supersports on the street?

[iwannadie]

ok first off before anyone starts this isnt ment to be a thread of what you should ride or shouldnt. i dont care what you ride or why.

that being said im interested in the actualy mechanics of a super sport being used on streets. i read something saying how a 1000cc bike is actually worse off on surface roads(going the speed limit) than a 600cc bike. saying that the 1000cc has all its power way way up in the speed range, your not making any use of the big motor untill your going over 100mph. also the 1000 is heavier so it wont handle as well etc. generally saying the 1000 is worthless on surface roads for daily riding. the article also said the manufactures are actually lowering the performance/power of the super sports just so they are capable of street riding these days. even though its 1000cc montster motor its not running at its full ability unless you modify it.

i wish i could find the article now though. but how much merit is behind this? lets say you wanted a road race on tight city roads where the speeds would never reach over 70mph. would you choose a 1000cc bike or a 600(both fully stock)?

[ronboskz650sr]

It seems like it would be hard to beat a 600 under those conditions. I read a cbr600rr test where one of the testors said something like "every time I ride one of these i can't imagine why anybody would ever need anything more." Then he spoke of low wheel lifts on freeway on ramps in third gear, under full control...etc. I really like my old 650, but just a quick trip around the country block on my son's old Cbr 600 Hurricane makes me want one. The new ones are even nicer, so...Different stokes for different folks on this, I'm sure.

[BuzZz]

A modern liter supersport makes 170ish HP at 13-14ish thousand RPM....
it makes maybe half that power at about half that RPM. Or as much power as any sane person needs at any RPM. Useless? No. Overkill? Well sure. But far from useless.

A 600 also makes big power at full RPM. And makes far more than adequate power at lower-to-middle RPM. You may WANT more, but there is no way you can logically justify NEEDING more . And being lighter, with less spinning mass inside the engine, it will be more willing to change direction, so it handles better than the heavier 1000 with it's larger gyroscopic effect from the engine.

But torque is addictive......

[TechTMW]

But torque is addictive......

Which is why Harleys and naked bikes are so popular. Harley's engines are torque factories (Which many owners immediately go screw the pooch on trying to buil up the engines for horsepower ) But also, most of the latest naked bikes actually use "detuned" race bike engines.... "Detuned" being built for better torque and less top-end horsepower.

The Isle of Man TT is just the kind of road race you are talking about although the speeds are higher than 70!! It would be interesting to see the data on the 600's versus the open classers. Maybe I'll look it up later...

[Sev]

I love my naked.

[Mintbread]

i read something saying how a 1000cc bike is actually worse off on surface roads(going the speed limit) than a 600cc bike. saying that the 1000cc has all its power way way up in the speed range, your not making any use of the big motor untill your going over 100mph. also the 1000 is heavier so it wont handle as well etc. generally saying the 1000 is worthless on surface roads for daily riding.

Are you just saying this to justify your choice of a 600cc sportsbike?

[Psycluded]

Liter bikes are just heavier and produce far more torque, so it's a lot harder to "flick" them into turns properly, because of all of the forces acting against you. The argument about you never using 50% of your available engine power on the streets is also valid, but if anyone here ever uses 100% of the power available in a 600cc while riding surface streets, please let me know. You're insane and need to be locked up.

[Flite]

From my last 3 years of experience with my 1000cc R1, compared to the 700cc bike I used to ride, and to the short rides I've taken on friends' 600cc Ninja, R6, and GSX-R, I'll agree completely that a 1000cc bike is significantly less responsive to quick maneuvering and direction changes. With practice and experience though, I've found that a good deal of that maneuvering is there once you learn how to make it happen.
I haven't seen any noticeable lack of power anywhere in the RPM range, low, mid, or high, although the previous owner put a lot of love into the engine, and I don't know everything he did to it, that might have helped in that area.
I don't know exactly what level of racing you're suggesting, but I'd have a hard time agreeing with the 1000 cc bike being useless, but rather it would require a greater degree of experience and familiarity with that particular bike, to learn just how to squeeze the maneuvering that you need out of it.

I've seen a couple veteran riders snapping their Gold Wing and Rune through some mid to high speed maneuvering that would shame a lot of sportriders out there.

[iwannadie]

i read something saying how a 1000cc bike is actually worse off on surface roads(going the speed limit) than a 600cc bike. saying that the 1000cc has all its power way way up in the speed range, your not making any use of the big motor untill your going over 100mph. also the 1000 is heavier so it wont handle as well etc. generally saying the 1000 is worthless on surface roads for daily riding.

Are you just saying this to justify your choice of a 600cc sportsbike?

my bike isnt a sportsbike, nor would i ever feel the need to justify owning it lol. i was curious of the mechanical nature of these two bikes. and it seems i was informed correctly and the 1000cc bike isnt that great for street riding over all.

[Sev]

I'd say the two bikes are built to different purposes. 600's are more designed for twisties with their shorter wheelbase and lighter weight, whereas the 1000's are built for straight lines, more or less. Keep in mind this is a general statement. A 1000cc sportsbike will still corner better then a 1000cc cruiser, but it will do worse then a 600.

By way of example my bike, the honda hornet now has it's own separate class in Europe. Through the twisties it would dominate the standard 600cc machines. Shorter wheelbase and lighter weight etc. But in the straight lines the pure acceleration power of the 600 supersports would leave it in the dust. What I'm trying to say here is it all depends on what kind of riding you intend to do.