the R1 looks the part. It also has another 60cc and considerable midrange power advantage over the Honda, but the suspension is second-rate after the Fireblade's excellent Showa set-up, and the way the Honda turns and deals with bumps makes the Yamaha look bloody stupid.

"Which leaves us with the ZX-9R languishing in last place. Something very serious is going on at Kawasaki - we haven't seen a stoating model from them for years now.

"The GSX-R 1000 has arrived. Welcome to the next level."

Thanks to Superbike magazine for letting use these excerpts from their March 2001 issue