GSXR600 to Fireblade?
Discussion
Was thinking about a switch, but bearing in mind I'm still in my first "year" of riding, would this be a bit too much for me to handle? I ride the GSXR "ok" but it's not often I ride it hard enough to say it's on the limit.....Just fancy a change really! Plus I've got a week in Spain in Apr/May and wouldn't want the 1999 GSXR to be a)left behind or b) break down.
Would appreciate your thoughts....
Cheers.
Would appreciate your thoughts....
Cheers.
I would expect the word Fireblade would either scare the crap out of, or have the insurance co. rubbing it's hands together.
You've been riding for a year, can you honestly say to yourself that you can not just handle but make the most of the power you have. I had my ZXR400 for 9 months and the only reason I changed it (to the ZXR750) was cause some plank rear endded me at a roundabout and wrote it off.
There are far more stud points to be had by getting X lap time on a 600 than a blade.
If you fancy a change how about a younger GSX or better still a ZX6R
or for a real change a 748 
Vitesse39 said:
I would expect the word Fireblade would either scare the crap out of, or have the insurance co. rubbing it's hands together.
You've been riding for a year, can you honestly say to yourself that you can not just handle but make the most of the power you have. I had my ZXR400 for 9 months and the only reason I changed it (to the ZXR750) was cause some plank rear endded me at a roundabout and wrote it off.
There are far more stud points to be had by getting X lap time on a 600 than a blade.
If you fancy a change how about a younger GSX or better still a ZX6R
Agreed......A newer GSXR is it then. appreciate the replies.
To give an example,
Me, 30, 3yrs NCB, garaged with Cat 1, no nasties or crashes on an 05 CBR1000RR relieves me of £480 with Carole Nash for the year. Oh yeah, Bikesafe course as well brings the quote down a little.
Oh yeah, just to add, I would have the Blade over my old 748 any day. What you pay extra for insurance, you will ultimately pay way more for on servicing on the Duke.
Your GSXR, if re-geared, will make the Blade look humble on a track if ridden well!!!
>> Edited by veetwin on Wednesday 21st December 13:42
Me, 30, 3yrs NCB, garaged with Cat 1, no nasties or crashes on an 05 CBR1000RR relieves me of £480 with Carole Nash for the year. Oh yeah, Bikesafe course as well brings the quote down a little.
Oh yeah, just to add, I would have the Blade over my old 748 any day. What you pay extra for insurance, you will ultimately pay way more for on servicing on the Duke.
Your GSXR, if re-geared, will make the Blade look humble on a track if ridden well!!!
>> Edited by veetwin on Wednesday 21st December 13:42
chilli said:
Was thinking about a switch, but bearing in mind I'm still in my first "year" of riding, would this be a bit too much for me to handle? I ride the GSXR "ok" but it's not often I ride it hard enough to say it's on the limit.....Just fancy a change really! Plus I've got a week in Spain in Apr/May and wouldn't want the 1999 GSXR to be a)left behind or b) break down.
Would appreciate your thoughts....
Cheers.
If you are not pushing your GSXR600 near to its’ limits then DON’T buy another bike for fear of being “left behind”. Your statement would indicate that your limits are far lower than those of your bike thus getting a “more capable” bike is, at best, not going to help, at worst, get you into very serious difficulty very quickly. If being left behind is your worry then get yourself some further training. A well ridden GSXR600 will be able to keep up with virtually any other bike in a road situation.
If you are looking for improved reliability or “a better fit” for your requirements then the fact that the ‘Blade is bigger/faster/quicker than the GSXR should have no impact (other than a bit of pose value!).
You should get a bike that you are happy and comfortable with regardless of top speed, bhp, cc, name or age and concentrate on enjoying yourself and improving your abilities. That bike may be a ‘Blade or it may be a GSXR600 (or even something else). Whatever you choose, choose it for the right reasons, enjoy and ride safe.
black-k1 said:
Was thinking about a switch, but bearing in mind I'm still in my first "year" of riding, would this be a bit too much for me to handle? I ride the GSXR "ok" but it's not often I ride it hard enough to say it's on the limit.....Just fancy a change really! Plus I've got a week in Spain in Apr/May and wouldn't want the 1999 GSXR to be a)left behind or b) break down.
