my mates got one and ive rode it absolutely brilliant bike , front end is planted, clutch is a bit grabby .but that's it , one of the best road bikes ive been on go for it ,
I beleive the motors can vary quite a bit in power output and balance. Ask to test ride before you buy.
bought a k6 gixer because it has grunt ahoy down low and if its faster than that good luck holding on! Makes my 848 feel like a tourer. Well it did with 2 down/3 up front/rear sprockets! Flat out 156mph....but got there a bit quick! But needs to be kept spinning or still bogs a little compared to Duke.
I had a K6 Gixxer too. It's a very different bike. The gixxer was more flickable, but the R1 had more grunt! Both both stunning bikes!
I've never ridden one but they sound awesome. They do look a bit bloated though. I had the first R1 and I regret selling it, it was a beast. I sold it for a 2000 model and, when I first rode it, I thought they'd forgotten to install the engine (until I looked at the speedo and realised I was doing 65mph in a 30 zone) they'd refined all the fun out of it. Maybe this cross plane thingy has added some zap and fizz back into the old girl. Swing yer leg over one and wang her down the road……….
I had one of the first ones too, brand new in 98, replaced a 96 blade. Can't say that any R1 has appealed as much since. Once the suspension/ride height was sorted it was good fun but still not a patch on the 916 I had at the time. Happy days
Ive got an 09 cross plane. Its a great bike, I did a week in France on it with a couple of 600 mile days. Black are the fastest.
I must admit that as an ex GSXR K6 owner,which was proper fast BTW with the usual PC111 dyno setup and other exhaust and filter mods followed by an '08 Blade which is a better and easier to ride bike in the same spec but slightly less BHP,I have been looking at the R1.Heard one about 2 years ago with Akros and what a glorious noise and IMO look very cool in the matt black finish but lots of people have said that they have quirky handling and clutch.I'm still looking at buying one mind you.Oh yes.
I think an RSV4 costs less/about the same as your streetfighter....theres a factory on ebay at the moment for about 8k - unless you want an aprc model then theyre a bit more but not much more... Ive never had a go on an R1 - id like to but ive gotta say my rsv4 factory is pretty fast. If youre going for it, 1st and 2nd are pretty useless as the front just comes up so you've got to lay it in steadily.... Its a bit of a weird description but some of the older ones on here can probably relate to this description...its like a 1litre 500 gamma if any of you ever had a go on one of those...
Talk of what litre IL4 is faster is purely down to the rider unless you are on track. And on track, a K6thou will easily out accelerate an R1. Cross plane R1 sounds lovely and is a good daily rider because of comfort and size, but the RSV4 is far better handling for riding fast because of the confidence it gives.
Yup, agreed. For me (im about 5'9 ish) Ive always preferred smaller bikes hence the rsv. I think ive got a bit of a weird spine....a bike that looks the same as another which therefore should be comfortable isn't....ie. I had an r6 forced on me last year for a few months (its a long story) but, you would have though it would be virtually the same as the rsv (and it did look like it as I had them both in the garage together...) nope....r6 was so uncomfortable I couldn't ride it more than 20 miles or so....RSV I did last year to the TT and back....about 800 miles in 5 days...tiny bit of aching coming back down the m4 on the way home...the r6 is the first sports 600 that ive owned and for a variety of reasons the last... Had a DRZ400 a few years ago - just the same - but the hyper ive got now is nigh on the same riding position but its fine....hence my strange spine...
I thought my K6 was the best Jap bike ever until I bought my crossplane. The clutch is a bit grabby when cold, there are fixes for that but I have never bothered. You think its slow till you look at the speedo..... I think anyone who rides a twin would be happy with the engine characteristics, it feels like it has (wash my mouth out) character.
