Motorcycle Transistion

Off Topic
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anyone recently made the transition from cruiser to sportbike?

i am nervous about the difference in acceleration, and i got back and forth about the seating position- sometimes it is intimidating to me, yet at other times i want to jump right on one.

so for anyone that has made the transition, any tips you could give?

i ride a 77 honda cb750 right now, was going to step it up to a mid-90’s harley EVO-powered, but ive fallen for the honda cbr600rr.

anyone have the 07 600rr?

any thoughts about anything, bring it on, im happy to hear it.

thanks

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[quote]dez6485 wrote:
anyone recently made the transition from cruiser to sportbike?

i am nervous about the difference in acceleration, and i got back and forth about the seating position- sometimes it is intimidating to me, yet at other times i want to jump right on one.

so for anyone that has made the transition, any tips you could give?

i ride a 77 honda cb750 right now, was going to step it up to a mid-90’s harley EVO-powered, but ive fallen for the honda cbr600rr.

anyone have the 07 600rr?

any thoughts about anything, bring it on, im happy to hear it.

thanks[/quote]

600 sportbikes are very forgiving to experienced riders. The power is not going to get away from you if you have throttle control. 1000 cc is a bit tougher.

If you like the 600 cbr go for it. Fantastic bike.

3

thanks for the response Zap.

i guess theres another concern that i have. am i wasting this bike if im not zipping down the highway in excess of 100mph all the time? i figure there will be times where i might get some straight, open road and see what its got, but for the most part keep it around 80ish

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I rode on a Honda Magna 750 for about 3 years off and on. I got the sportbike itch and picked up an '05 CBR1000RR last year and I absolutely love it. The biggest change for me was how little flywheel affect there is on sportbikes (how quickly rpm’s drop when the clutch is in).

The 600RR will be a much more “flickable” bike than the 1000RR but the bigger bike will have much more torque and top end. I believe numbers show both bikes to be VERY similar in 0-60 and 0-100+ times. Depending upon your weight, opting for the larger bike might be better in this situation.

To answer your “usage” question: Taking my bike through the twisties at my own pace is the most gratifying part about riding. To each their own and only fools (those without bikes) will question your motives for buying a bike. Good luck to you!

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[quote]patience wrote:
I rode on a Honda Magna 750 for about 3 years off and on. I got the sportbike itch and picked up an '05 CBR1000RR last year and I absolutely love it. The biggest change for me was how little flywheel affect there is on sportbikes (how quickly rpm’s drop when the clutch is in).

The 600RR will be a much more “flickable” bike than the 1000RR but the bigger bike will have much more torque and top end. I believe numbers show both bikes to be VERY similar in 0-60 and 0-100+ times. Depending upon your weight, opting for the larger bike might be better in this situation.

To answer your “usage” question: Taking my bike through the twisties at my own pace is the most gratifying part about riding. To each their own and only fools (those without bikes) will question your motives for buying a bike. Good luck to you![/quote]

I agree with most of this, however, my 600 got up to 60 much slower than my 1000. I think some of that may have had to do with my body weight but there is no denying the difference in acceleration. Any sportbike will be intimidating at first unless you grew up riding them. For most riders who really enjoy it…that is part of the appeal.

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[quote]dez6485 wrote:
thanks for the response Zap.

i guess theres another concern that i have. am i wasting this bike if im not zipping down the highway in excess of 100mph all the time? i figure there will be times where i might get some straight, open road and see what its got, but for the most part keep it around 80ish[/quote]

The only place you will get frustrated with it is slow speed stop and go, stop light to stop light type traffic. In my opinion that is the worst for a sport bike riding position and a small high revving engine.

It will be a blast at 80 mph. You don’t have to go 100+ to enjoy it.

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[quote]Professor X wrote:
…

I agree with most of this, however, my 600 got up to 60 much slower than my 1000. I think some of that may have had to do with my body weight but there is no denying the difference in acceleration. Any sportbike will be intimidating at first unless you grew up riding them. For most riders who really enjoy it…that is part of the appeal.[/quote]

Professional riders will run similar 0-60 times with 600 and 1000 because they ride the 600 to the limit and the 1000 wheelies too easily.

For the rest of us slobs the 1000 will accelerate much more quickly. You don’t have to be at the perfect rpm to access its peak horsepower. It has horsepower everywhere.

