I guess it depends on which big bike – I mean your latest Beemer Long Way Round/Down/Through offering is going to be very different from your Blade or your Busa and even the Bandit 1200… (FAR too many Bs…)
Well, for me, this morning, I re-realised that I have a massive amount of respect for the ZX10 and ride it totally differently from Mark’s SV650. On the SV, I have two positions: throttle on and throttle off On the ZX10 I have:
Oooooh icy, better not put the power on too hard or too early
Hmmm I do remember my knees NOT hitting my chin on the SV…better back off so I can stretch my knees again (okay I am 6ft 1 remember)
Get out the way Mr Car/van/lorry – youre sitting in the outside lane, there is no other traffic and frankly you don’t have a chance against this thing (versus ooooh look theres another space in the middle lane)
I think I probably get here faster on the SV but maybe safer on the ZX10. It used to take me 2 hours each way via the back roads on the GN125 I enjoy both bikes (despite the limb numbness) but they are very different experiences and I do get treated very differently. People move out of the way (cars and bikes) for the ZX10 – I have to fight my way there on the SV. I also get a lot more guys trying to race me on the ZX10, especially when they realise Im female…
Fair point: the ZX10 light flickers with throttle changes, whereas the SV light is dead constant - maybe they think Im flashing them…
Having said that, if someone looks over at me at lights and then pulls off having seen the bike, I think I can be sure that they know the difference. Its usually after a set of lights, when they have had a chance to see me, that I notice people checking where I am in a racing kind of manner, rather than a safety kind of manner…
i cant see how you would get to you destination any quicker in reality if you used the SV?. surely it doesnt make that much difference if your on a cb500/blade? i used to commute on a 125 and save my tiger for trips and rideouts, and i still got to work at the same time as i would on the tiger. Its not always about speed…
10 are filtering pretty much constantlyI wouldnt say it was MUCH faster on the SV, just that it feels faster because I am constantly slogging at it, rather than letting the power of the bike do the work for me. I feel I have more time to think on the ten because I get there faster
Has the original post been deleted or are you posing and answering your own question ? Been a long weekend ? I find that cars move out of the way for me on my ZX6 when the headlight is badly adjusted (from the box) or I’m accelerating towards them so it appears to flash or at least point up, when it’s too low they don’t move.
Im not trying to make a point, mate - just telling you about an experience. Im not timing you or anybody, just looking at the difference betweem bikes and how it has an impact on riding.
before i rode scooters to work, i was much quicker on the scooter, bordering on hooligan…yep, wheelies, skids, etc just being a knob really, much more civilised on my SV as it could easily bite me:D ( had it 7 months, still learning! )
but i get much more respect from road users on my SV as its big and loud, it helps:w00t: they ofte move over for me:)
but i kinda get what you mean PPG, on my scoot i didnt have to think as much, i just did, i suppose its the same for you on the SV??
Having gone from a Varadero 125 to a CBF500, ok so it is not 100bhp, or even 75bhp, but I did find the commute easier. No longer struggle to get up to 70mph on the dual carriage ways or on the motorways. Plus if you need that little extra punch to over take you have it. Don’t have it on the 125.
If I was still commuting down to Victoria then I doubt there would be much difference as it is almost all filtering, but now I commute the other way then I wouldn’t want to do it on a 125. But I certainly don’t need more power than I already have.
I definitely ride with far greater care and attention on the proper bike compared to my scooter. I used to go for gaps and things I probably shouldn’t do on the scooter because it feels so light and floppy. So initially I had a slightly quicker commute on the scooter - like 25 mins vs 30 mins - than the bike. I haven’t really bothered to check lately, but I reckon they’re probably about the same now.
hmm I am the other way around…I tend to expect the sports bikes to handle and ride better and so I ride them with a bit more intensity…I tend to use the power to get away from situations. On the bandit I have to keep away from cars anywhich way I can but I certainly cant overtake as easily or safely as I can on the sports bikes…expecially two up…I tend to try and dominate the road on the bandit to make sure cars dont think they can cut me up or ignore me, on the sports bikes I AM IN OUT AND GONE BEFORE THEY CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT…WELL THATS WHAT I HOPE ANYWAY…
Its why I am going to keep the sports bikes off the road next winter until the warm weather arrives properly…I tend to ride a bit too hard for slippery conditions and have as you all know been caught out this year on the new 10…
Going from a Fazer FZ6 to a CBR600F and now a Fireblade I don’t think my journey’s are necessarily any quicker, but definitely safer.
