R1 or Fireblade

[legzr1]

I've read some good feedback on the SC compound Brembo pads used on this R1 including comments from Dave on this forum so hoping for improvements.

I fitted Bendix MMR pads to an otherwise standard ZX10 in 2004 and it was a revelation - up until then I always believed OEM had to be the best compromise hot/cold/wet etc and the only reason to go aftermarket was to save a few quid (OEM normally twice the price back then).

[R1 Dave]

cmaguire said:

R1 Dave said:

Don't think so, though I'm no expert.

Copied from their website;

This Kit lets your FTECU equipped bike tune itself as you ride!
Once installed and activated, the ActiveTune kit monitors the fuel mixture making fast and consistent changes to mitigate changing fuel requirements.
Our breakthrough system replaces your inadequate stock O2 sensor with a proprietary FTECU lambda controller and the latest generation Bosch LSU 4.9 sensor.

Effectively the same as Autotune on a Power Commander. So you replace the narrowband standard lambda sensor with the wideband FTECu one and the feedback from that is used to 'learn' the fuelling module.
What is the tickover like without the catalytic converter? Both bikes with fuel injection that I have removed the converters on, one then mapped with a Power Commander on a dyno for fuel only and the other mapped ecu for fuel and ignition on the dyno, have hunted at tickover which I believe to be a result of the lack of back pressure and the ecu's inability to deal with it. Carbed bikes never had a problem with unrestricted pipes.

It ticks over perfectly, no hunting. Occasionally when you first start it it'll stall and you'll have a restart but this is rare and I think possibly more due to the tiny battery that Yamaha put on it - it's designed to power 250cc scooters!

Re pads, I ran a B model (2004) ZX6R last summer and the previous owner had put Bendix pads on it along with a radial m/c and the brakes on that were awesome, better than the R1! I also ran the Brembo SCs on my RSV4 and they performed well so I rate them. I know others recommend SBS pads too. Just a case of swapping around and seeing what suits you.

[graeme4130]

Tango13 said:

graeme4130 said:

I just had a blast on a mates R1M. Bloody hell it was good

I initially read that as you'd blasted your mates' rim!!

Haha, he'd have blasted mine if I'd crashed it


Fwiw, it was a bog standard new road bike, and the brakes felt decent and throttle was a lot better than the R1 road bike I'd ridden previously although I remember that as being not that bad and could be certainly sorted to be mint with a basic fuelling map

Edited by graeme4130 on Tuesday 25th April 12:10

[Ho Lee Kau]

Gavia said:

supercommuter said:

Real comprehensive detail there for the OP. Guess that is a thread closer.

You are pathetic for giving someone abuse that is trying to help someone make an educated decision. If you cannot tell the difference in the evolution of sports bikes in the last 10 years you must be a rather terrible rider.

Just because you have just bought a new R1 and want there is no need to cry when a fellow owner points out it's flaws and how to best remedy them.

Try reading what I actually wrote. That being if you put me on any of the Superbikes of the same generation then there will be nothing to choose between them.

I've never claimed to be a great rider, I'm an average road rider like most on here. However, people on here seem to love bigging themselves up.

The magazine test riders, do they also big themselves up?

[Ho Lee Kau]

dern said:

Gavia said:

dern said:

I had a 929RRY, then an 04 R1 and now a 2007 CBR1000RR. I really liked them all.

I know it doesn't help any but it's all subjective and I didn't want to contribute to another whiney argument

PS. the 07 is the best because it's the nicest colour.

Haha, they're different generations of bike though. The answer is 954 anyway.

Don't get sucked in to the generations horsest. Small differences each year, lots of marketing. Two wheels, engine, brakes... all the main ingredients are there and the only thing that matters is that they're fun to ride. Everything else is bullst unless you race and need to beat someone else.

You said it!
That's what I ment as well, since 15 years the bikes are basically the same, the frames, the engines, suspension....these days electronics make the biggest impact.

[Ho Lee Kau]

Biker's Nemesis said:

legzr1 said:

Sounds like someone's spunked a wedge on a carbon clad R1 and won't accept that it's not the pinnacle of superbike design in every department.

I bought One too and I am extremely happy with it in every way.