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[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Professor X wrote:
…

I agree with most of this, however, my 600 got up to 60 much slower than my 1000. I think some of that may have had to do with my body weight but there is no denying the difference in acceleration. Any sportbike will be intimidating at first unless you grew up riding them. For most riders who really enjoy it…that is part of the appeal.

Professional riders will run similar 0-60 times with 600 and 1000 because they ride the 600 to the limit and the 1000 wheelies too easily.

For the rest of us slobs the 1000 will accelerate much more quickly. You don’t have to be at the perfect rpm to access its peak horsepower. It has horsepower everywhere.[/quote]

Not to mention I can hit 60 in first gear.

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[quote]Professor X wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
Professor X wrote:
…

I agree with most of this, however, my 600 got up to 60 much slower than my 1000. I think some of that may have had to do with my body weight but there is no denying the difference in acceleration. Any sportbike will be intimidating at first unless you grew up riding them. For most riders who really enjoy it…that is part of the appeal.

Professional riders will run similar 0-60 times with 600 and 1000 because they ride the 600 to the limit and the 1000 wheelies too easily.

For the rest of us slobs the 1000 will accelerate much more quickly. You don’t have to be at the perfect rpm to access its peak horsepower. It has horsepower everywhere.

Not to mention I can hit 60 in first gear.[/quote]

Can’t it hit 103MPh in first gear?

You on a 600 would be like me on a 250.
My old 98 GSXR 750 was pretty cool by myself, but with an extra 120lbs on the back it was crap. So on a 600 with 35lbs extra I think way too slow.

I took an R1 for a squirt the other day and its fucking crazy.
I want one.

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[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
600 sportbikes are very forgiving to experienced riders. The power is not going to get away from you if you have throttle control. 1000 cc is a bit tougher.

If you like the 600 cbr go for it. Fantastic bike.[/quote]

Hm, there isn’t that much of a difference, on the street, between 600 and 1000. Even on the track, it’s still the rider, not the bike - for the most part.

When talking to people without experience with sportbikes, I think it’s a bit misleading to say “a 600 is more forgiving, a 1000 is tough” - they’re both tough for anyone not used to vehicles with enormous acceleration.

If you’re decided to get a japanese sportbike, the latest Honda 600 has excellent reviews. It’s been rated the best 600 overall by several magazines.
Yamaha is a screamer and has the biggest power, but all that power is at the very top of the engine speed - practically useless on the street.

In any case, the differences between the major brands are small. You can pretty much flip a coin to choose, and you’ll still get an awesome bike.

Oh, and speaking of throttle control - many sportbikes have a quite abrupt way of opening the throttle initially. My 03 Ninja 636 was one of the most blatant examples - I had to be extra careful when squeezing the throttle for the first few millimeters.

The opposite example would be the Daytona 675 - it’s stronger than my late Kawi but the initial throttle opening is smooth like silk. And once it’s open, it pulls like a bull on ephedrine.

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[quote]florin wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
600 sportbikes are very forgiving to experienced riders. The power is not going to get away from you if you have throttle control. 1000 cc is a bit tougher.

If you like the 600 cbr go for it. Fantastic bike.

Hm, there isn’t that much of a difference, on the street, between 600 and 1000. Even on the track, it’s still the rider, not the bike - for the most part.

When talking to people without experience with sportbikes, I think it’s a bit misleading to say “a 600 is more forgiving, a 1000 is tough” - they’re both tough for anyone not used to vehicles with enormous acceleration.

If you’re decided to get a japanese sportbike, the latest Honda 600 has excellent reviews. It’s been rated the best 600 overall by several magazines.
Yamaha is a screamer and has the biggest power, but all that power is at the very top of the engine speed - practically useless on the street.

In any case, the differences between the major brands are small. You can pretty much flip a coin to choose, and you’ll still get an awesome bike.

Oh, and speaking of throttle control - many sportbikes have a quite abrupt way of opening the throttle initially. My 03 Ninja 636 was one of the most blatant examples - I had to be extra careful when squeezing the throttle for the first few millimeters.

The opposite example would be the Daytona 675 - it’s stronger than my late Kawi but the initial throttle opening is smooth like silk. And once it’s open, it pulls like a bull on ephedrine.[/quote]

I would think there would be a world of difference between a 600 and a 1000. My 98 GSXR 750 was nothing compared to a recent 1000.

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I love my R1.

Definitely an unforgiving bike if you don’t have much experience…or even have a ton of experience but no respect for the bike.

