How long does it take a new rider to progress to a litre bike? | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

How long does it take a new rider to progress to a litre bike?

Let me tell you about my 10 year old ZX10R.

Stock, it did 160 km/h in first gear. Zero to license seizure on any public road in Ontario in 5 seconds or less from a standstill. In first gear.

The throttle is sensitive. Maybe 1 mm throttle opening gives you highway cruising speed. It is too sensitive for me to want to take it on a road course. Things happen VERY quickly when you open that throttle. If you take it to the track, it will eat tires and brake pads and scare the heck out of the rider. But that is what the bike is designed for.

I've modded it to take it to the drag strip because that's about the only place it makes sense (and then ran out of time and haven't had it out this year, but that's another story). Now, with shorter gearing and longer swingarm, it no longer does 160 km/h in first but acceleration is violent. It can't be described any other way. It will also slide the rear tire out in corners on command of that sensitive throttle. Don't make a mistake.

You can't use it as a long distance touring bike - they're not comfortable compared to a more "standard" bike.

You can't use it in city traffic. The riding position is brutal without a headwind taking weight off your wrists. YES, if you are gentle with the throttle and feather the clutch, you can ride slowly. But the cooling system is not designed for city-traffic conditions. The radiator is small (in the interest of saving weight and bulk) and the cooling fan is not up to the task. So ... you can't get stuck in traffic.

Everything a liter bike is built to do, the police and the general public take a dim view of. Riding at high speed. Violent acceleration. Wheelies. Burnouts. Fun - Sure, but you have to make sure no one is looking ... or take it to a closed road course or a drag strip.

And the new ones are faster.

Smaller displacement bikes are easier to maneuver in traffic, don't heat up as much in traffic, a lot of them have much more rational riding positions for daily use, and that's on top of costing less to buy, to insure, to feed with tires and brake pads and gas, etc.

+1

Until you really ride one, it's hard to explain. It's addictive and violent and stupid and makes no sense. But I love mine and that's that. If it's all about sensibility then we'd all be driving corolla's and Tomos scooters.
 
There is a point in between.

Kid and friend both drove the CBR1000rr and could not see the point of it while they adored the 600 version.

As for the OP it's not what you ride but how well you ride it and where you ride it.

Get in the right twists in PA and you feel you are riding very fast yet rarely hitting 120.

On the slab...150 is boring.
 
it's not what you ride but how well you ride it and where you ride it.

Bikes are little more than a status/lifestyle symbol to a non-neligible group, especially the younger crowd.

I can't say that I have an issue with liter bikes being ridden around the downtown core. Glorious-looking and -sounding machines.

Otherwise I totally agree with you.
 
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I think the general idea is liter sports bikes - especially the likes of The CBR1000RR having any place on the street that can be considered sensible.

I must admit buddies Blackbird sounded way cool on the PA twists last weekend.
Lots of litre bikes aren't firebreathing.

If I knew all those high risk insurance premiums were going to lower the bar for younger riders I'd not mind - but we are simply being ripped off by the insurance companies to no good end.....grrrrr
 
I wonder if the day will every come for people to realize that a good percentage of the "riding" community just like to "show and shine" their bikes. And there's nothing wrong with that.. different strokes. This "show and shine" desire transcends beyond cruisers and includes sports bikes as well. Not everyone goes to L&L or Tim Hortons to poke fun at chicken strips (yeah... we have a number of members who do exactly that)

If OP is looking for cheap thrills and to master wheelie-ing on his first time out, I would suggest a smaller bike. However, outside of the Know-it-all GTAM community, there are a LOT of people that start off on 600's/1000's and do just fine.
 
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For me, V-Twin +/- 1000cc Sport touring/adventure bikes (~100 hp) makes a great street ride. Easy to ride around town (lots of torque), fast enough to scare you when you want.

Personally I find it easier to ride large twins over 600cc ss bikes. The small bikes are twitchy and hate going slow.

