Ride a litre bike for a while then go down a class and find you can hustle a smaller bike around so much better than you could before. Coming from an R1 on to a Triumph 675 I'm able to use all the bike has to offer, having managed much more power and size (and only using 60% of it's capabilities.) On the road a well ridden 600 is all over a litre bike until you reach a straight (which undoubtedly has a Speed camera on it or a doddering old dear in a Micra) so they can't get away anyway! Go big for a while; love it, scare yourself silly and then go back down a class and be a better rider on a more easily utilised machine. I am looking at the new RC390 with a keen eye too, as handling and engine noise are more fun than power all day long. Point/squirt/brake/point/squirt/brake. Boring! It's all about flow and corner speed and keeping your license.
No, they don't use the same brakes. Google image search.... The 1199 brakes are a little more progressive but everyone assumes that all these bikes are using the exact same ratio master cylinders, which I don't believe they do! So it's not just about the caliper, it's the pump at the top!
I was always (and still am!) of the school saying "you're faster on a middleweight bike and the 675/750/848 class is the perfect bike" but still find myself drawn to the 1199. It'll all depend on test rides and whether I can afford it... and if I can, whether I can justify it to myself.
I've ridden an 1199 and it was an angry, fighty, burning ball of red noise. And it was great for that but I wouldn't want to live with one as my main ride. It's too much for sedate use and too much to handle on the road at speed due to other road users and the higher speed differential. I reckon try it for a season and get straight back on a mid - weight!
Depends how fast you ride on any bikes as to whether you will be quicker on a middleweight. And if you let the extra power intimidate you
The difference between coming off at 180mph and 130mph is 50mph regardless of how skilled you are as a rider or how intimidated you are by power. A middle weight brings everything down a notch. And in regards to stepping down from a bigger bike to a mid weight, you'll climb on the litre bike and try to wrangle it as you wrangle the bike you came off. So more power,more weight and higher speeds but attempting to perform as before. By going back down a level you've suddenly got less physical work to do and more time to think about what's going on.
Disagree. Having more power makes an easier ride at similar speeds. The fun of the smaller bike is working harder, more often. And 130 is 130 regardless of what you are riding
You have either missed my point or are deliberately being difficult. I'm not talking about similar speeds. You know as well as I do that you can go a lot faster, a lot quicker on a litre bike than you can on a sub - litre bike. It's easier to arrive at the next corner at 130mph on an R1 when an R6 might be just hitting 100mph by then. A lot more time (comparitively) to think, plan, position and act. Less weight, less risk and less speed on a sub - litre bike but the speed of thought and familiarity with speed from litre bike experience.
No one is talking about the A)extra insurance cost, B) higher fuel usage C) the 8.5k price difference... Because obv if u DO buy a 1199 u have to buy the 'S' because otherwise you haven't got the 'proper one'... Where's the thread where we have the 'sissys ride 1199, real men buy an 'S'??? ;-)
Most people will ride at speeds they are comfortable with, I think the argument that the 1199 to much of an handful on the roads flawed. You could argue that the smaller bike encourages you to carry more corner speed. I agree you will never use the full potential on the road.
I agree with you, but I also think that over time one becomes comfortable with increasingly higher speeds. Before you know it you're more than happy flat out in 4th on the A303 and you run out of luck and room.
By going back down a level you've suddenly got less physical work to do and more time to think about what's going on. Thats what I was responding too...and dont know what R6 you've been riding but the ones I've seen can easily make the same top end on a road as a litre bike and dont take that much longer to get there. The point I was making is at the notional 130 type speed, rather than 160, the bigger bike is easier and less stressful as you dont use all the revs and gears.
Thanks for clarifying. You're not wrong about engine stress and gearing on a larger bike but the speed is still higher and the time is still shorter between 'obstacles'. For me personally, the engine RPM and gear selection don't cause me any where near as much stress as being overloaded with sensory information in a short space of time. Obviously this means I'm going too fast for the situation / ability but it's easier to get in this pickle on a larger bike. The R6 and R1 I am comparing are both 2008 models and I owned both over the last 6 months. The crazy stomp and charge from the R1 was miles ahead in terms of rush compared to the R6 which, although noisier and harder work to keep on song, wasn't anywhere near as crazy fast as it's bigger brother.
1199 was cheaper to insure than a 899 for me. Service costs are same probably. 1199 costs more but will be worth more when I come to sell. 899 is heavier than a 1199 isn't it? Seems daft to make the smaller bike heavier than it's bigger brother. Might as well get a 1199 and use it In panigirly mode as surely that's a better 'real world' bike. Is there some way u can have a 1199 mapped to 150 horse rather than 120 ? That'd be ideal as effectively two bikes in one
A bit. Duc's figs are: 899 Dry, 169kg (372.5lb) Wet, 193kg (425.5lbs) 1199 Dry, 166,5kg (367 lb) Wet, 190,5kg(420lb)
Insurance would be a factor for me which I'd need to be sure about before doing anything. The 848 was a fair hike from my previous bikes as it is. Without any thought, off the top of my head running costs would be similar enough to not be a factor. Fuel, servicing, tyres all need paid for anyway.
