Officially have permission!!

[Apex]

Originally Posted by bdavison

I have to admit....there is a Rossi Fiat R1 with full race Graves exhaust here that is calling to me....but I shall resist its pull.

The price tag is enough for me to resist that one.

[addy126]

The fairing setup on the R1, quite frankly, looks lame.... nice power bike.... but esthetically speaking.... "blah"... stick with the Kawi's, far sexier.

[Apex]

The front fairing is a love/hate relationship with me. In race trim I really like it, street trim I really dislike it.

The Kawi looks good in street trim to me, so I'll stick with that. Plus it has good grunt compared to the R1. People say it is easy to ride the Yamaha fast, but even stock Yamaha fast isn't fast. The Kawi can outrun it on all but the tight courses. I have nothing but long flat roads here, I think the Kawi will do just fine.


I've had one person interested in the 250 so far, possibly two now. I am going to talk to my wife this week about possibly picking it up either late this week or early next week. I'm being somewhat impatient, but that is ok. hahah It will either get sold or traded in. We will see.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Just saw a blue 2009 R1 get traded in on Saturday. At 1000 miles and the owner test rode a BMW 1000RR, and traded the R1 for the BMW. Bike is a perfect trade with spools and sliders, all else is stock.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by addy126

The fairing setup on the R1, quite frankly, looks lame.... nice power bike.... but esthetically speaking.... "blah"... stick with the Kawi's, far sexier.

That current R1 fairing looks like it is made out of so many pieces when sitting on the bike. I think due to the routing of the air intake, but looks complicated.

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

That current R1 fairing looks like it is made out of so many pieces when sitting on the bike. I think due to the routing of the air intake, but looks complicated.

I'm not too fond of the plastic bit they have on the tank either. From what I can tell, only Honda and Kawi have their tanks free of that random plastic shrouding that yamaha and suzuki seem to love so much.

[cb61]

Originally Posted by Flashmonkey

I'm not too fond of the plastic bit they have on the tank either. From what I can tell, only Honda and Kawi have their tanks free of that random plastic shrouding that yamaha and suzuki seem to love so much.

What plastic??

[cb61]

Originally Posted by Apex

The front fairing is a love/hate relationship with me. In race trim I really like it, street trim I really dislike it.

The Kawi looks good in street trim to me, so I'll stick with that. Plus it has good grunt compared to the R1. People say it is easy to ride the Yamaha fast, but even stock Yamaha fast isn't fast. The Kawi can outrun it on all but the tight courses. I have nothing but long flat roads here, I think the Kawi will do just fine.

The power delivery on the R1 starts from very low, much like a twin, and pulls like a train from 4k all the way through +12k. I have dyno'd 155rwh
with 79lb/ft torque. If this isn't fast enough for most mortals I don't know what is. Who are we kidding, I'm not Ben Spies and I can't ride this bike to anywhere near it's capabilities...I sincerely doubt you could either. I've had my mc license since '82 and this is a handfull for me. As far as outrunning the R1 on all but the tight courses, this is going to come down to rider skill. Every literbike is speed limited to 186mph by the ECU and if you're doing this on any public road you're a SQUID EXTRAORDINAIRE and deserve to become a stain on a road somwhere. Any of the current literbikes are so close in terms of performance they are all even at more than twice the legal speed limit. Don't make your decision based on what you read in some magazine. I've wanted an R1 since they came out. It was a revolutionary mc when it came out and still defines performance, much like the first GSX-R and Fireblade(CBR). Just be extremely careful when making a jump from a 250 to a 1000. The only thing they have in common is two wheels and controls.

[backinthesaddleagain]

That raven black is sweet.

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by cb61

What plastic??

LOL pic whore

That red bit is fantastic, though. Verryy nice.

[tjkamper]

The R1 is beautiful, but I honestly like the R6's slimmer look and sliver thin tail.



I guess I'm just not a fan of literbikes.

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by tjkamper

The R1 is beautiful, but I honestly like the R6's slimmer look and sliver thin tail.

I guess I'm just not a fan of literbikes.

Hehe I don't understand this obsession with the anorexic tails.

Bring back the SRADs!!



Now that's a booty.

