[starvingstudent]

Five pounds! A couple of horsepower! Do people really think that that's what will make the difference? It's the rider, not the bike, that wins championships.

And there's no way at all any of this matters on the street, where 95% of riding goes on.

 

[FieryErmine]

There's still something about riding the bike that's the fastest around the track. Maybe it's not logical. When I was shopping for a new bike in '97, I came to the conclusion that the F3 was probably the best bike for my purposes, so I got the GSX-R600 because it was the fastest. I've only put 11,000 miles on it, but I still like it.

I think the whole thing about owning a sportsbike is that it should be fast, not convenient or comfortable.

Just my opinion.



FE

 

[bugsplatter]

Right On, I routinely do 200 mile afternoons and occasionally 500 mile days on my 99 Gsxr750. Although this bike is slammed for its ergonomics as soon as I relaxed on it I became comfortable. I prefer it to driving which almost always leaves me with a sore upper back.

 

[BurningSquid]

Hmmmmmm...it seems most of the motojournalists don't really agree with "torturerack" ergos placed on some sportbikes. I will admit the 86 GSXR's were tortureracks, but the new 600's seem to be doing relatively well. They're SPORTBIKES not cruisers. If you wanted to be comfy, buy a damn couch. Sheesh, I'm almost forty and I gotta listen to younger guys complain about back, neck, and wrist pain every time we stop. Hey I can't help ya if you're 6'3" 230lbs, but in my opinion if you're gonna "pose" at least look like you're having fun.



There was a recent article in one of the moto-rags on rider fitness. I thought it was okay, but it left out lower body exercises. Hey if you INSIST on riding in shorts and tanktop, at least LOOK like you got some muscle! Nothing makes me laugh more than a rider with "stick" arms and legs trying to impress women with their $700 helmet ;-) meaning Arai/Shoei/Suomy/Shark etc...

 

[bugsplatter]

Call me insane but you were so impressed with your bike you are only going to keep it one year! I bet it has three thousand miles or less, Why would anyone buy a new bike when there are so many bikes 1-2 years old in need of new homes because their owners had to have the latest greatest. And just what parts made an F4 anywhere near as fast as an R6 around a track, I bet they cost more than 999 dollars.

 

[Haga]

What?!?!?! "The R6... sucks as a streetbike." Is this a joke? I own a 2000 R6 and it is by far a great street ride. I like it better than the '00 F4. The R6 begs to be ridden hard and responds well at all times. There's no way you were pushing the limits of a bike than leans to a 54 degree angle in stock trim. If you thought it would hurt you then you must have gone through those 40 bikes by laying them down. The R6 is rock solid although it is a bit anemic below 4k rpm which is the only downer in town. I've never felt anything but confident on the bike and taking it into turns is an experience like no other. Trust me, trust the guys at MO, trust the guys at Motorcyclist and Cycle World who called it not only the best 600 sportbike but the best sportbike on the market... period.

 

[Haga]

I would agree... it has to cost more than a grand to shove a 929 motor into an R6 frame and then bolt on the F4 fairings.

 

[20874]

For those who have seen a 2001 R6, What do you think of the new style licence plate holder/mudflap? Is it worth keeping on or would you just cut it off anyway?



Personally I would keep it for a little while just because it is nice to see something besides a flat board stuck on under the tail lights.

 

[Grapelli]

I used to work with this guy, 21 or so and chatted to him about bikes. Shortly after I joined the company he decided he was going to buy a R1. It was at this point I found out he handn't even passed his test. Told him that if he turned up on a R1 I'd pick him up off the bike and ride it straight back to the dealer. I'd have done the same for an R6. He'd likely have killed himself in the first week.



Look, this may sound arrogant in this context, but think of it this way.. how comfortable do you feel when some rich kid comes up beside you in a supercar.. that's quite a bit slower than these bikes..



Ok. Rant over..

 

[Abe_Froman]

Can we refrain from the "it's the rider, not the bike" crap for a while? I have never raced, and probably never will, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the most advanced, well-designed, well-built bikes. This may come as a shock to some ignorant and brainless laymen, but there are those of us who like having the best because we find it fascinating. Sometimes I enjoy just sitting and looking at my R1, looking at the pretty CNC milled stuff, wondering how they crammed such a huge motor into such a small bike, how they made it so light, etc., and wishing that I was as smart as the guys who designed it.

 

[Abe_Froman]

If I had the money, I would buy a Ferrari. I want to buy a 1.2Ghz Athlon Thunderbird right now. Does this mean that I need this stuff? That I can drive like Mario Andretti, or that I am running the most demanding computer programs in existence? Obvously not. I could get by just fine with my Cherokee and a cookie cutter Dell.



I like having the best. Owning the best is fun. It is fun to have and appreciate the best that there is. I would not buy a ZX-6 because it is ugly and is not engineered nearly as well as the Suzuki or the Yamaha. It weighs more and makes less power, and doesn't handle as well to boot. Honda makes a good bike, but being the best clearly isn't their main goal.



Get the point?

 

[Abe_Froman]

I may have grown up a bit, but, the prime factor for female companionship is (religious tendencies aside) still HOW HOT SHE IS.

 

[ClubRacer]

women

as long as the love-n keeps she will always have some appeal. No mater how good she looks some one is always sick of her .

 

[john]

Too bad every article about the TT mentions how bad the low end sucks. even Bike said it was the crappiest low end they had ridden in a long while.



Prestige?? Triumph??? How the hell did you make that connection? When i think of triumph i think of a quirky company historically devoid of any type of quality control. In just the last year or two have they even started to address these issues, and i think it will be 5-6 more years before they become satisfactory.



Triumph is like the Jaguar of the '80's

 

[BurningSquid]

Re: What is best?

Sheesh...why don't you sell your bike and buy a car? Nobody really NEEDS a motorcycle. We buy motorcycles because we ARE emotional about them. Oh, and while we're at it, the factory doesn't just sell bikes to get OUR money. They build bikes to RACE, then get OUR money.

Race replicas are geared to those who know what they want. So what if 99% are posers and never ride on a racetrack? As long as the demand for race replicas are there, a market will exist for them.

 

[BurningSquid]

AMEN!!!



>

 

[tony]

It's good for the economy that a bunch of folks have the desire to have the latest and greatest. It also makes for good choices on the used market.

It really doesn't matter if they go any faster on the new bike as long as they are happy with it.

Most folks in the Us buy bikes as a toy anyway so what's the difference if they wear the center of the tires of an R6 or a cruiser as long as they are happy doing it.

 

[DougW]

Idiot. My 2000 GSXR750 has had more serious troubles then my 98 R1. The R1 doesn't have the injection or the ram air because it hasn't needed it. The only complaint I have with the R1 is the damn seat subframe. They bend easy in a crash and always get totalled as a result.

 

[BurningSquid]

Are you saying all those bankers and lawyers who buy Hardley Ablesons AREN'T posing? It doesn't take much to unleash the potential of an HD.

 

[stevegrab]

Whose buying a racebike? These are supposed to be sporty streetbikes. Sure if you want a race bike, get a GSXR or R1/6, but a Honda (F4 or 929) or Kawi (ZX6R) are much better street bikes.



But then that is the problem. All of these idiots who are buying a bike thinking they are going to be the next world champion so they have to start out on a race bike (which they ride back and forth to the college campus or do high speed hijinx on the freeway).