As for time before upgrading, with some ability, maturity and brains you could start on one, but most people are lacking in one or more of those departments. It depends more on experiences, someone that has been riding for a year (putting in 20,000 km on the street, a few track days and a race school) will be much more capable than a 25 year rider that puts 300 km/yr on their show bike.
 
I've owned my 2004 GSXR 1000 for 10 years since new when I got it when I was 20. I came off a CBR600F4i and R6 and the difference is night and day. As snobby as it sounds, I would never go back to a 600cc bike after the litre bike. Yes, you'll never use it to it's max on the street but that's not the point. I find it way more enjoyable and even more safe on the street - as long as you have the experience and discipline. The torque down low makes a 600 seem like a completely gutless machine. I can't count the number of times the extra torque has helped me power out of dangerous situations effortlessly... plus the fun factor is off the hook. Also, riding two up with my wife is much better on the litre bike. I remember on my 600 it was a painful experience to have any passenger, the extra weight was so much more noticeable and bogged down the bike that much more.
 
....f this, im going to walmart....
 
That 300 you purchased is very very good....try riding it hard ( without falling!).It'll surprise you...

... see you at the track with my bent frame and fork tubes!!!
 
Ok, it is built for the track. But I don't think it is the "requirement" for one to ride it.
As long as one can ride it safe, and doesn't affect other people, why not?

If these bikes were actually made for track, then why do we have to convert them into track bikes? And remove parts that are made for street riding purposes? Passenger seat, passenger pegs, luggage hooks, signals, headlights, etc etc.....IMO these bikes might be built with a big focus on performance and track/racing, but in reality they are built as street legal motorcycles 1st.

Racers and track riders dont buy enough bikes to keep companies like Suzuki, Yamaha etc in business with track only machines. So when you want a track or race you have to buy a "street bike" and convert it to track...I have never heard of any big manufactures in Canada offering a track only version of their top of the line sport bikes. What I see is street bikes being sold then converted to track bikes

Unlike my dirt bike, which is actually made with the sole intention of competition MX racing. Its marketed as a race bike, and even had warning sticker on it from new that said its not to be used as a trail type bike and competion only

As for the original question, I believe it is up to the rider and everyone is different. Me personally I am 33 been riding since 2001, started on a 600cc supersport and to this day a 600cc supersport is the biggest bike I own. I just dont have a need for the 1000 at this point, the 600 still tests my skills, and I have not mastered a 600 yet. 1000cc maybe one day but not a requirement for me at this time
 
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If these bikes were actually made for track, then why do we have to convert them into track bikes? And remove parts that are made for street riding purposes? Passenger seat, passenger pegs, luggage hooks, signals, headlights, etc etc.....IMO these bikes might be built with a big focus on performance and track/racing, but in reality they are built as street legal motorcycles 1st.

Racers and track riders dont buy enough bikes to keep companies like Suzuki, Yamaha etc in business with track only machines. So when you want a track or race you have to buy a "street bike" and convert it to track...I have never heard of any big manufactures in Canada offering a track only version of their top of the line sport bikes. What I see is street bikes being sold then converted to track bikes

Unlike my dirt bike, which is actually made with the sole intention of competition MX racing. Its marketed as a race bike, and even had warning sticker on it from new that said its not to be used as a trail type bike and competion only

BMW kinda sorta did a race bike deal with the S1000RR.

Besides, you can look at it the other way. They design a race bike then add a bunch of stuff for street functionality and comfort. Then racers just have to undo all that ****. Just because a Lamborghini has a CD player doesn't make it less of a race car design
 
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BMW kinda sorta did a race bike deal with the S1000RR.

Besides, you can look at it the other way. They design a race bike then add a bunch of stuff for street functionality and comfort. Then racers just have to undo all that ****. Just because a Lamborghini has a CD player doesn't make it less of a race car design

My point is still the marketing and the way it works does not lead me to believe is all about racing first. They need the street riding market to make the sales needed to fund the production and advancement of these bikes.

