'99 ZX7R vs '98 R1 - should I switch?

[Mad Dave]

Hey all,

This is a bit of a pipe dream as present, but i've got a real hankering to change my bike. I think it's because I bought it as a project and it'll soon be finished! Now, I don't really like the upright (by comparison) riding position of most of the modern bikes; I like the extreme racing crouch of the ZX7R and want something that takes a bit of hard work and skill to ride fast - so i'm thinking that one of the original lairy '98 R1s might be just the ticket. Has anyone here owned one? If so, what are they like? They go for about £3k judging from Autotrader which is probably a world away from what my '99 ZX7R is worth with 40k on the clock but i'm very very tempted to get one.

So, over to you guys - advice, opinions, reactions?



Dave

[MrsMiggins]

Hard work? You want a nice TL1000S, you do.

[mtbr]

I think you will be disappointed with a first generation R1, especially after a bike that handles as well as the zx7r. My brother had one of the first ones in the country and apart from the engine (which was superb at the time) my abiding memory is of a flighty, skittish and vague front end, the bloody thing would not hold a line.
(I believe the racers eventually made up yokes with a different offset and ran with stiffer front springs -and still fell off a lot)

The gearbox was nothing special. The brakes were good up to a point, but you couldn’t use all off their power because of the soft front end. I found the bike more frustrating than challenging.

Great looking bike with a good power to weight ratio and beautiful carburetion, (which was why the magazines all raved about them at the time) but I wouldn’t touch one now.

M

[rumpelstiltskin]

I've had a Honda SP1,brand new K3 GSXR600,Hayabusa and a ZX12R,i now have a 99 R1,i luv it![rpbably the most enjoyable bike i've had.You can rev the nuts of these things!Mines is Dynojetted with K+N filter and Yoshimura exhaust,Ohlins internals in the front forks,great induction roar/note to the engine when your pushing it on,always puts a smile on my face,there,my tuppence worth

[philelmer]

I had a 99 R1 and it was the absolute dog's danglies - i kept hold of my SRAD gsxr600 in case the R1 wasn't as good inthe corners, but it held a line like it was on rails. And so easy to ride too, the torque was there all the way up through the revs, with a mad mad top end.
Oh and it made really cool motorbike noises too. BRAAAAH BARAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH
Phil (aged 12 - sorry, it's the bikes, they do that to me)

[Mad Dave]

Hmmm, mixed reviews then. Basically, I want a bike that I can ride to it's limits and that feels rewarding at the same time. I also fancy something a bit nutty

Think ill take a blast over to George White's and see what he has, and see if I can take one out.

[fergus]

Early R1s understeer like mad. They NEED offset yokes, possibly to alter the trail by about 1.5 degress to get the thing round a corner if you're going quickly. Other than that, if you're a confident rider and don't mind a flighty front end and the occasional kick through the bars, they're fine. An early one will probably give about 130-135 rwhp. Good luck. Make sure you get one with a straight frame. Look for strange matt colouring in the ally, cos that's a sign where a crease has been pulled out of a jig....

[Mad Dave]

Hmm, maybe I should get a later one then - I love the fact that my ZX7R handles well, and no, I don't mind a few kicks through the bars - when riding hard my 7R bucks around quite a lot, but I rather like it

[FROSTYR1]

I have a 98/R1 in white/red (best colours) and i reckon you wont go far wrong with one mad dave as has already been mentioned lovely induction roar when your giving it some beans!

i find it handles well but can understeer a tad but you soon get use to it.Also fitting a steering damper would iron out any probs with the front end, mines standard apart from the DB and micron can.In summary they are great bikes and the last of the mad sportsbike era.

[blade7]

99 R1 a lot of bike for 3K, as for understeer it's easily sorted for about £50 just lob a set of 03 yokes on it, or if you are flush put the 03 forks on too, the R1 i had also had a maxton upgrade on it's 03 front end and with the ohlins shock and steering damper it was a match for much newer stuff, and would easily outpace a zx7r, the only fly's in the ointment are occasional dodgy gearboxes and oval headstocks if a previous pilot didn't know how to land wheelies.

[Mad Dave]

Thanks for all the advice guys - it's a '98 in white/red that I really want

Ill try and find one to test ride

[FROSTYR1]

Mad Dave said:

Thanks for all the advice guys - it's a '98 in white/red that I really want

Ill try and find one to test ride

Dave any luck finding a R1 yet? or had a test ride? If you havent already seen it in Ride this month theres a good article about your intended new steed and a nice center-fold of one in white/red...Good luck anyway if you need any more advice on ownership just email