Would appreciate your thoughts....
Cheers.
If you are not pushing your GSXR600 near to its’ limits then DON’T buy another bike for fear of being “left behind”. Your statement would indicate that your limits are far lower than those of your bike thus getting a “more capable” bike is, at best, not going to help, at worst, get you into very serious difficulty very quickly. If being left behind is your worry then get yourself some further training. A well ridden GSXR600 will be able to keep up with virtually any other bike in a road situation.
If you are looking for improved reliability or “a better fit” for your requirements then the fact that the ‘Blade is bigger/faster/quicker than the GSXR should have no impact (other than a bit of pose value!).
You should get a bike that you are happy and comfortable with regardless of top speed, bhp, cc, name or age and concentrate on enjoying yourself and improving your abilities. That bike may be a ‘Blade or it may be a GSXR600 (or even something else). Whatever you choose, choose it for the right reasons, enjoy and ride safe.
Cheers, good points, well made. I only got an "old" bike as I expected to be dropping it at every roundabout.....I'll see if I can get a newer model.
Cheers.
Andymx5 said:
Enjoy the Old bike
Look at it this way....
If you get "Left Behind" on an Old Gixxer... People will blame the old bike
If you get "Left Behind" whilst on a New Gixxer or a Fireblade then it's because you're sh*t...
I know which one I'd prefer people to think!
Another way to look at it - spend the money that would have gone on a new bike on training.
For most people going to a litre bike without a few years on a 600 would be a bad idea and if you play the numbers game they are probably right. However it all depends on how quickly you get to grips with the 600 and reach the end of its capabilities. When it feels slow and you yearn for more then maybe it's time to think Blade. For me that took a year on a 600 but for most it is a bit longer. I loved my Blade and felt completely at home on it from day 1. But for most it takes a few years hence the posts advising caution. Moving to a litre bike so soon is a risk - if you think a newer 600 instead of a Blade will give you what you need you reduce that risk considerably.
The Blade will always be there. Get one when you really feel ready. And enjoy!
The Blade will always be there. Get one when you really feel ready. And enjoy!
black-k1 said:
A well ridden GSXR600 will be able to keep up with virtually any other bike in a road situation.
This is so true. A 2000 GSXR-600 was used to win the Supersport 600 championship at Bemsee this year and there are plenty of more modern machines being ridden in the series.
The only time a blade would be quicker on the road is if you were racing to top speed or were riding fast two up.
To be honest, I think you'll get more kicks from making the GSXR behave as you would like rather than trying to get to grips with getting the power down on a blade.
Last but not least, I still fancy a ride out when there's a little more grip around.
This is an interesting discussion, and one that highlights quite a big distinction between two and four wheels. The very sensible and logical advice being given is to stick to the machine that you are capable of extracting near 100% from. But pistonheads on the whole aren't sensible and logical. You never see that advice given about cars on the other forums. I wouldn't mind betting that most 996 Turbo's and 360 Ferrari's are rarely driven at more than 50% of their capability, but the guys who own them still get tremendous pleasure out of them.
So is it similarly legit for someone to want to own a top end sports bike because they lust after the machine, even if they do only ride it at 25% of its ability ? or is a bike simply a tool for delivering the riding experience ? Whatever people say, I reckon most are owned on the former basis (present company excepted of course !)
Don't get me wrong, I have a foot in both camps so understand the different physical demands and risks, but think there are a lot of people out there who are not able to wring the neck of their machines but still love owning them.
So is it similarly legit for someone to want to own a top end sports bike because they lust after the machine, even if they do only ride it at 25% of its ability ? or is a bike simply a tool for delivering the riding experience ? Whatever people say, I reckon most are owned on the former basis (present company excepted of course !)
Don't get me wrong, I have a foot in both camps so understand the different physical demands and risks, but think there are a lot of people out there who are not able to wring the neck of their machines but still love owning them.
I think you may have misunderstood what I was suggesting. My advice to anyone, car or bike buyer, would be to buy what you are comfortable with. In the Bike world, that may be 50cc scooter or a GSXR1000. In the car world it may be a Smart or a Ferrari. (Assuming you can afford to buy and run them!) This is regardless of your experience and as long as you know your own limitations. I would suggest that anyone looking for a vehicle to “slow them down” or restrict their enthusiasm should not be looking at any bike with more than about 20bhp or any car with more than about 60bhp. If you can’t control yourself, should you even be on the road?
