Friday, January 11, 2013

Manned Missle

Okay, I've finally come down from orbit after yesterday.  Well, not quite but yesterday the DL went in to get it's pesky leaky fork seal sorted and I was forced to borrow the bike below for the 5km journey to work.  I was late, so possibly it was the right choice...

2009 GSX-R1000
For those who perhaps aren't up to date with their sports bikes, this is Suzuki's flagship sport bike and I can confirm that is indeed a rocket!

The pointy end (nobody normally gets to see this once the bike is in motion)
The guys had the bike warming up out on the road while I geared up and climbed on (or perhaps into).  Somewhat surprisingly I found everything to be in the right place so I felt that the ergonomics were not too bad.  Of course, it is a sporty riding position and it feels a little like your bum is higher than your wrists (which are somewhere down by the front axle).  The seat was the usual sports bike plank but this was not going to be a problem for me on my commute.

Snicking it into first gear and pulling away I noticed a relatively tall first gear but the bike not only makes around 180hp but also plenty of torque.  In town the change from first to second is basically at the speed limit but I discovered that you could also then go up into third and the bike did not mind burbling along with somewhere around 3,000 revs on the dial.  Down changes took me a few goes to get the hang of but this was just due to the gear lever position.

Funnily enough, every other vehicle on the road was going far too slow and I definitely had to watch my speed.  Any twitch of the throttle and the bike was off - the thing just wants to go!  Later on my way back to return the bike I did a brief excursion out onto a short stretch of open road and managed to stretch the bikes legs ever so slightly.  Actually, I probably didn't even get into the bike's mid-range as I gave it a squirt in 3rd to get past some cars.  Suffice it to say I reached somewhere around the speed limit in a blink of the eye before needing to change gear...Then I settled down for the pootle back through town.

I can't really comment on the handling as riding around town is not going to test the handling of a sports bike.  Obviously the narrower bars mean that a bit more rider effort is required but then this is just another thing that makes riding a sports bike rewarding.


So would I ever own one?  Well, as much as the engine performance is addictive, the bike just has so much more potential than I'd ever be able to use or in other words more than enough potential to get me into trouble.  Perhaps the 600 would be a better safer bet...

17 comments:

  1. Yep gotta be gentle on that throttle on a thou otherwise your a law breaking hooligan who should be locked up....

    And nah 600's are for sissy's or track days. You need the extra grunt on the road for overtaking.

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    1. When I returned it I promptly got offered a ride on a gorgeous big-bang R1...

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    2. "A view you never see when the bike is in motion"....I love it! You clearly need to get the DL serviced more regularly...and on a saturday!

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    3. Even the guys in the shop reckoned I should go home and get properly suited up for a decent ride...

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  2. Yea, I love it too but I would take the R1 in flat black ;-)
    Tell us the truth, you only took it to the speed limit? What limit are you talking about? ;-)

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    1. I would hate to be seen to be encouraging speeding...and I'm such a well behaved rider...

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  3. Massive amounts of horsepower are addictive! I often feel like everyone is going too slow. The trick to keeping your license is in keeping your right wrist under control.

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  4. Never ridden on of those, but sure would like to.

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    1. You need to at least sample the performance once!

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  5. Good for you Andrew - the Daytona 675 is the only modern pure sports bike I've ridden and I felt much the same as you. Kenny Roberts Senior once said that he preferred the Gixxer 750 on the road because he could use most of the power whereas he couldn't with the 1000. If he said that........ :-).

    Mind you, I'd still kill for a go, you lucky bugger!

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    1. Grab the opportunity if you can Geoff but ride it like a noob, not Kenny Roberts...

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  6. So that's what the front of a GSK-R 1000 looks like. I bet I never see one again, lol. I am surprised you didn't take the extra extra long way back to the shop.

    It still amazes me you get a loaner bike. I've never heard of such a thing around here. You are on your own once you drop off the bike.

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    1. It was very tempting (and oh so easy) just to disappear but I resisted the temptation...

      I guess I have a pretty good relationship with the local bike shops now and they look after me. I certainly appreciate being able to sample different bikes - the trouble is I want one of everything now!

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    2. I wouldn't have resisted, I once took a Ducati 1100 R for a spin and "OMG", let's just say I wasn't a nice guy to the bike, red line here I come in first and second ;-)
      Me too, same problem, my garage will be perfect when I have an R1 and a WR250 in it, parked right next to my Super Tenere :-)

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    3. I think I could find room for all those and your Tenere...

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  7. Which Motorcycle workshop do you use if I may ask?

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