[Grn99Kawi]

Originally Posted by CRXTrek

fixed

lol

[cb61]

Originally Posted by tjkamper

The R1 is beautiful, but I honestly like the R6's slimmer look and sliver thin tail.



I guess I'm just not a fan of literbikes.

The truth is 600's are much easier to turn, they were made to go around corners, but you have to ride at a 9/10's pace to go fast. The 1000's are easier to ride on the street due to their much wider powerband. It's a lot harder to push a 1000 around a track, however if your skill level is up there they will go faster. I got the R1 because I'm 5'-11"/195lbs and it fits me much better than a 600. I love to ride on the track but I have no aspirations of ever being a competitive racer. I just enjoy riding on the track... you can ride comfortably within your limits in a safe environment without worry of traffic or the police.

[cb61]

Originally Posted by Flashmonkey

LOL pic whore

That red bit is fantastic, though. Verryy nice.

Thanks much!!! I 'm just about finished with the mods for this year. I picked it up on May 15 for $9990/ $11,000 OTD and have about $8k in mods so far. I'm still waiting on my Harris-Performance fuel cap and AGRAS engine case sliders. Next year is full Ohlins front and rear suspension and far distant future is BST carbon fiber wheels ($3800). OUCH!!! Gotta keep working on the wife's 09 250R though. I still love the little Ninja... she's a blast around the track. It's actually much easier to ride fast around a tight track on this than it is on the R1. You really have to worry about being chewed up and spit out on a literbike in tight turns.

[ckholloway]

Originally Posted by Flashmonkey

Hehe I don't understand this obsession with the anorexic tails.

Bring back the SRADs!!



Now that's a booty.

I have to agree with you. The tiny little tail sections on all these newer bikes harm the looks of the overall machine.

[Apex]

Originally Posted by cb61

The power delivery on the R1 starts from very low, much like a twin, and pulls like a train from 4k all the way through +12k. I have dyno'd 155rwh
with 79lb/ft torque. If this isn't fast enough for most mortals I don't know what is. Who are we kidding, I'm not Ben Spies and I can't ride this bike to anywhere near it's capabilities...I sincerely doubt you could either. I've had my mc license since '82 and this is a handfull for me. As far as outrunning the R1 on all but the tight courses, this is going to come down to rider skill. Every literbike is speed limited to 186mph by the ECU and if you're doing this on any public road you're a SQUID EXTRAORDINAIRE and deserve to become a stain on a road somwhere. Any of the current literbikes are so close in terms of performance they are all even at more than twice the legal speed limit. Don't make your decision based on what you read in some magazine. I've wanted an R1 since they came out. It was a revolutionary mc when it came out and still defines performance, much like the first GSX-R and Fireblade(CBR). Just be extremely careful when making a jump from a 250 to a 1000. The only thing they have in common is two wheels and controls.

Ok, so it was a comment based on magazine reviews. I'll admit that. I agree in that R1 vs ZX10, it depends on the rider.

In the end, it all comes down to what looks good to a person. The R1 doesn't quite do it for me. Too bad they don't allow race plastics on the street.

[sb71]

Originally Posted by Apex

Ok, so it was a comment based on magazine reviews. I'll admit that. I agree in that R1 vs ZX10, it depends on the rider.

In the end, it all comes down to what looks good to a person. The R1 doesn't quite do it for me. Too bad they don't allow race plastics on the street.

There's no law that says you can't run race plastics on the street. You are required to run lights, signals, etc. You can get race plastics with cutouts to mount lights and such. Just think about endurance racers. They run race plastics and have lights as well. Anyhow, all I can say is get a bike that stirs your soul, not based on some magazine review. If the magazine is completely honest they will tell you that all these bikes, Yamaha, Honda , Suzuki, Kawi, Aprilia, BMW are sooooo close in terms of performance. There are only a handful of people in this country, or the world for that matter, that can truly exploit the full performance potential of these bikes and I would bet the winning Powerball numbers that neither us are one. I would really recommend getting a 600 or even a 750 before moving up to a 1000. Whatever you do, just remember "Rubber side down... Shiny side up". Just to emphasize my point... I returned from Iraq in February and a friend of mine from my unit purchased a Ducati Ltd Edition Nicky Haydon replica 848. He had rode a Kawi ZX6R for several years prior. He picked it up in April and totaled it in May when he went into a corner too hot. THESE ARE NOTHING LIKE RIDING A 250R
Sorry about posting this on my wife's account, I just saw it was logged in on her account -CB61

