It's funny how only a few months back Johnny and I were talking over the state of the supersport sector and revelling at the idea of there one day being a comeback. Fast-forward to now and that's exactly what would appear to be happening. Lastis this mag: it's a corker and a keeper. The big question is, what happens next? Are we really looking at a comeback of the mid-capacity sportsbike? Or is this a moment of madness from some of the braver manufacturers on the market? Only time will tell, and I guess the most telling factor of all is how quickly the available units wing their way out of dealerships and find new homes. After all, money talks, and the reality is that as hyped as many people are to see such models once more, if they don't sell, there won't be any more… that's for sure. But I'm optimistic that they will sell, especially when you consider how comparably affordable they are. Honda's 600RR costs less than half of what you'd pay for a Blade, and at an equally similar £10k(ish) cost, it's also worth bearing in mind that the Ninja 600 isn't that much more costly than a ZX-4RR. They're both on the money, the main reason being that the R&D, tooling, and all the big costly stuff was done and dusted years ago, so it's the literal manufacturing cost that's largely determining the price of these machines. And, when you think about that, there's no reason why the likes of Yamaha, Suzuki and Triumph couldn't, or wouldn't, do the same. I'm no Mystic Meg, but I imagine all of the above brands are studying the 600 sector sales closely and weighing up their options for a potential comeback of their own. We'll just have to wait and see, but for now, what I do know is there are two cracking supersport machines back in the mix – and I'm planning to make the most of them.
