GSX-R1000

rivgar · Mar 15, 2006

I have never been on a RC-51 but I ride with few guys that have them. Their only complaint has been about the seat, they say it is like sitting on a piece of plywood. Seats are easy enough to change.

$8500 seems a bit pricey for a three year old bike, I bought my TLR brand new for less.

FJRocha · Mar 18, 2006

The GSX-R1000 is a hoot to ride but you need to contain your emotions ...

Is this that of which you speak?

:bleh: :bleh: :bleh:

Fallen Jim Rides again · Mar 18, 2006

Ahh, the rare (thankfully) Strawberry Shortcake GSX-R, complete with creme puff training wheels. :huh:

Scab · Mar 19, 2006

Hey, that matches my wife's jacket!

hippo · Mar 19, 2006

Here is my situation:I am 6' about 210lbs with a 30" inseam.

I came from V-twin with a desire to get into the sport bike arena.

I had ridden a Buell so the FJR was my first "sport" bike experience.

I chose it with the fear that a pure sport bike would be hard on my butt and hands with lots of wind.

The FJR is a sport-touring bike. The jump betwen an FJR and a GSXR1000 is about the difference betwen the FJR and a Goldwing.

The GSXR1000 is a sport bike. It's tiny, light, very fast and optimized for track use. I'm selling my GSXR1000 because it's too frustrating to ride on the street. The riding position is too track-oriented and the performance envelope is so great that you use about 10% of the bike on the street.

I figure that even on a track, I can only ride the GSXR at about 40%-50% of the bike's capabilities. The thing is a monster. At 110mph, knee-down, shifting my body weight lets the rear tire spin up. At 120mph it still lifts the front end coming out of turns. Of course, I never set my GSXR up for track use, so I'm a bit reluctant to push it as hard as my track-only ZX-6R. Even so, the GSXR is sooooo beyond my capabilities it's silly.

On the street, I just find the bike just too frustrating to ride. I'd rather get something more comfortable that I can commute on. I'm 5'8 and 160lbs with a 29" inseam, so I'm quite a bit smaller than you. I find the bike really, really uncomfortable. Fine for a 15-30 minute track session, but too painful for street riding. The GSXR1000 does have the lowest seat height of any liter bike, so you may like that. Your height will lessen your reach to the bars compared to me, but you'll be in the wind more.

Compared to the other liter bikes, the GSXR1000 is widely regarded as the best (see Motorcycle Online for the first comparo of the '06 superbikes). But in truth, the bikes are all so similar it comes down to rider skill -- and on the street where the speeds are so far below the performance capabilities of any liter bike, just ignore the performance specs and get what you like (you'll never fully use the bike anyways). The one thing that would make me choose a GSXR or ZX10R over the CBR or R1 is that the Suzuki and Kawasaki have slipper clutches and the Honda and Yamaha don't. For an average trackday rider like me, the slipper really makes it easier to get set up for a turn when you're slowing down from 160+mph.

Here's a pic of me gingerly tip-toeing the bike around the track (I'm too poor to push a bike with OEM plastics hard on the track).

smitty141 · Mar 19, 2006

Well, after having my new to me Gixxer for around 7 weeks now. And now being able to ride it, yesterday I gave it a real whippin. I did some flat roads, and some twistin. All I can say is WOW!!! This bike is amazing, 80 mph 2nd gear on the rear wheel insanity :dribble: . I'm 6'3" with long arms, and I was feeling good. I did have a few to many cloths on, and made it hard to move around on. But it was a blast to ride. I do miss my beloved FJR, and will have another someday. But for now this bullet rocks! I will give a long ride report in the next 2 weeks since I will be off work. In a perfect world a guy needs both, FJR and a Gixxer 1000.

Smitty