Turbo810
Expert Class
Posts: 286
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posted June 27, 2002 06:49 PM
GSX-R1000 report
Well guys this is report on the 1000 after 3200 miles. This bike is the most asome thing on the planet. If anyone has the slightest itch to get don't wait any longer. It doesn't have raw brute feel of the 12. But it is very fast and handles like a dream. The comfort leaves a little to be disired but the rest if the bike makes up for it and then some.
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John Turbo810
  
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Zhooligan
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posted June 27, 2002 07:34 PM
The 1000 makes you think you are some kind of riding god! It is a very ass package. With a pipe and power commander it puts out the same kind of power the 12 does but weighs a 143 pounds less full of gas.
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To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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beansbaxter
Needs a life
Posts: 5911
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posted June 27, 2002 08:36 PM
But I got my 12 due to the high comfort levels
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Zx12RNinja
Novice Class
Posts: 59
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posted June 28, 2002 04:13 AM
If i wanted my knee's touching my shoulder's. I'd get in the hot tub with my wife.
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12RPilot
Pro
Posts: 1094
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posted June 28, 2002 04:33 AM
Hmmm...I'd take the blue 12, the Gixxer and that Camaro. I guess I'm easy to please.
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If you aren't an AMA member, you're part of the problem.
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http://www.bikepics.com/members/12rpilot/04zx10r/
 
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fghjgf
Parking Attendant
Posts: 13
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posted June 28, 2002 06:45 AM
Here in IL we have lots of long straight stretches of road. The ZX12 is king of those. I won't be going out any time soon to sacrafice comfort trying gain in the few decent turns we have. Given a long enough straight I ALWAYS pass em.
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steevo
Expert Class
considered royalty to you
Posts: 218
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posted June 28, 2002 08:01 AM
quote:
Here in IL we have lots of long straight stretches of road. The ZX12 is king of those. I won't be going out any time soon to sacrafice comfort trying gain in the few decent turns we have. Given a long enough straight I ALWAYS pass em.
How often do you actually go that fast?
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beansbaxter
Needs a life
Posts: 5911
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posted June 28, 2002 11:11 AM
There are more times than others where you can really unleash the power of the 12. Mostly in a large group of other riders, and no one can beat the 12...except for a bigger 12 that is.
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PaulVincent
Expert Class
Posts: 135
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posted June 28, 2002 02:45 PM
steevo, I live in Illinois too, and I'll tell you what the answer is...any time we can, and if it is only once a month, having the top end in addition to the rest of package is what I want. I want top end most of all. I'm not saying I don't like to GSXR1000, but in most of this state it's really out of its element. I've already put on 5,000 + miles this June, and I was in a full tuck for 90% of them.There is no possible way anybody over 5'5' could do that on a 1000.
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redelk
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Please... speak to the hand.
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posted June 28, 2002 05:00 PM
 Edited By: redelk on 28 Jun 2002 18:03
Like I had said a while back...
... when I rode my first GSXR 1000, I'd trade my 12R in for a Gixxer 1K in LESS then a heartbeat, IF my dealer carried them. It's not that there isn't a Zook dealer in Little Rock, AR. There is, but I wouldn't buy a single part from them, much less let them actually work on my bike. Hell, I used to get OEM parts for my now ex-son-in-law's Katana from my Kawi dealer. I would get them faster AND cheaper then if I had ordered them from the Suzuki dealer! It also not like there isn't some place else I could get it worked on, because there is, but I ain't going there either.
It boils down to my loyality to the service and discounts I get from my current (and for the past 11 years) dealer. Sadly, he only carries Kawasaki and KTM.
As for the Gixxer, it's everything I'd every want in a sportbike. Ultra light weight, "razor blade" like handling and damn near close to the accelleration of the 12R. It's not the brute "eyeballs forced to the back of your head" type,like you'd get from a 12R. It's more of a frightfully deceptive smoothness that can put you way over you head (at least in my case) before you know it.
The part that trips most folks out is that I LOVE the seating position! It too, is everything I would want. The "full attack", "over the tank" seating just instills more confidence in my cornering abilities. Combined with it's 600 class weight, it's makes for an unbelievable cornering combination. I don't care how much weight one trims off the 12R and how much they spend on suspension parts and tuning... it ain't ever going to be close. Since long stright aways are not that common where I ride, the GSXR 1000 is a bike that basically slays everything in it's path.
Having not yet rode the new R1, I can't say how it would compare. Considering my low "skill factor", I'm sure it would be nice as well. I still would find it hard to believe that it would instill the same confidence the Gixxer does.