[Apex]

A lot of people go and say that a 1000 is a huge bike and you should really slowly move your way up to that power level. I've raced some decently modified mustangs down drag strips. I have done auto-x races as well. I know what power can do to a car, and I've witnessed what happens when people let HP get to their head on a motorcycle. No worries here. That is why I want to buy new. That means I HAVE to take it easy on it. Heck the ZX10 makes the same HP as a ninja 250 at like what, 800RPM? LOL So even at a low RPM, it will feel insanely fast compared to the 250.

I baby new vehicles so much. It will be good for me. I have no desire to learn a huge wheelie, or to fly as fast as I can down the road. Honestly there is no need for anyone to own a 1000. I just want to own one because I will not need to rev the engine to the sky to get it moving. It will be fun.

I really like how the Kawi looks. Funny since when I first saw it I hated it. I was an instant fan of how the R1 looks, but as time went on, I've slowly moved away from it. The CBR looks good in white or black, but anything else isn't good. I saw it in person and I wasn't sure what was going on with the front fairing. The Suzuki GSXR 1000 is nice, but I, for some reason, really like the ZX10. The looks have grown on me to the point I could see myself riding it. That is the main reason for my liking the ZX10.

As far as the plastics go, I don't want to buy a $10,000+ dollar new motorcycle to throw more money at it to get it looking better. I should like it out of the box.

I agree that they are very close in performance. One review I read said the "Kawasaki felt in between gears". Well don't base the review on not taking the time to select the proper gearing, but they did. In another review it was awesome on the track. So meh, I don't plan on tracking it for quite some time anyway. If I did take it to a track day, I'd be taking it easy. Last thing I would want to do is damage that beauty.

[ckholloway]

Originally Posted by sb71

There's no law that says you can't run race plastics on the street. You are required to run lights, signals, etc. You can get race plastics with cutouts to mount lights and such. Just think about endurance racers. They run race plastics and have lights as well. Anyhow, all I can say is get a bike that stirs your soul, not based on some magazine review. If the magazine is completely honest they will tell you that all these bikes, Yamaha, Honda , Suzuki, Kawi, Aprilia, BMW are sooooo close in terms of performance. There are only a handful of people in this country, or the world for that matter, that can truly exploit the full performance potential of these bikes and I would bet the winning Powerball numbers that neither us are one. I would really recommend getting a 600 or even a 750 before moving up to a 1000. Whatever you do, just remember "Rubber side down... Shiny side up". Just to emphasize my point... I returned from Iraq in February and a friend of mine from my unit purchased a Ducati Ltd Edition Nicky Haydon replica 848. He had rode a Kawi ZX6R for several years prior. He picked it up in April and totaled it in May when he went into a corner too hot. THESE ARE NOTHING LIKE RIDING A 250R
Sorry about posting this on my wife's account, I just saw it was logged in on her account -CB61

I agree that if your talking about someone that has never ridden before that to jump off a 250 after very little saddle time onto a 1000cc bike is rather insane however that is clearly not the case here. I went from my very first streetable bike being a KLR650 and jump to my Hayabusa and never looked back. I will say I have been riding since I was 8 if that matter at all. I don't see any problem going from a smaller bike to a big bike as long as you have a fair amount of seat time and level head.

Apex you say that you want to pick something with plastics that you like because you don't want to put more money into a $10,000. motorcycle to make look the way you want. Well I think we all know that one way or another, one day or another, the mods will start and when they do it will never end.

[Apex]

I don't even want to put a pipe on for a solid 6 months if I can. No big mods until it is paid off. The only mod I'm planning to do is a fender eliminator.
Posted via Mobile Device

[cb61]

Originally Posted by ckholloway

I agree that if your talking about someone that has never ridden before that to jump off a 250 after very little saddle time onto a 1000cc bike is rather insane however that is clearly not the case here. I went from my very first streetable bike being a KLR650 and jump to my Hayabusa and never looked back. I will say I have been riding since I was 8 if that matter at all. I don't see any problem going from a smaller bike to a big bike as long as you have a fair amount of seat time and level head.