Likewise, I would never suggest anyone buy any vehicle to “make them faster” or allow them to “keep up” if they are not fully utilising the performance of the vehicle they already have. In such circumstances you have already reached your own limits, not the vehicles limits, thus increasing the performance of the vehicle is not going to help in any way. If you are lucky you’ll just scare the sh1t out of yourself. If your not lucky the ability to push even further beyond your own limits could be tragic!
As I said before you should buy the vehicle (bike or car) that you feel happy and comfortable with regardless of top speed, bhp, cc, name or age and concentrate on enjoying yourself and improving your abilities.
Likewise, I would never suggest anyone buy any vehicle to “make them faster” or allow them to “keep up” if they are not fully utilising the performance of the vehicle they already have. In such circumstances you have already reached your own limits, not the vehicles limits, thus increasing the performance of the vehicle is not going to help in any way. If you are lucky you’ll just scare the sh1t out of yourself. If your not lucky the ability to push even further beyond your own limits could be tragic!
As I said before you should buy the vehicle (bike or car) that you feel happy and comfortable with regardless of top speed, bhp, cc, name or age and concentrate on enjoying yourself and improving your abilities.
Fair point Dave, but if you win the lottery on Saturday would you not go out and buy the ultimate bike of your dreams whether you can ride it 100% or not ? I reckon most would.
Edit :
Black K1, I see your name is also David ! I was responding to Mad Dave's post above.
>> Edited by gr4 on Thursday 22 December 09:35
Edit :
Black K1, I see your name is also David ! I was responding to Mad Dave's post above.
>> Edited by gr4 on Thursday 22 December 09:35
Gr4, good question.
I think for the average rider, to use 100% of a 600's capability on the road would be rare, even track days would rarely see Joe Public pushing the bike to it's suspension, tyre and engine limits. The reason behind these same people purchasing something like a Fireblade would be more for aesthetic and status reasons as you have suggested; like most car drivers.
I enjoy my Blade over my previous Ducati 748 as it is smoother, has more power everywhere in the rev range and makes for an easier ride on the road. It can be literally ridden like a scooter with it's tractable torque; basically short-shifting to sixth and leave it there, on a typical A-road. The only time it gets it's neck wrung is on Dual Carriageways or on the track where I can hand on heart say I reached about 85% of the bike's capabilities at Donington this summer.
I swap with my sister's GSXR600 P-reg on rideouts and the feeling is great as you work the s*&t out of it. Wringing it's neck after coming off the Blade is great as it is rewarding to say the least. However, it is very tiring to keep this behavior up over long periods and that is where the Blade excels. Very easy to ride whatever the circumstances.
The thing is that a GSXR600 generally has the same Kudos as a Blade from the same year.
With cars the Kudos gap is extended when comparing similarly performing cars such as an M3 CSL and a Ferrari. Most will go for the Fezza as it holds more clout in the posing stakes.
I think for the average rider, to use 100% of a 600's capability on the road would be rare, even track days would rarely see Joe Public pushing the bike to it's suspension, tyre and engine limits. The reason behind these same people purchasing something like a Fireblade would be more for aesthetic and status reasons as you have suggested; like most car drivers.
I enjoy my Blade over my previous Ducati 748 as it is smoother, has more power everywhere in the rev range and makes for an easier ride on the road. It can be literally ridden like a scooter with it's tractable torque; basically short-shifting to sixth and leave it there, on a typical A-road. The only time it gets it's neck wrung is on Dual Carriageways or on the track where I can hand on heart say I reached about 85% of the bike's capabilities at Donington this summer.
I swap with my sister's GSXR600 P-reg on rideouts and the feeling is great as you work the s*&t out of it. Wringing it's neck after coming off the Blade is great as it is rewarding to say the least. However, it is very tiring to keep this behavior up over long periods and that is where the Blade excels. Very easy to ride whatever the circumstances.
The thing is that a GSXR600 generally has the same Kudos as a Blade from the same year.
With cars the Kudos gap is extended when comparing similarly performing cars such as an M3 CSL and a Ferrari. Most will go for the Fezza as it holds more clout in the posing stakes.
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