Having said all that, it still does NOT rake as the most fun I've ever had on a bike. After riding everything from the Gixxer to a Ducati, I'd have to say that riding the MV Agusta F4 was the most fun. More then the GSXR 750 or even the 1000. Fun factor aside, the reality of my wallet is a MAJOR influence on that "overall" best bike. That aspect put the MV Agusta WAY DOWN on the list. As far as the MV is concerned, I could barly afford a fairing screw on that bike.
So, I'm kinda stuck where I'm at. There's no way I could afford two bike payments, even though my 12R is only $185 a month. I'm sure as hell not going backwards to something like a 9R and I also will not even think of buying a bike from any other dealer then Kawasaki Sports Center. Unless KSC suddenly start carrying Suzukis (which they aren't), I'll have to wait for the Kawasaki equalivant. Even if it is NOT everything the Gixxer is (I'm sure it will be close), that's the route I'll be taking.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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PaulVincent
Expert Class
Posts: 135
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posted June 28, 2002 06:37 PM
redelk, Is the GSXR1000 comfortable enough to ride hours on end? Also, I remember a post of Fk's citing a test of the top bikes at a track in Spain (Juariz or something) where the top two finishers were the 1000 and the 12. And the 1000 finished one second ahead of the 12 which finishes three seconds ahead of the Busa.
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PaulVincent
Expert Class
Posts: 135
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posted June 28, 2002 06:39 PM
redelk, Is the GSXR1000 comfortable enough to ride hours on end? Also, I remember a post of Fk's citing a test of the top bikes at a track in Spain (Juariz or something) where the top two finishers were the 1000 and the 12. And the 1000 finished one second ahead of the 12 which finishes three seconds ahead of the Busa.
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redelk
Moderator
Please... speak to the hand.
Posts: 3212
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posted June 28, 2002 07:33 PM
Edited By: redelk on 28 Jun 2002 20:38
I don't know and I don't l live on a track.
In other words, I don't know if I could ride it hours on end. Being a portly 5'9" and having survived almost 69K miles on my 7R (with stock seat), I'd probably say that yes, I could. An average day's ride for me is just around 250 miles. I don't do those "high milers" anymore. As I go past the 250 mile mark, I just want to get home.
I need to throw in the fact that I smoke cigarettes like a factory. That means that the WILL BE a smoke break after just about every hour (or less) of riding. Now for most people, that would mean stopping to have A cigarette. For me, I'll try to sneak in at least TWO! That's a good 15-20 minute break. At a "gas stop", I'll try for at least THREE! That could be as long as a 30 minute break and those are at every other stop. That translates into 4+ hours of actual riding will equal almost TWO hours of breaks.
So, combining my "avergage to small" height (let's not talk about the "built in tank pad" weight issue), the short riding stints with long breaks and the fact that I've been doing these 250 to 350 mile a day rides for around six years... I would think it would be "do-able".
Now for the "living on a track" comment, it's not meant to be a slame. Quite the opposite. There's many factors on why those results have little to no bearing as far as I'm concerned.
1. Though we have twisty roads in Arkansas, they would not come anywhere close to track like conditions.
2. The most squidly of motorcycle writer/rider could chew me up on any track or backroad... riding an EX500. Not matter what I was riding.
3. The two above facts also underscore how I not only would not be riding at the same level, but I sure as hell would not be putting out the same effort.
For me (and ONLY ME!), it boils down to "Fun Factor". I've never been into the "Top End" thing. The fastest I have EVER seen on my 12R over the past 2+ years is 169.7 (actual) and most of the time I rarly get over 145 during a day's ride (we'll call it the "Wuss Factor"). Most of the time, it's closer to the mid 130's (all "actual" - not OEM speedo).
So, what a bike can do in the hands of a competent rider in a controlled enviroment would not only "not apply" to me, but would be something that would be physically impossible for both me and my bike. Yes, I have done a couple of "Track Days" on my 12R and they were a blast. It still doesn't mean that for someone at my skill level would not have as much if not more fun on a GSXR 1000.
There really isn't THAT MANY straight aways that exceed a 3/4 mile in length where I ride. That's including all of the 250 miles of the ride. Any place that could possibly be longer then that would be in an area where I would NEVER approach any kind of "hyper speed" (i.e. residential, cop infested, excessive traffic making left turns, etc.).
Now the bottom line of all this is NOT that one bike is better then the other. This is neither an equal of fair comparison. The bikes have similar, yet different purposes. Kinda like blue jeans and t-shirts. One has their "favorite" of each and they are both "clothes", but they are not the same. If your gut looked anything like mine or your legs were as pasty white as mine, you wouldn't leave the house without EITHER!