If you looked at stats take a popular bike like the R6, out of how many sold world wide, what percentage do you think actually make it to track or racing? Id say less then %50, Id be really surprised if I was wrong

I bought a 2013 and converted it to track, there is at least $2000 in parts I had to take off to convert it. Would be nice if I could have bought the bike without them for $2000 less, but thats not an option because they are street bikes 1st and foremost, I had to buy a street legal bike and convert it if I wanted to ride the 2013 on the track. Unlike my dirt bike, it was bought as a competition dirt bike...Nothing had to be removed to make it a MX racing bike....And because it was, I didnt even have to get it PDI or any of that crap I was able to pick it up in the crate....When I asked to do that with my 2013 636, I would not get any warranty if I did so.....

There was a promo when I bought my 09 ZX6R where you got your choice of performance parts that were track oriented. 1 Attack bodywork and rearsets 2 Ohlins rear shock 3 Braking wheels and rotors, or 4 Akrapovic EVO exhaust system. Kinda sorta a track deal, but again its not like you got those parts instead of the street legal stuff, you got them in a box and still had to remove the street stuff that comes on the bike OEM..
 
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My point is still the marketing and the way it works does not lead me to believe is all about racing first. They need the street riding market to make the sales needed to fund the production and advancement of these bikes.

Of course. The pure purpose built race bikes live in the gp world. The sports bikes are trickle down tech. My track bike is getting old but if you look at it compared to a street bike made race bike you see just how bloated street bikes are even after conversion.

I would love to see more HRC machines around. Maybe I could get parts easier then.
 
As for the original question, I believe it is up to the rider and everyone is different. Me personally I am 33 been riding since 2001, started on a 600cc supersport and to this day a 600cc supersport is the biggest bike I own. I just dont have a need for the 1000 at this point, the 600 still tests my skills, and I have not mastered a 600 yet. 1000cc maybe one day but not a requirement for me at this time

Sir we have this rule about making sense around here. It's not allowed :D

Best reply yet. To each their own and everyone is different. The same old things have been said a thousand times. 99% of supersports aren't ridden to anywhere near their potential on the street. 1000 is nice and all but there's nothing wrong with a 6 or 750 either. Some people don't even want to ride a 6 on the street. :dontknow:
 
Don't listen to the scooter riders. They're not fun people

Sent from my tablet using my paws
 
600 and 1000 SS bikes at their core are race bikes first. Every OEM that wishes to compete in the race series for these bikes needs to supply a foundation worth fine tuning from.
 
If these bikes were actually made for track, then why do we have to convert them into track bikes? And remove parts that are made for street riding purposes? Passenger seat, passenger pegs, luggage hooks, signals, headlights, etc etc.....IMO these bikes might be built with a big focus on performance and track/racing, but in reality they are built as street legal motorcycles 1st.

Racers and track riders dont buy enough bikes to keep companies like Suzuki, Yamaha etc in business with track only machines. So when you want a track or race you have to buy a "street bike" and convert it to track...I have never heard of any big manufactures in Canada offering a track only version of their top of the line sport bikes. What I see is street bikes being sold then converted to track bikes

Unlike my dirt bike, which is actually made with the sole intention of competition MX racing. Its marketed as a race bike, and even had warning sticker on it from new that said its not to be used as a trail type bike and competion only

As for the original question, I believe it is up to the rider and everyone is different. Me personally I am 33 been riding since 2001, started on a 600cc supersport and to this day a 600cc supersport is the biggest bike I own. I just dont have a need for the 1000 at this point, the 600 still tests my skills, and I have not mastered a 600 yet. 1000cc maybe one day but not a requirement for me at this time

If I recall, for the superstock classes doesn't a certain percentage of the bike have to be 'stock' for it to compete? By putting more and more race-tech on the 600s and 1000s on the streets, it means less changes for the racetrack. Also means they can produce components in higher numbers, which drives overall costs down.
 
Unlike my dirt bike, which is actually made with the sole intention of competition MX racing. Its marketed as a race bike, and even had warning sticker on it from new that said its not to be used as a trail type bike and competion only

FYI
Your MX bike has the competition only stickers because the factory didn't install a spark arrestor. That's it.
 

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