Wanted to test a litre bike so took one for a test this afternoon from m local Kwak dealer . . . handling is very similar to my ZX6R, turns really fast and corners almost as well as the 6, feels very slightly heavier, especially under braking for some reason, the 6 feels a bit more agile but there’s not a lot in it, really surprised me.
Performance wise it doesn’t feel massively faster than the 6, it’s doing 20mph more almost everywhere without even trying too hard, it would be more relaxed long distance but where the 6 feels exciting the 10 feels more laid back. I thought the ZX10R was supposed to be the bad boy of the 999cc bikes but apart from a lot of bar waggle under hard acceleration and lifting the front wheel too easily in 2nd (I had to keep trying this to make sure it wasn’t just the road :w00t: ) it’s very well behaved, I found I was riding harder and faster than I would have done on my 6 on the road, maybe it’s a bit longer so is a bit more stable on a bend ?
I was expecting to come away looking for a very good reason I shouldn’t just get my wallet out there and then but it’s the other way round. My 6 is obviously slower but it doesn’t show on the road until at least 100 mph, after that the 10 would be galloping away but below that the 6 is within a gnats whisker of the 10 and is slightly more agile and lively, and the engine is just manic. Riding the 10 then getting back on the 6 has reminded me how much I like my engine, the power delivery is exciting rather than responsible and laid back The 6 is definately more fun unless you want to go every where at 150mph . . . the 10 was able to reach an astonishing speed on a very short piece of road… never been driving/riding anything that had the speedo reading that high before :w00t:
If I hadn’t already got the 6 then I would consider the 10 without a doubt but is it worth swapping the 6 for the 10 ? I don’t think so, I’d miss the fun and the flickability. There’s not much in it but when you add in the way the engine feels and the braking, the 6 is much more fun, for me, so I’ll definately be keeping it this year.
May I suggest that , if you don’t think the 10R is " much " faster than your 6R then you probably were not riding it to within 20% or what it was capable of :Whistling:
The 6R is probably better suited to road conditions due to its more limited performance but I reckon if you were to ride the 10R in " anger " or on a track then you would certainly notice the difference . My '07 MY 10R was just soooooooo much faster than my B1-H 636 when ridden " properly " that it used to command plenty of respect rather than the 636 which just got " ragged " everywhere and was probably ( arguably ) more useable on everyday trips
In the dry, and yes it was much faster, obiously, but not in a way that made it feel better or more exciting if you understand what I mean. For sure where the 6 would be doing 120 on a dc the 10 would be doing an indicated 140+ but that’s in a straight line. Maybe it didn’t come across well enough, I’m not saying it’s not faster, but it’s not that much faster that you think it’s warrp speed compared to the 6.
Maybe I should add that prior to riding it various people had said to me that they’d never have a litre bike again, too powerful, difficult to control, too much torque for the road etc etc but it wasn’t any of those things, it was very easy to ride, very smoth and controllable. And yes I did hit the rev limiter a few times and yes that was on full throttle
I think that might be right but reading the reviews where they say it’s a bit wild compared to the new Fireblade I’m wondering if I was riding the same bike Or maybe the Fireblade is so smoootth it’s like being on a magic carpet :D;)
i think you better go back and test it again cos the 10 will make your 6 look like a dot by the time it comes out of first gear. And you need to ride it.
Yes, it still needs to be at 6K+ rpm to make fast progress but it does pull well from below 8k which the 6 won’t, the 6 needs to have at least 8to 9 k to accelerate.
I think I know what slarty means. You can have a more manic ride on a 600 without having to think too much but the litre bike goes faster bus feels slower?!? and you have to respect it more. I think that’s what he means.
That’s right, what’s the point of the speedo showing an extra 25mph if the buzz you get is less ? I guess people liked 2 strokes for a similar reason. I will try a gixxer 1000 in a few weeks and see if that’s any different.
I’ll also be trying Chunkies V twin if he’s still of a mind to lend it to me ;) He’ll have to put up with my slow 600 with absoutely no torque and too many cylinders
I knew what you meant The reason I like my bike for what I do with it, are the points others would, and do find boring about 'em.Horses for courses :PCan’t wait to see Chunky on yours though, you should fit some rim tape for the occasion and some LEDs to make him smile
I might do that, full on Kwak bright green rim tape and I’ve still got the little green LED light string that George gave me
The ZX10R has what looks like green rim tape but apparantly the wheels are painted green first then the black is sprayd on top leaving a thin green line
) it’s very well behaved, I found I was riding harder and faster than I would have done on my 6 on the road, maybe it’s a bit longer so is a bit more stable on a bend ?
Or maybe the Fireblade is so smoootth it’s like being on a magic carpet :D;)
He’ll have to put up with my slow 600 with absoutely no torque and too many cylinders 