what do you do when you start feeling...

[kml.krk]

just to clarify: I have never even though for a second about upgrading to a 1000cc bike.
They just scare me. The reason why selected FZ6 for my eventual upgrade is they are 600cc and actually they use older R6 engines. They produce 80 few horses on the rear wheel which is twice as much as GS have. So it's is much more but it's is still manageable. Front wheel does NOT come off the ground with every blip of the throttle. Besides, the riding position on a FZ6 is very comfy, and the seat on 2009 models is super comfy seat that used to be sold as aftermarket seat. Besides FZ6 gets really good gas mileage, folks on FZ6 forum say it gets around 50mpg on a highway. my GS gets about 55 on a highway so it is not dramatic drop in MPGs!

[burning1]

All of which is fine and good and makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Except for it gets less than 30mpg no matter what speed you go ~ 100 miles and you are out of gas. Even at night when the temperature is only about 65 degrees outside, the motor throws off enough heat at highway speed to be uncomfortable. I can't even imagine this thing in slow-moving traffic in 85+ weather ~ Yamaha could market it as a birth control device for men.

That's just the nature of sport bikes. At 160 miles on a tank, I used to have to push my GSX-R.

Case in point, my K1300GT makes about 160 horsepower, and pulls from 2000. At 630 pounds, it's a bit heavy, but can still loft the front wheel under power in 1st. I get 37 city, and average 43 freeway, though it would get as high as 50MPG american if I cruised along at 65MPH. The 6.4 gallon tank always makes 200 miles between fills, and could go to 300 miles easily enough.

In general I'm not either, but that's why I think some people prefer the 1000cc i-4s. There isn't a great selection of sportbikes that aren't I-4s, so you can but the 1000cc bikes and just cruise in the lower rpms. Unfortunately that's where the most technology/development goes, so that's where a lot of consumers go.

Are you kidding?

Honda Superhawk
Aprilia Turno Factory
Suzuki SV1000
Suzuki TL1000
Triumph Speed Triple 1050
BMW R1100S
BMW R1200S
BMW HP2
Ducati Sport Classic GT 1000
Ducati 1198
Ducati (assloads of other models...)
Buell (pretty Much everything)
Harley XR1200 (If you can call it a sport bike...)

Other exotic, lesser known brands, including Benelli and Bimota.

And that's just the sport bikes...

[SAFE-T]

I really enjoy the ability to get good acceleration without having to spin a bike's motor into 9K or more, but the bleeding edge 1000cc stuff is just too race focused to be realistically enjoyable on the street. Of course, there is a company in the US that makes a Supercharger kit for the VFR800 that helps it put out between 170-180 hp...

I wish Honda would revisit their design of the VTR1000F Superhawk with the now-fuel-injected liter V-Twin currently in the Varadero. 

[tt_four]

Are you kidding?

Honda Superhawk
Aprilia Turno Factory
Suzuki SV1000
Suzuki TL1000
Triumph Speed Triple 1050
BMW R1100S
BMW R1200S
BMW HP2
Ducati Sport Classic GT 1000
Ducati 1198
Ducati (assloads of other models...)
Buell (pretty Much everything)
Harley XR1200 (If you can call it a sport bike...)

Other exotic, lesser known brands, including Benelli and Bimota.

And that's just the sport bikes...

Sorry, when I think "sportbike" I'm thinking about gsxrs and cbrs. I know there's plenty of naked bikes that are great for the street. I've owned a naked triumph and have a buell at the moment, but I've always just considered them more of street bikes that are easy to go fast on. My general point was that most people want the lightest and fastest race bikes covered in plastic, which really leaves you with slim pickings of Ducatis, RC51s, TLRs, some Aprilias, but that's still not where the market is focused, they're all still considered 'exotics' to some extent.

[burning1]

Here's the same list limited to pure sport / race bikes, ~1 litre or larger in capacity:

Honda Superhawk
Aprilia Turno Factory
Suzuki TL1000
BMW R1100S
BMW R1200S
BMW HP2
Ducati 1198
Buell 1125R

(Obviously, a lot of older models aren't included in this list.)

IMO, if you're going to buy a I4 sportbike for the street, a 1 liter bike would be preferable to a 600 cc bike, just for the bottom end. 600cc bikes tend to be more high strung, and suffer for it if used on the street.

With that said, my experience has been that standards are better for sporty street use. The ergonomics aren't ideal for hanging off, but again, I would discourage riders from hanging off their bikes on the street. When sitting upright on the bike, a good standard will typically out handle a sport bike.

[tt_four]

I always sit upright anymore when I'm on twisty roads. With my bars its just as easy to steer through turns. Hanging off is fun sometimes, but I still don't hit the edges of my tires on the street, so there's no need to lean my body off even further just to offset the lean of the bike.