I love... no, I REALLY LOVE MY 12R and no GSXR 1000 would EVER come between me and my "baby". Even if someone was to GIVE me the Gixxer. Still, by the time KHI finally comes out with a street version of a 10R, my baby will be getting kinda "long in the tooth" and we will be forced to part ways. Since I could not afford to keep her (I still owe 2 1/2 years worth of payments) and she'd be eek'ing around the 50K mile mark, if I want to get any value in trade... she'll have to go. Even if the A1 model is a "classic".
I will admit that I also have not been on a '02 12R either. From what I've heard, the handling of the '02 seriously blows away the '00 or '01. Even if the older model has had numerous suspension mods. That's saying alot. Still, I keep coming back to the "realities". Of couse, I can not come anywhere close to taking a 6R to it's limits, much less a 12R or a GSXR 1000. The point is which would I think I'd have the most fun riding to MY limits. That... for me is where a bike LIKE (are you listening KHI?) the GSXR 1000 wins hands down.
Trick items like Bear's stacks and such would be a total waste on me. Oh yeah, I might think there's a "seat of the leathers" improvement, but again, being one who rarly exceeds 140, I doubt it. Short of spending large amounts of money on things to reduce the bike's weight, modify or replacing suspension components and other items like rearsets and such, there isn't any practical way for me to make my 12R into the "ultimate" sportbike. At least not on the back roads of Arkansas. I've seen the tail lights of too many SV650s to know that to be true... for me.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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PaulVincent
Expert Class
Posts: 135
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posted June 28, 2002 07:47 PM
redelk, I understand you perfectly.
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Turbo810
Expert Class
Posts: 286
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posted June 29, 2002 05:26 AM
Guys I didn't try starting any shit here. There are a few people here who were interested in how the Gixxer was. All I wanted to do was inform you. I am still a Kawasaki man at heart. But there is a new love in my life and Susuki just happened to make it.
Redelk as always great posts.
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John Turbo810
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silver01bullit
Expert Class
on here too much
Posts: 333
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posted June 29, 2002 05:32 AM
With the new job that I've got, I've ridden just about everything. CBR 600, 929, and 954. Gixxer 600, 750, 1000, and special edition hayabusa. New R1 and R6, the list goes on and on with the cruisers, damn what a rough job. Anywho...I really liked the hayabusa when I rode it, massive amounts of torque on tap for whenever you need it but the 12 would take it in the top end. As for the fun factor, the 1000 honestly beats the 12 and the busa hands down IMHO. I rolled on the 1000 (NOT chopping the throttle) from about 5k in 2nd gear and it climbed and climbed until about 8k the front wheel left the ground effortlessly. A VERY VERY VERY fun bike to ride. The only reason I haven't traded my 12 in for one is because everyone and their fuckin' mom around here has a gixxer 1k and they're mostly squids and posers that don't need anything bigger than a 600.
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swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
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posted June 29, 2002 08:50 AM
The 1K is a great bike. I rode one on several occassions, and was always impressed with it's handling and throttle response. I had my 12, and I had a deposit down on a 1k. What made me not buy the 1k? I wanted a bike I could roadrace and not kill myself in my novice year. Hence the SV650.  And will there be a 1K in my future, now that I'm into my second year of roadracing the SV? I dunno. Like RedElk, I wouldn't buy a glass of water from my local Kaw/Suz dealer if it was the last one on earth and my dick was on fire.
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ZHooligan
Moderator
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posted June 29, 2002 07:23 PM
Stop smoking in your recliner and you won't catch your dick on fire so often!!
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
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mrfast
Expert Class
Posts: 114
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posted June 29, 2002 08:47 PM
Kind of off the topic but I traded bikes for a few days with a friend, my bike-'00 12r w/191hp(1270),his bike a Busa, 172hp(same dyno).Both are great bikes.I think I could be happy with a Busa,Gix1000 or an R1 for that matter.In the end I was happy to get the 12 back,THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HORSEPOWER!!!My buddy told me that my 12r is the ultimate hooligan bike causing him to pull irresistable wheelies from every stoplight!BTW,he has owned the following bikes;'12r(169.9hp),2 busas,Gix1000,FZ-1,ZRX 1100,RC51,TL1000s,to name a few!(must be nice!)he is 250lbs and about 6'1".He prefers the Busa (mainly for comfort),12r next,then the Gixxer for its "fun factor".He compaired the 12r to a viper with its rougher ride and racetrack set-up, and the Busa, a corvette, a little nicer manners on the steet.
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