Apex you say that you want to pick something with plastics that you like because you don't want to put more money into a $10,000. motorcycle to make look the way you want. Well I think we all know that one way or another, one day or another, the mods will start and when they do it will never end.

I 100% agree with you Corey. My first bike was a 1971 Yamaha 60 enduro. All my brothers raced mx although I never got into that. I've been riding since I was about nine and I'm 49 now. I've rode all sorts of bikes in between but my last sportbike was a 1989 GSX-R750. I rode that for a couple years in the canyons and mountains of SoCal until it got stolen. I had two get-offs on that. Once was just a low speed lowside on a painted traffic arrow on an off-ramp, the other was a high speed get-off on Palomar Mtn. If I would have had a bike like the R1 then, in my late 20's, I think I probably would have died.
I'm a lot more mature now and have so much more respect for how fast and powerful these bikes are now. I still think the track is the best place to run any sportbike. I don't commute with it because riding in traffic nowdays really is just too dangerous. What's really funny is Rossi says he thinks it's too dangerous to ride motorcycles on public roads!!! This coming from the GOAT
"greatest of all time" motorcycle rider who rides at +200mph all the time.
As far as mods go, there are very few people who can keep a motorcycle for any length of time and not be hit by the "Mod Bug." I don't even ride my wife's 250 very often and I have a hard time holding back on the mods for her bike. At first I was only going to do the basics-slipon, fender elim,sliders, etc. but once you start it's hard to stop, then it just get out of control if you have the money. Eventually you end up spending WAAAAY more than you ever planned. I drew alot of inspiration from the bikes on the R1-forum. Some of those bikes are INSANE!!! It's not uncommon to see R1's with $20k in the front end alone-Ohlins Superbike forks, Brembo calipers, ceramic discs, BST carbon fiber wheels, Ti fasteners-all on bikes that are shown and tracked!!! I don't know how they do it. There is just a PASSION for beautiful, fast motorcycles. Here's a list of my mods so far. Everything in yellow is already done I've always wanted a Ducati but decided the maintenance costs were just too high. For what I've spent I could've almost gotten an 1198S or an Aprilia RSV4F but I decided I'd rather have a unique R1. One of the best things about gettting a motorcycle are all the interestring new friends you'll make.

[ckholloway]

Thats all very true. I am 34 now and would have probably killed myself on my bike had I gotten it any earlier. Just from lack of respect. I enjoy a short burst of power through town now and again but thats fairly limited as I don't want the popo to come have a talk with me about it. Motorcycles are all about individuality and although I like almost every bike I see there really are only a handful I would like to own.
It's cool that you have a list of mods that you have done and want to do. I find it less depressing to ignore what I have spent on my bike as well as what I will spend on my bike. I have a long way to go to get my bike perfect in my own eyes and it has already been a long journey to get it the way it is. As far as how much money I have put into it? Lets just say if I were to sell the bike it would have to be parted out in order to get any of my money back. Looks like I own this for awhile. LOL

[headshrink]

My Eyes!

[sofo]

Originally Posted by Apex

I don't even want to put a pipe on for a solid 6 months if I can. No big mods until it is paid off. The only mod I'm planning to do is a fender eliminator.
Posted via Mobile Device

That's a good way to go. I say ride 1/2 to a full season stock to get to know the bike in it's engineered form before doing anything to it other than whatever cosmetics you may want to do. Fit problems as well are worth doing sooner than later like higher clip-ons or a different seat. If nothing else you may find after two months you want something else and if so, you haven't invested in aftermarket parts.

I envy you, after riding some more powerful bikes recently I am wanting a larger-displacement sportbike, torque is addictive and the ZX-10R is an amazing machine.

[Apex]

I can't wait. I'll mention to my wife tomorrow to see if I can pick it up then. If not, then maybe next week.

[Werehusky]

Originally Posted by Apex

Well it is burnt orange.


Posted via Mobile Device

Nice, I like the orange too. I wish the 250r came with a stock exhaust like that.