I definitely like twins more but cheap I4s with nice parts are usually easier to find used. Vtwins are great but the selection is a little too off the wall. Ducatis are super expensive, rc51s are heavy and way too race focused to be good street bikes(although I do love them), tlrs are bulky(and way too much bike for my 5'8 self to want to ride), sv650s are soft, sv1000s just don't appeal to me. I wish suzuki would make a seriously nice vtwin version of the gsxr750, faster than the 650 and slower than the mind numbingly fast liter bikes out there now. A good looking bike with 125hp and a decent bottom end. It'll never happen though, with Japanese bikes it's either ridiculously fast, or a budget bike. I think my xb9 is a nice medium with its 70 ft/lbs and 92 hp, although I kinda wish I had the 12, 80ft lbs and 103hp. Still very manageable. People pick on them for having low HP numbers, but I think it's a great mix of usable low end without the top end that's almost unusable.

[burning1]

I have a similar riding style on the street. I found that by using a relaxed static body position, it was easy to keep my mind out of the 'race' mentality I use on the track. I'm a much safer rider for it.

For what it's worth, the BMW boxer twins are very good street bikes. My Rockster had no issues playing with the sport bikes in the mountains, and the upright body position made it a pretty good commuter. Naked styling helped keep the speed below 80 on the freeway... But that was also part of why I eventually bought the GT.

My K1300GT is a total touring bike. Sporty enough to be fun in the mountains, but big enough that I don't really push it. Overall, I have more fun riding long distance, focusing my time on exploring new roads, rather than constantly repeating the ones I already know.

Ducati for their part make a rather muscular monster with an 1100CC engine. It's a great bike for this kind of riding, but again, I wanted bags and a windscreen, so it was out.

[SAFE-T]

I think my xb9 is a nice medium with its 70 ft/lbs and 92 hp, although I kinda wish I had the 12, 80ft lbs and 103hp. Still very manageable. People pick on them for having low HP numbers, but I think it's a great mix of usable low end without the top end that's almost unusable.

Having ridden both the XB9 and XB12, the larger bike was a real disappointment. Lower rev limit that made you shut off just when the party got started at the top end and really poor low speed fueling on the low end.

[SAFE-T]

With Japanese bikes it's either ridiculously fast or a budget bike.

Pretty much my primary complaint when it comes to Japan inc. engineering. It's either not enough or way to much, and often they give up good traits in a bike's design along the way.

This is what turned the 50-60 mpg ZX11 into the 30-40 mpg ZZR1200. 

[tt_four]

That's also my slight dissapointment in the cbr600rr. I think it's a gorgeous bike, and would love to find one, but they went from having the F4i which was known to be a great all around bike, to the CBR600rr which is still a great bike, but only for top end RPMs and constant acceleration. They squeezed any midrange out of it just for a tiny extra bit of top end. They fixed that a bit in 05, but the 03-04 has a very un-street friendly motor which is unfortunate. I really like the 636 for these reasons. It's still a 600 but you get that little extra so you can have a bit more power for the street without going straight for a 1000. I would love a bike with a 1000cc low end but still just a 600cc top end to kinda even things out a bit.

I've heard the xb12 is a bit rougher down low which I wasn't sure about. Even at good paced riding I'm still only around 4-5k rpm so I'm not too concerned with the extra 1000cc of rpms, but I'd definitely wait until I rode one before I ever decided to buy it. I'm hoping the new exhaust/air filter/map will give me enough extra power so I don't think about it anymore.

[black and silver twin]

I would love a bike with a 1000cc low end but still just a 600cc top end to kinda even things out a bit.

You just described a gsxr750

[burning1]

tt_four,

If you wanted a street friendly bike, why did you buy a race bike?

[tt_four]

tt_four,

If you wanted a street friendly bike, why did you buy a race bike?

I didn't....?? I've owned a couple bikes but none were ever race bikes. Started on a dual sport, then a ninja250, then the Triumph Speed4, then rode the GS, now I have the xb9s. The Speed four was still an I-4 600 but it was tuned for pretty decent midrange. I think next fall I'm going to find a second bike, just something to beat on, leave parked on the side of the street for a few hours, use in the rain, and rack up general miles to keep my buell around for a while longer, and when I find one it'll probably just be a beat up japanese 600-750, but I don't have one yet.

The reason I still complain about them even though I don't actually have one is because it still affects my choices when I go shopping for a bike. I'd love the conveniences that come with having a japanese bike, but if you want nicer parts you have to get something with a sportbike motor, if you want the road friendly motor you have to deal with budget components, so that's why I'll probably still end up with one someday even if the motor isn't ideal.

Does the gsxr750 have a different power curve than the 600 or 1000? It's at the top of my list for bikes I want to find(others being the 600rr or 636r), but I still assumed it was the same engine type as the other two. It's half way there because it has more low end than a 600 and less top end than the 1000, but it still has less low end than the 1000 and more top end than the 600. Managable but still not perfect. I wish they'd make a 600-750cc version of the TLR/TLS. I know they made the SVs, but again it has a weaker motor and cheaper parts than other 600s.

