Adies 2006 R1 and her lardy old bus of a 9R. The R1 was fun, it handles well and certainly goes like fuck. It's not as radical as the 10R and didn't make me feel like riding as stupidly as the 10R does but that's probably a good thing iyswim. It seemed to give more feedback from the front than the 10R and I could feel changes in the road surface that the steering damper on my bike would hide. The back end wasn't even noticeable so it must be good. Overall it handled better than my bike did when it was fresh out of the box but I'd really have to rag them both around a track back to back to see which was actually better now I've fucked about with mine. The engine pulled like a train from anywhere I opened it up but I resisted the temptation to see what the top speed was or check out how well it pulls wheelies. Would I want one? Not as a direct swap for my bike is the answer. I'm used to the 10R, I like it's bad habits and the fact that it feels as if you're never quite in control of it whereas the R1 didn't seem as if it would ever lose the plot in the same way as the 10R threatens to do. Would I have had one instead of the 10R if I'd had a test ride on one before I splashed out my hard earned? Maybe. The 9R is still great fun to ride but it really does feel like a barge when you first ride off on it. The MK roundabouts were entertaining and I felt the need to indulge in a spot of car baiting. The bike's got almost new Dunlops front and rear and because I've always liked them I felt happy diving under a BMW M5 that fancied it's chances on a double roundabout near Newport Pagnell. Everyone should own one of these bikes for at least 6 months because they make you feel like a better rider than you really are.