The brakes: Mine feel great, my MT10's feel great with excellent initial bite, they both felt crap at first but after a few good runs both bikes brakes feel great to me especially the Mt10's.

I took the EBC's out of my R1 and re fitted the standard pads a couple of weeks back and to tell the truth I couldn't tell the difference.

As regards the original question R1 or Fireblade I would try and get a test ride on both, asking questions such as this on a forum its hard to tell whos opinion is worth listing too. (me included)

Noone's single opinion is worth listening too, including Rossi's/Marquez's/whoever-else-superstar.

Once you listen to SEVERAL opinions, not only magazines but also forums inhabited by real owners, then you can start seeing a common theme and make a better conclusion.

[Gavia]

Ho Lee Kau said:

The magazine test riders, do they also big themselves up?

Some do, some don't. Some are good riders, some aren't. Some are good racers, some aren't. Very few fit in all three positive or negative categories.

[R1 Dave]

Gavia said:

Ho Lee Kau said:

The magazine test riders, do they also big themselves up?

Some do, some don't. Some are good riders, some aren't. Some are good racers, some aren't. Very few fit in all three positive or negative categories.

Biggest issue with magazine reviews is the lack of impartiality, they're all driven by advertising revenues so give a biased opinion in order to keep the advertisers happy.

[Gavia]

R1 Dave said:

You doubt it without actually riding one? Those doubts may fade, or they may not. We're all different. Posting my profile photo and casting aspersions on my eligibility to comment was unnecessary though.

I've been out today for the first time on my R1, here are my thoughts based on what's been posted so far.

Throttle - I can't find any snatchiness at all with it. In fact it's very responsive and linear with its delivery, albeit I'm in the first 600 miles, so trying to keep it at or around the 7000rpm mark as recommended by Yamaha.

Brakes - sorry to say this, but they are very, very good at stopping the bike. The feel isn't as perfect as the brembos on my track / other road bike, but I reckon that's down to the lever not really wanting to travel very far, rather than the brakes being wooden. I certainly had no problem pulling an impromptu stoppie and I'm sure they'll get even better once the discs and pads are bedded in.

The bike feels a bit different to the other bikes I've got, but easy to get used to. Plenty of room, although the pegs make my legs scrunch up a bit and I'm just average height (5'11").

Managed 170 miles, hopefully get similar in tomorrow and then polish the rest off before I go to the NW200 in a couple of weeks.

[Biker's Nemesis]

Gavia said:

I've been out today for the first time on my R1, here are my thoughts based on what's been posted so far.

Throttle - I can't find any snatchiness at all with it. In fact it's very responsive and linear with its delivery, albeit I'm in the first 600 miles, so trying to keep it at or around the 7000rpm mark as recommended by Yamaha.

Brakes - sorry to say this, but they are very, very good at stopping the bike. The feel isn't as perfect as the brembos on my track / other road bike, but I reckon that's down to the lever not really wanting to travel very far, rather than the brakes being wooden. I certainly had no problem pulling an impromptu stoppie and I'm sure they'll get even better once the discs and pads are bedded in.

The bike feels a bit different to the other bikes I've got, but easy to get used to. Plenty of room, although the pegs make my legs scrunch up a bit and I'm just average height (5'11").

Managed 170 miles, hopefully get similar in tomorrow and then polish the rest off before I go to the NW200 in a couple of weeks.

There was a lad at Rothbury today on his new R1-M. I'm pleased to hear you thought the brakes were good too.

[Gavia]

Biker's Nemesis said:

There was a lad at Rothbury today on his new R1-M. I'm pleased to hear you thought the brakes were good too.

I'm well chuffed with it so far. 170 miles today, which felt very easy, even if dancing through the gearbox a lot to try to keep the engine working.

[1173russ]

Lots of love out there for the 954
1 owner, 7500 miles, been a track bike for a while but hardly used,

[R1 Dave]

Gavia said:

I've been out today for the first time on my R1, here are my thoughts based on what's been posted so far.

Throttle - I can't find any snatchiness at all with it. In fact it's very responsive and linear with its delivery, albeit I'm in the first 600 miles, so trying to keep it at or around the 7000rpm mark as recommended by Yamaha.