[burning1]

There are some nice street bikes with a big catalogue of parts. The BMW R1200GS comes to mind, although it's a bit tall for my tastes. In some cases, bikes like the FZ6 can be extensively modified.

I have friends who go the other direction. One started out with a GSXR, and added pegs, a seat, and handlebar risers to convert it to a standard.

[thecdn]

I note that many of you talk about how fun this bike is in the twisties. My 19 year old son has had his 05 GS500F for 2-3 weeks and has mentioned that he doesn't feel confident turning with this bike - complaining about the chicken strips on the tires 

He has ridden an 07 R6 for the last year and a half and was very confident with that bike. The bike currently has stock size BT45s. The front has a fair bit of tread left and the rear has lots but we've been wondering if newer rubber, in particular the sport demons or pilot activs, would make a big difference. Would a 140 in the rear make any actual difference or just look sexier?

[tt_four]

I have friends who go the other direction. One started out with a GSXR, and added pegs, a seat, and handlebar risers to convert it to a standard.

Nothing against them, because I know they're technically nice bikes, but I don't think I'll ever buy a bmw. They're just not for me. If it's going to be European it would most likely be a triumph again. I would consider a Ducati only if I got a great deal on one.

Thecdn, not sure what to tell you about your son. He probably just needs some time to get used to the new bike. He's probably used to turning by throwing his weight around because of the clipons. Steering the GS is a pretty different style of riding. Without his weight on the front wheel it probably makes the bike feel squirrely and unstable. Maybe have him try some slower sharper turns instead of faster speed stuff so he can get used to the handling without going fast enough to really notice the difference in stability. He could always try some clubmans or clipons for it as well.

[mister]

I would love a bike with a 1000cc low end but still just a 600cc top end to kinda even things out a bit.

Haven't ridden one myself. But the Honda CB900 Hornet - or I think it's the Honda 919 in the states - seems like that this fits the bill. Same top end as GSR600 and maybe even the Gladius. There's a youtube vlogger - dprider02 - who got one, rode it for a couple of weeks, then flogged off his SV650 cause he liked the 919 better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj_6zbjGMhk & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj_6zbjGMhk

Michael

[tt_four]

Yeah they're called 919's here. I've always liked them, but they're not all that common. Someday I may end up with a 1st or 2nd generation Z1000 or something along those lines. We don't get that new CB1000R which is unfortunate. I wish Yamaha would make a 900-1000cc version of their MT-01, and do something different for the exhausts. That's looks like it would be a great bike, just way too big for what I'd need.

[mister]

Yeah they're called 919's here. I've always liked them, but they're not all that common. Someday I may end up with a 1st or 2nd generation Z1000 or something along those lines. We don't get that new CB1000R which is unfortunate. I wish Yamaha would make a 900-1000cc version of their MT-01, and do something different for the exhausts. That's looks like it would be a great bike, just way too big for what I'd need.

I noticed no new CB900s for sale by dealers near me. But it is listed still on the Honda website. A quick call to the local Honda Dealer.... no more CB900s for Aust. No more CBF1000s either. It's the CBF1100 or back down to a 600 if you want a Honda. He also said, he thinks people are holding onto their 900s cause you hardly see any for sale. I did manage to fine a Demo and a Single new one for sale in another state - 2007 models as that's the last production run year according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CB900F). But that's it for the entire country. So it's looking like being a bit of a rare bird here too now. (Want to Force people to buy the 1100 which you've just spent millions $ developing? Remove the other bikes people were buying instead.)

And unless you like the GSXR750 or the Z750, your only New Bike choices for greater than 650 but less than a liter is a Ducati, Triumph Bonne or BMW.

Michael

[tt_four]

I love the gsxr750. I really wish they put more effort into the Z750 because I would have really been into it. All they did with that bike is take the z1000, replace some of the parts with cheaper ones, and change a few internals of the engine to bring down the displacement so in the end you end up with a bike that's even heavier than the original Z1 was, and barely makes any more power than a 600. I don't understand why nobody else aside from suzuki can grasp the concept of a 750.

Every Honda 919 I've ever seen for sale is always about $4500-5000 no matter what. That's not an awful price for a bike in good shape but it's pretty high when it's pretty easy to find other 10 year old bikes in the same condition for $3k. You could get a good Z1000 or a Speed triple for $1000-1500 less than that.

Oh well, I'm satisfied with what I've got now, and the next bike I get will probably be whatever pops up for a good deal at the time because I'm still pretty undecided(although I always end up coming back to the gsxr750, zx636, or a cbr600rr), but I'm not gonna complain if I'm on something else.