R1's: What's the Catch?

R1's. They're mental, lunatic bikes that are going to kill everybody
who sits on one, right?

Well, not that I've been finding. I've only had one a few days and it's
hugely *hugely* fast, especially when coming from a 400, but I've yet
to find any major signs of what I'd call 'bad behaviour'.

The clutch is light, the brakes are enormously sharp and effective
without being grabby, the suspension is compliant but gives enough
feedback to tell you what's going on beneath you. The engine is
powerful but that power is linear. The chassis is light and incredibly
well balanced, the tyres (014's) are very nice and grippy...

....so what am I missing? Only, assuming a reasonable amount of
sensibility and control with regards to the throttle, I can't see
anything that's going to have me off other than the stuff that applies
to any bike. Not just yet anyway. Or is it when you're pressing on at
silly speeds that some things become evident?

Anybody with some experience of litre bikes care to give us a clue?

 

Cold tyres will spit you off high side style :-( beware

 

The first years ('96 to '99, I think) did have a steep step in the torque
output to the rear wheel at 8000 revs and more.
Riders caught by that bump-increase while being low in a corner did learn
not to like that behaviour too much.

For more recent models, Yamaha is said to have flattened it out to be more
linear and expectable.

(This is 2nd hand experience. Friend of a Friend has an early R1, and warned
me of it when we swapped bikes for some miles. I did not experience it
myself, but I made sure to drive it in a way I would not find out, too)

Ralf

 

You ain't missing anything - the R1 is just a lovely bike, but a bike
all the same. I was a little apprehensive when I got mine, due to all
the hype, but it soon became obvious that it wasnt going to buck me off
and gallop away of its own accord. They handle beautifully, so any
unassisted trouble will probably be of your own making, not the bikes.

All that said, it may start to make you feel invincible, which you
probably arent.

 

Its all too easy to wave goodbye to your licence for a month or so with some
poor timing of a twist of the throttle..... DAMHIKIJDOK?

 

Yep, that's exactly what I'm finding.

No I'm not. I usually bear that in mind.

Ta for that!

 

IMO, simply put, fast bikes are safer than slow ones[1].

[1] apart from when you crash.

 

Yes, I was hoping you might reply.

No, I've really not been pushing it at all. To be honest I'm having a
whale of a time just being able to surf the torque for a change.

And I see your point. The bike itself is not inherently more dangerous,
just that the higher speeds it's capable of makes it potentially more
dangerous, should you decide to use it.


Cheers.

 

Remind me what it was you had before?

--

jeremy
'01 Triumph Sprint ST in green
_______________________________________
jeremy0505 at gmail.com

 

you might have a point there, but I never quite experienced the same kick as
on both
R1's that my hamfistedness has caused.
Both 600's were mere pussies in comparison IME

 

FWIW, I never felt I was having to do this on my 600. Sure, it's not as
easy, but the powerband was not as small as it's sometimes made out to
be.

Again I would say this is subjective - I've seen you/AndyB/Champ do
overtakes I wouldn't and get away with them- but I wouldn't do them not
because I was on a 600, but rather I wouldn't have felt them
appropriate for my safety zone - no matter what bike *I* was on.

It also really did not take long for the 600 to go from 65mph to 100mph
for overtakes etc - but sure,slower than a 1000.

FWIW, the latest PB (I think) has the GSX-R750 as being faster in
acceleration to 100, roll on and a few other things than a GSX-R1000.
Quite surprising really (and yes I know that's not a 600!)

As I said, I'm biased, you're biased - but really 600's are not the
weedy bikes they are made out to be.

 

A ZXR400.

How's the new Trumpet by the way?

 

You'll find things get out of shape faster and happen in a less
controlled fashion when things go pear shaped when you have ~150BHP
kicking through the rear wheel.

Enjoy, and DFC.

Paul.

 

My heart was pumping faster and the adrenaline hit was harder when I
got off a GSXR thou on the CIHAGM, rather than the CBR6.

The 10R was quick, but I found not as brutal as the thou.

Seriously, seriously, quick bike.

HTH

Paul.

 

Having just ridden Loz's B6 more or less back to back with my B12, I
can only endorse the ursine viewpoint. Whilst I'm not comparing
sportsbikes (and I'll allow that a sports 600 (like Elly's CBR(1))
makes its power a lot differently to the Bandit), I'm still comparing
like to like. It isn't just bhp, it's a torque thing - and
availability of grunt any time, everywhere, that makes the difference.

The B6 is far from slow and far from boring - but, in common with all
of its ilk that I've ridden, it must be kept buzzing at 7-8k rpm at
all times should the opportunity to make progress come along. The B12
just wafts along comfortably at the same speed but two gears higher,
when should the gap appear a quick twist and it rolls on much quicker
than the 600.

Like the Bear says - more relaxed, infinitely more flexible. ****
sight thirstier, mind. 65 miles to reserve yesterday.


1. Comparing Elly's CBR600FSport to my standard B12 was an
eye-opener. Both quoted as putting out 105bhp, the means of delivery
was shockingly different. I could make /much/ more rapid progress
past a line of A-road traffic, rolling on and off in third and in a
far more relaxed way than the 600 I could hear barking behind me in
second. Not only that, but should both of us have opened the taps
going down a slip road, the Bandit would be 30+ metres ahead at the
give-way line, going ~20mph faster.

 

Well having read all the talk on here of R1s, under-powered I'd say

It's still entertaining me in a fairly gentle manner. Very pleased
spring has finally sprung.

--

jeremy
'01 Triumph Sprint ST in green
_______________________________________
jeremy0505 at gmail.com

 

The difference as I experienced it was that on a 600 you really had to be in
the right gear at the right time - and this simply didn't matter on a litre
twin (and I imagine more so on a litre four).

That's one less thing to have to be worrying about, which IMO is A Good
Thing.

 

When compared to 1000's, maybe.

Otherwise, no.

 

They really sanitized the tortoise after 1999. You need a pre 2000
tortoise to really see what all the fuss is about.

 

Turtles pick up better off the line though,