I learned on a 01’ Honda CBR F4I(600). A very flickable bike. In fact after riding my R1 for a few years the 600 feels like a kiddy bike.

Changing from a cruiser to a sport bike I have these few things of advice.

  1. Clutch control
  2. Throttle control

If you respect the power of the bike you are riding you should have no problems.

Speed is great and all but I love the twisties. There is nothing in the world like coming around a corner with your knee dragging.

Ride Safe, Ride Long

13

[quote]florin wrote:
Zap Branigan wrote:
600 sportbikes are very forgiving to experienced riders. The power is not going to get away from you if you have throttle control. 1000 cc is a bit tougher.

If you like the 600 cbr go for it. Fantastic bike.

Hm, there isn’t that much of a difference, on the street, between 600 and 1000. Even on the track, it’s still the rider, not the bike - for the most part.

When talking to people without experience with sportbikes, I think it’s a bit misleading to say “a 600 is more forgiving, a 1000 is tough” - they’re both tough for anyone not used to vehicles with enormous acceleration.

If you’re decided to get a japanese sportbike, the latest Honda 600 has excellent reviews. It’s been rated the best 600 overall by several magazines.
Yamaha is a screamer and has the biggest power, but all that power is at the very top of the engine speed - practically useless on the street.

In any case, the differences between the major brands are small. You can pretty much flip a coin to choose, and you’ll still get an awesome bike.

Oh, and speaking of throttle control - many sportbikes have a quite abrupt way of opening the throttle initially. My 03 Ninja 636 was one of the most blatant examples - I had to be extra careful when squeezing the throttle for the first few millimeters.

The opposite example would be the Daytona 675 - it’s stronger than my late Kawi but the initial throttle opening is smooth like silk. And once it’s open, it pulls like a bull on ephedrine.[/quote]

wow lots of good info coming in on these posts guys.

about that daytona 675- i was actually looking at that on the internet yesterday, i was curious to see how comparable it would be to the honda. i couldnt find much information directly comparing the two, so i called a shop that sells both bikes.

basically the guy told me that hed rather have the triumph if i were going to be using it for mainly street riding- which i will. although, reviews that i have read go on and on about it being a great bike, very smooth, etc, but not a beginners bike. now, im not a new rider, but new to sportbikes other than a couple parking lot rides. the guy also told me the triumph was a bit taller in the rear, and the honda hit me perfectly, so if the triumph feels that much taller that he would say that, it might already be out of the mix.

i also feel that maintenance/work that i would eventually need done on the honda would be cheaper than that of a triumph, not to mention generally easier as there are more honda dealers around than triumph.

thanks for the thoughts people

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[quote]Andrew Dixon wrote:
…
I would think there would be a world of difference between a 600 and a 1000. My 98 GSXR 750 was nothing compared to a recent 1000.

[/quote]

There is a big difference. You have to rev the 600 to get the kick in the pants. The 1000 will give you that rush ven at the lower RPMS.

15

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Andrew Dixon wrote:
…
I would think there would be a world of difference between a 600 and a 1000. My 98 GSXR 750 was nothing compared to a recent 1000.

There is a big difference. You have to rev the 600 to get the kick in the pants. The 1000 will give you that rush ven at the lower RPMS.[/quote]

New riders (not that this applies to the original question) need to realize that those revs come very quickly on the 600’s and can still get you in alot of trouble.

I don’t think anybody should start on a 600cc superbike. Some people CAN, but most are better off not doing so.

16

[quote]Andrew Dixon wrote:
I would think there would be a world of difference between a 600 and a 1000. My 98 GSXR 750 was nothing compared to a recent 1000.[/quote]

You’re comparing a '98 750 to a recent 1000?

Between 2003 and 2007, the 600s went from 90hp to 120hp. I would expect the 750s and the 1000s to increase even more that 30hp difference.
Extrapolate back to 98, add a 250cc difference, and of course one bike is “nothing” compared to the other.

[quote]dez6485 wrote:
about that daytona 675- i was actually looking at that on the internet yesterday, i was curious to see how comparable it would be to the honda.[/quote]

The 600cc bikes by The Big Four (Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki) and the Triumph Daytona 675 are pretty much the same deal. On the track there isn’t much difference between these five bikes - with experienced riders on board, the comparison I’ve seen put everyone’s lap times at Buttonwillow around 1:07, the best (Honda) and the worst (Yamaha) less than one second within each other.
The D675 is the slowest-revving one - the red line is at 14k RPM. But its power, at 123 hp, is second only to Yamaha.