Each power bump and increased braking efficiency has, I believe, made me ride safer (I will admit to the odd occasion when I’ve taken a chance I shouldn’t have!) But overall I am quicker and safer overtaking and can stop much quicker for blind car drivers! The increased stability also helps.
Powerpuff? i cant comment on the difference in bikes as i just ride the one…but i can agree with you on the thing about men realising you are a woman on a bike and all of a sudden ego mania comes into play and they go the “me tarzan you jane” crap…going to Inifinity yesterday i came across someone on a R6. He came flying past me, and i had slowed down cos i knew the speed cameras whereabouts, so wasnt bothered at all…so hes giving it the full throttle thing, and of course, once past the camera, cranked up the blade and caught him easily…which judging by the twitching he was doing looking left and right in his mirrors at me, he didnt like…me? couldnt care less, i noticed he werent that confident in filtering, as i was so everytime we hit traffic i just carried on through, not saying he DIDNT but he didnt do it as good as me !! Plus he knew he wasnt going to get past me although when i was taking it easy at stages, he always came flying past me again…(tsk tsk)…I decided to see what he was made of at one stage, naughty yes, but he didnt HAVE to bite did he?..anyway, i decided to slipstream him and straight away saw that he didnt like it, so i just boyed him off and carried on my own sweet way and lost him somewhere along the way…near the Ace actually…he wasnt going to Ace cos he carried on.As we got near the gyratory there at Hangar Lane i caught up to some other bikers who had left Ace? and witnessed one of the poor sods nearly being taken out by a complete and utter moron who just pulled out in front of him to change lanes at last minute…thank god he saw in time and swerved out the way and they heard me revving up the blade and actually LOOKED…phuking morons, morons,morons :w00t: Aarrgghhh…
Dropped into the Ace on way back met Trisckie, saw Shewolf and Matt,and Ginge,saw Nick (KTM) long time no see!! and some others…good to see the guys that DONT act like apes on bikes when they see a woman…in fact what i DO like about them, is the fact that they will discuss your riding and give advice, if asked…esp ones you have been on rideouts with…they have seen and know how you ride…as far as i know, not one of em have tried to race,intimidate or take pee out of any woman riders.,…lets face it, a lot of them have other halves who ride BECAUSE they did in first place, so they encourage (cos its much better to have your ol lady with you on her own bike, then trying to explain that you love her, but you love your bike too and want to go out and play sometimes)
thanks for all your comments guess my musings have led me to think that Im lazier on a bigger bike. true I have days when i - er - dont ride conservatively - but then what the hell is conservative riding in london? can you really ride that safely in london and get anywhere? I guess it depends on what you mean by safe. In my book, I have a good balance between good observation and assertiveness and I think that this is what makes me a safe rider. In fact, Ive found that if you DONT go for the gap - as other drivers will expect you to - then you will run into difficulty…
What do people think about the difference between bike sizes on track? :hehe:
i have no idea on the road. only ever ridden a hornet on the road and spent my whole time on the back wheel or trying to kill myself on every corner i saw.
as for bike sizes on the track. Last year on my old 80bhp hornet race bike i was usually one of the fastest in the fast group even lapping instructors that were on gsxr 1000’s at donnington. My point being that if you look at the lap times of all the different classes its only when you look at the front 10 or so riders taht the lap times are different between classes. For the rest it doesn’t matter what bike in what class as its the person limiting the lap time and not the bike.
it is great sport duffing up sportsbikes on what is effectively a comuter bike. There was a lad last year ona cb500 called Ryan Tyres that was absolutely increddible on that old bag of $hite and would embarass even good racers on litre race bikes.
On the ZX10 I have:
Been a long weekend ? 
Sorry, I really thought you were replying to somebody else