GSX-R1000 Dyno Run!

It matters because it's progress. Thanks to its power and weight advantages, the Gixxer will run the quarter-mile in 10.10 (my guess) and up the ante for everyone else.



No, it won't make a tangible difference to you or to anybody else because the differences among riders is vastly greater than the differences among bikes. A squid on a 600 whose butt you regularly kick on a twisty road will still get his butt kicked if he moves up to a GSXR1000. And vice-versa.



But add up those increments of progress over 15 years, and it sums to the difference between the '86 GSXR1100 and the new 1000--50hp, 70lbs, and .75sec in the quarter mile. Not to mention the vast improvements in brakes, tires, and handling.



If it makes you feel any better, the R1 had a good, long run at the top of the heap. Long, at least, in motorcycle years.

It certainly sounds like you have an axe to grind, since you state you don't own any of their products.



I have a '98 Bandit 1200 which has been pretty extensively hotrodded; it has never given me a moment's trouble of any sort. I also own a '96 GSXR-1100... a little dated technology-wise but great fun to ride and also not a spot of grief, even after being flogged mercilessly by the hamfisted squid/mechanic wannabe who owned it before me.



Perhaps you can tell us about your experiences with your favorite brand, so we can assess the merits of your commentary a little more effectively.



Ed

Actually, it's out in the real world that you WILL notice. The extra HP and torque is very noticeable, especially if, like me, you are 6'+ and over 220 lbs, and/or carry a passenger. I was riding with a buddy (about 150lbs) who had a 600F2. He raced his fairly often, and with different gearing and tweaks, managed low 11's. I went to the strip just for giggles, never having tried it before and, leaving the line like grandma (afraid of flipping backwards with all that traction), managed similar times, but with almost 10mpg higher trap speed. We went riding. We got on it. Guess what? I left him for dead, just twisting the grip, while he stirred the tranny like a madman, even though I weighed 70 lbs more, and my bike was slightly heavier. Why? I had a much longer period of high acceleration per gear than his short sharp peak. Whyzat? Big, flat torque peak, big flat HP peak, not a short, sharp spike. We switched bikes. Top gear roll-ons. He left me for dead, faster than I'd left him before. If you have 2 bikes with equal unladen acceleration, and one has more HP, if you add a heavier rider/load, acceleration won't be as affected because the power/weight ratio isn't changed as much.