Brakes - sorry to say this, but they are very, very good at stopping the bike. The feel isn't as perfect as the brembos on my track / other road bike, but I reckon that's down to the lever not really wanting to travel very far, rather than the brakes being wooden. I certainly had no problem pulling an impromptu stoppie and I'm sure they'll get even better once the discs and pads are bedded in.

The bike feels a bit different to the other bikes I've got, but easy to get used to. Plenty of room, although the pegs make my legs scrunch up a bit and I'm just average height (5'11").

Managed 170 miles, hopefully get similar in tomorrow and then polish the rest off before I go to the NW200 in a couple of weeks.

Hi Gavia, thanks for posting your thoughts now you've ridden your new bike (congrats btw). The snatchiness I experienced was purely when coming on and off throttle and small throttle openings, so trying to feed the power in from a closed throttle. Once open its always been pretty linear. I'm pleased to hear yours isn't causing any issues tho, maybe I'm a picky sod or maybe Yamaha have responded to the criticism and updated the software? I know from the ftecu kit that each year has a separate Stock map file. Either way I'm glad you're happy. Same goes for the brakes, they definitely sound better than mine were but its very subjective, I've just fitted a Brembo RCS19 m/c and its made a big difference but I just enjoy upgrading bits and improving them, they were sufficient before, just not as good as I wanted and not as good as other bikes id ridden. Congrats and enjoy your new bike

[Biker's Nemesis]

The throttle response from a closed to partial opening is really bad on mine too.

[R1 Dave]

Biker's Nemesis said:

The throttle response from a closed to partial opening is really bad on mine too.

Ah not just mine then. What year is yours?

How do you cope on track with it? I found on the road that I had to be really careful to get all my braking in early and get the throttle open before tipping in as if I trail braked to the apex, dropped in and then opened the throttle then the throttle would really upset the bike. It's fine now it's flashed but I found it irritating prior to that. I also found that the need to be really accurate at small throttle openings made my wrist hurt in the 30&40 limits!

[Biker's Nemesis]

The Melbourne Loop at Donington was really bad, the only thing that stopped it being choppy was holding a bit of throttle as I was braking but that was a disaster waiting to happen so I stopped trying that, it is really bad and I mean really bad.

Mine is a 2016 model.

[R1 Dave]

Biker's Nemesis said:

The Melbourne Loop at Donington was really bad, the only thing that stopped it being choppy was holding a bit of throttle as I was braking but that was a disaster waiting to happen so I stopped trying that, it is really bad and I mean really bad.

Mine is a 2016 model.

You not tempted by an FTECU kit or similar? I've got their ActiveTune kit on mine and it makes a huge difference. It'll never be perfect but it's way better than standard IMHO.

[Biker's Nemesis]

R1 Dave said:

You not tempted by an FTECU kit or similar? I've got their ActiveTune kit on mine and it makes a huge difference. It'll never be perfect but it's way better than standard IMHO.

I'm going to see how it goes when I'm on track with it next week, I will probably get it done if I continue with TD's.

[R1 Dave]

Biker's Nemesis said:

R1 Dave said:

You not tempted by an FTECU kit or similar? I've got their ActiveTune kit on mine and it makes a huge difference. It'll never be perfect but it's way better than standard IMHO.

I'm going to see how it goes when I'm on track with it next week, I will probably get it done if I continue with TD's.

I went for the bike side kit rather than a flash-by-post as it gives the flexibility to add features and/or experiment with the different options. It's like night and day, I pontificated for almost a year before eventually receiving one as a gift but I wish I'd done it sooner, that's probably why I'm such a vocal advocate. I think Woolich do a similar setup and I did hear a rumour that they can include a downshift blipper in the price but I don't know if that's true.

[Gavia]

Biker's Nemesis said:

The throttle response from a closed to partial opening is really bad on mine too.

Mine is genuinely quite lively. If anything it took me by surprise how lively it is for the first few times I pulled away and needed to pull the clutch in again, as the bike really took off. Bear in mind I've only managed 160 miles, so need some more time to get used to it. It feels good though and can't wait to get to the higher revs.