On the street, though, it’s very different. It has a lot of torque at the bottom and in the midrange. It makes 60hp at 7200 RPM - Honda makes 60 at 8100 RPM, Yamaha at 9000. At 9000 RPM, the D675 already makes 80 hp.
In terms of torque, the D675 makes 44 ft-lbf at 7600 RPM, which is the maximum that Honda (the most torquey of the other four bikes) makes over the entire rev range. D675 makes up to 48 ft-lbf at 9900 RPM.

What those numbers mean is - when riding on the street you won’t have to rev the hell out of the engine to take off quickly. It’s a bike that’s lightweight and steers quickly like a 600, but has the same torque and power at the bottom and in the midrange like a strong 750.
Also, it’s the most narrow, and one of the tallest and one of the most lightweight of all sportbikes. The geometry of the bike is more aggressive than average.

On the other hand, it’s not as popular as The Big Four, so aftermarket parts are probably scarce.

See if you can find the May 2007 issue of Sport Rider (the one with a blue Gixxer on the cover) - it has an extensive and, IMO, accurate review of the '07 600cc bikes from the Big Four plus the Daytona. They declared Honda to be the year’s best all-around (track + street).

17

Things like ride height can be adjusted, so don’t let that factor in to the equation.

Also, as far as maintenance goes, unless your planning on moving away from the dealer in which you’re purchasing it from, there should be no worries there. I’m also not aware of any maintenance on the Daytona that would be anything you wouldn’t have to do on any other bike, and shouldn’t cost any more either.

The only bike I know that have additional maintenace and cost a bit more are Ducati.
Daytona has come on strong in the US as of late, and aftermarket parts should not be any issue. The most you’ll probably do is exhaust and pwr commander, frame sliders, steering damper, windscreen, and if you got real froggy you can get an Ohlins triple adj rear shock (no need unless you race); all the basic stuff.

No worries. A friend of mine is a mechanic at a Ducati/Triumph dealership and was the first in the US to put together a Triumph racing team. He fielded the only Triumph in the AMA. He worked directly with Corporate Daytona’s R&D and was able to get a lot of things rolling for the US market. Now, that was a few years ago now, so much progress has been made. Here’s a link

http://www.augustatriumphducati.com/triumph_daytona_675_race_parts_a.htm

Honestly, pick the bike that you think looks the coolest. You will never ride the bike to it’s full potential on the street, not even a 600. I could hit 170 mph on my 2001 GSX-r 600 on the back straight of Road Atlanta at 210lbs. (STOCK motor, not even a pipe)

The 600’s today are lighter and have more hp. A 600 is plenty of “predictable” power, meaning you have to worry about spijnning up the rear exiting corners (for the most part). Good luck.

18

thanks for the responses. next week im going to take a ride to the place that has both the honda and triumph and have a sit on them, side by side. from what you guys are saying, i think the bike i decide to purchase will come down to comfort.

although, did i understand correctly that the triumph does not have a steering damper? because id want that for sure (yes, i know i can add one).

19

The '07 CBR600RR is a great bike, and has been compared to a 750 as far as performance. My buddy just bought one and it keeps up with a modded '04 with gearing, power commander, intake and exhaust mods. The Leo & Vince pipe sounds awesome on that bike.

I doubt its anything you can’t handle. My wife and I bought our '04 600RR’s brand new and never had any problems. She’s never ridden a motorcycle before in her life, and has a great time on it. I’m on the edge of getting a 1000RR, but am too in love with the color of mine to let it loose.

My dad’s always ridden road bikes and I’ve usually gotten on them a few times. I love to kick back on a road bike, but completely love the power and control of a sport bike. There’s definitely a good meaning behind Suzuki’s old bike name Katana!!! My dad has always loved mine and my brother’s sport bikes. He said he’d rather ride a sport bike but he’s too old for one. Haha! We always used to give him shit about that one!!

With the RR, I doubt you’ll be disappointed…no one ever is.

Hey X, did you pipe the X-Jet yet?!! My buddy with the modded 600RR just upgraded to the 2007 Black and Titanium 1000RR, and it does sound good stock! Even the '07 600RR’s sound great stock.

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Ready to ROCK!!